What happened?
The Vatican rejected the German bishops’ proposal to allow Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Communion. The decision was announced in a letter, approved by the Pope, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Canon law, which has been criticised as too vague, allows Protestants to receive Communion in “grave circumstances”, if they hold Catholic beliefs on the Eucharist. The German bishops had hoped to apply this to those in “spiritual distress”.
What German bishops
Bishop Gerhard Feige, who leads the German bishops’ ecumenism commission, said that the Vatican’s “incomprehensible” decision had inflicted “wounds”.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a close adviser to Pope Francis, had been the most prominent figure pushing for change. He said he was “surprised” by the Vatican’s decision.
Cardinal Walter Kasper said he was “angry” that the Vatican letter had been leaked, and that it was odd to find some German bishops disagreeing with the extension of Communion to Protestants: “There already is a widespread practice of non-Catholic spouses, who consider themselves serious Christians, stepping up to Communion, without any bishops, who after all know of this practice, thus far voicing concerns,” he said.
What commentators said
At the National Catholic Register, Fr Raymond de Souza wondered if Pope Francis’s mind had been changed – he originally seemed sympathetic to the German proposal – by the strong response from prominent churchmen. Cardinal Willem Eijk “said baldly that Pope Francis got it massively wrong and, for good measure, pointed out it was not the first time.” Francis recently told the Italian bishops that “It is not a sin to criticise the Pope here,” Fr de Souza noted, adding: “It may be the preferred way that the Holy Father likes to be served.”
At Catholic Family News, Brian McCall said the letter did not go far enough: it merely said that the plan was “not ready”. But it “does not declare this attempt of the German bishops to be against the Faith and an attempt at legitimising sacrilege”.
✣Hindu extremists trample on photo of Pope
What happened?
In a video circulating online, a Hindu nationalist group trampled on an image of Pope Francis and called for Christians to leave the country or be deported. The protest, led by Hindu leader Om Swami Maharaj, took place near Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi, according to ucanews.com. It comes amid a steep rise in religious tensions.
Why was it under-reported
Hindu extremism is confined to India and so global awareness of the problem is limited. But the protest was no isolated incident. Attacks by Hindus against Christians doubled in 2017, according to the charity Persecution Relief. Church leaders are increasingly speaking out. Last week Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa and Daman said a new trend “demands uniformity in what and how we eat, dress, live and even worship”. He said minorities “fear for their safety”, that the rule of law was in decline, and that democracy itself was “in peril”.
What will happen next?
Extremism is rising in India, especially since the ascent to power of the BJP party, which has close links to Hindu nationalist movements, some of them of a very unsavoury kind. The Indian authorities constantly claim to be addressing the situation. Jaideep Prasad, inspector general of police in Bhopal, the capital city of the state of Madhya Pradesh, said that law enforcement “will not allow anyone to spread discord among people with such videos”. But the Christian community are increasingly fearful of mob violence.
✣The week ahead
Cardinal Vincent Nichols will celebrate a Mass marking the 150th anniversary of the Catholic Truth Society (CTS) at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday. The publisher was initially founded by Fr Herbert Vaughan, later Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. It has published works by Mgr Ronald Knox, Blessed John Henry Newman and Hilaire Belloc, among many others.
Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide is due to be sentenced on Tuesday. Last month he was found guilty of failing to report allegations of abuse disclosed to him in the 1970s. He faces a maximum of two years in prison.
Pope Francis is making a day trip to Geneva on Thursday. He will take part in an ecumenical service marking 70 years since the founding of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a fellowship of Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches whose head office is in the Swiss capital. The Church has never joined the WCC, but has had observer status.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.