German bishops have voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of producing a guide for Protestant spouses explaining the circumstances in which they could be admitted to Communion.
The bishops agreed that a Protestant partner may receive Communion if they have made a “serious examination of conscience” with a priest or other person with pastoral responsibilities. They also must “affirm the faith of the Catholic Church” and wish to end “serious spiritual distress” and a “longing to satisfy hunger for the Eucharist”.
While the guide is yet to be written, the bishops’ remarks appear to go beyond the circumstances set out under canon law, which stipulates that non-Catholic Christians may be admitted to Communion if “the danger of death is present” or “some other grave necessity urges it”.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx said that there had been an “intense debate” on the subject, during which “serious concerns” had been raised. He noted that the bishops had not given general approval for intercommunion and that the guide was merely pastoral. “We don’t want to change any doctrine,” he said.
Cardinal Marx also said that the document did not call for the Protestant receiving Communion to convert to Catholicism, adding that much is left to the local bishop’s discretion.
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) described the news as an “important step on the road of ecumenism”.
The canon lawyer Ed Peters, an adviser to the Holy See’s top tribunal, wrote on his blog that the German bishops’ proposal took advantage of a vague phrase in canon law. The bishops’ idea was “licit, strictly speaking, but such a bad idea that the canon allowing it probably needs to reformed”.
‘Nighty-night, baby’ tweet was for my sister, cardinal says
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, raised eyebrows last week when he tweeted: “Nighty-night, baby. I love you” – before later explaining that the message was intended for his sister.
The cardinal deleted the tweet and apologised the next day. “Sitting on a plane last Wednesday evening, I mistakenly tweeted a message meant as a private communication with one of my sisters,” he said.
“When I arrived in Newark two hours later, friends informed me of the error and I immediately removed it. However, the tweet continues to be widely diffused and has sown some misunderstanding.
Archdiocese of Newark if my carelessness has caused any confusion or embarrassment. I promise to be more careful with future use of media.”
The cardinal’s public tweets are rare: he sent his last one in November. The full tweet read: “Supposed to be airborne in 10 minutes. Nighty-night, baby. I love you.”
A spokesman said the cardinal had eight younger sisters. “They’re all his baby sisters,” he said.
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