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PDF versionBishops OK marriage pastoral with many changes
Nov. 18, 2009
BALTIMORE -- Despite the concern voiced by some bishops about the document's pastoral tone and content, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a pastoral letter on marriage Nov. 17.
Nearly 100 changes in two rounds of amendments preceded the 180-45 vote in favor of "Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan" during the bishops' fall general assembly in Baltimore.
Two-thirds of the USCCB membership, or 175 votes, was required for passage. There were three abstentions.
An effort by retired Archbishop Francis T. Hurley of Anchorage, Alaska, to remand the document to the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth for rewriting failed 56-169, with three abstentions.
Archbishop Hurley said he had "nothing to offer in terms of changing a line here and there" but wanted to see the pastoral letter expanded in some areas, switched around in sections and rewritten to incorporate parts of "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth"), Pope Benedict XVI's recent encyclical.
But Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., chairman of the subcommittee that drafted the letter on marriage, strongly opposed the move, calling the document "worthy of giving us direction for the next three years."
A key change made in the letter during the amendment process was the rewriting of language describing both cohabitation and contraception as "intrinsically evil."
Instead, it calls contraceptive practices "objectively wrong" and "essentially opposed to God's plan for marriage and proper human development."
The document encourages the use of natural family planning, which the bishops say promotes "an attitude of respect and wonder ... and fosters the true intimacy that only such respect can bring."
In place of a section that said living together without marriage "is intrinsically evil and thus always diminishes the capacity for love," the amended document quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church in saying, "Cohabitation 'involves the serious sin of fornication. It does not conform to God's plan for marriage and is always wrong and objectively sinful.'"
The pastoral letter also names divorce and same-sex unions as two other "fundamental challenges to the nature and purpose of marriage."
The bishops say divorce conflicts with "God's plan for marriage," but the bishops added that in some cases, "divorce may be the only solution to a morally unacceptable situation," such as when the safety of a spouse or children is at risk."
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They also encourage those who have divorced and remarried civilly to "participate in parish life and attend the Sunday Eucharist, even though they cannot ordinarily receive holy Communion."
To couples facing "modern stresses upon marriage," such as "the conflict between work and home, economic hardships and social expectations," the bishops urge them to "turn to the Lord for help" and to utilize church programs and ministries "that can help save marriages, even those in serious difficulty."
The moves to legally recognize same-sex unions pose "a multifaceted threat to the very fabric of society, striking at the source from which society and culture come and which they are meant to serve," the bishops say.
"Such recognition affects all people, married and nonmarried: not only at the fundamental levels of the good of the spouses, the good of children, the intrinsic dignity of every human person and the common good, but also at the levels of education, cultural imagination and influence, and religious freedom," they add.
To oppose the legal recognition of same-sex unions is not discriminatory nor a matter of fairness, the bishops say.
"To promote and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman is itself a matter of justice," the document says. "In fact, it would be a grave injustice if the state ignored the unique and proper place of husbands and wives, the place of mothers and fathers and the rights of children, who deserve from society clear guidance as they grow to sexual maturity."
"The vision of married life and love that we have presented in this pastoral letter is meant to be a foundation and reference point for the many works of evangelization, catechesis, pastoral care, education and advocacy carried on in our dioceses, parishes, schools, agencies, movements and programs," says the document's closing section, called a "commitment to ministry."
The bishops said they addressed the letter "first and foremost to the Catholic faithful in the United States" but also offered it to others "in the hope of inspiring them to embrace this teaching."
The letter is another component in the bishops' National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage, which began in November 2004.
They can speak all they want
They can speak all they want about marriage as a sacrament in the Catholic church. I wonder if there is anything in this document that addresses the divorce rate among Catholics, the vast majority of whom, when they divorce, don't divorce because the safety of a spouse or children is at risk. Civil marriage is a whole different matter. Civil marriage is for anyone, of any belief system (or of no religious belief system). That is a matter for civil authorities, who must address the issues of fairness and equal protection under the law. If the bishops are so worried about the children, one would think they would first lobby to outlaw divorce, which has, and will, harm MANY more children than same sex marriage ever will.
So they made 100 revisions
So they made 100 revisions but left the hateful language against gays. Same gender unions are a "threat to the very fabric of society." They strike "at the source from which society and culture come." Gee maybe my partner and I should be executed or put in a camp. This is sick. Any liberal catholic who can tell me to just ignore the bshops must be straight and have no feelings. My anger and disgust are over the top.
You're right, it is sick. My
You're right, it is sick. My advice is for you and your partner to live together is a shared spiritual life and in time the effects of the sickness will pass. There are a number of Christian communities who would be happy to integrate both of you into their life of worship. God bless you both.
Dear Stephen,
Dear Stephen,
I'm heterosexual and life-long practicing Catholic, but am also deeply offended and angered by both the wording and the content of these and other episcopal statements. For some of these bishops it amounts to blatant homophobia, a perverse obsession with the sexuality of others, and a disregard for the dignity of ALL human beings, riding under a veneer of pseudo-morality. For others, I suspect it reflects a deep-seated rejection of their own hidden sexual orientation. In either case, it remains an unacceptable "teaching", and the majority of Catholics reject it as such.
.
I know it's not much to offer, but I am truly sorry for the pain these thoughtless hierarchs have caused you, and our other brothers and sisters in Christ within the homosexual family community. It's inexcusable and in no way reflects the love of Christ, whose people we are. Many of us in the Catholic community stand in solidarity with you and have made our voices heard in your behalf and for your equal protection under civil law. Your lives matter, as does your human dignity. Please remember that it is God's people who are THE Church, and that includes you and your loved partner.
.
Peace and prayers in Christ and St. Benedict...
Stephen: They don't want to
Stephen: They don't want to put you in a camp. Just back in the closet. Seriously, the vast majority of us just don't buy the lie. It's not just a question of gay Catholics ignoring the homophobic fear mongering and hysteria, it's that more and more stright Catholics are. That's what scares them!
Dear Stephen, by "threat to
Dear Stephen, by "threat to the very fabric of society" the bishops mean "a threat to the very fabric of patriarchy," the only society they see as legit. As usual with the bishops, it is all about power over others. Thank God, 80% of Catholics will ignore this ignorant document.
The bishops' letter states:
The bishops' letter states: "Children are a gift in a myriad of ways. They bring joy even in the midst of heartaches; they give added direction to the lives of their parents." Why am I, a parent, being lectured about this by a bunch of guys who can know this only second-hand? The fact is that many children were sacrificed over the years as a result of decisions by bishops to protect a few clergy guilty of criminal acts. The legacy of the sexual abuse scandal is the erosion of the bishops' credibility and teaching authority, particularly on matters relating to human sexuality. Cardinal George's call to move beyond the abuse scandal rings hollow.
Right now I see two comments
Right now I see two comments about the bishops' letter.
Ho hum.
Just thought I'd add a comment...
Isn't it interesting how
Isn't it interesting how these men who have never lived a married life are suddenly experts in every facet of that life? Utterly amazing!
The lay ministry of
The lay ministry of Retrouvaille should be mentioned as it not well known or promoted by dioceses or bishops. They write pastoral letters.. Retrouvaille is for troubled marriages and was founded by an AA priest and AA couples. Married peers tell how they recovered from married misery and If you want to recover from your misery follow the Retouvaille steps. Takes about a year .. Cheap too ..about a small fraction of what you will pay to the lawyer and real estate agent. also no charge to those who need help. Not easy but about 65% of couples recover. That's a lot better odds percentage than the engaged get when thay start out all kissy face and broke. AA has led to recovery about 10,000 times more people than therapists... therapists have no effecacious studies that 'professional' counselling leads to marriage recovery. In fact most therapists don't think marriage recovery is a theraputic goal . ..It's stange that it is seldom church recommended because of the 'professional ' bias in parishes and dioceses. [They did so well with 'professional' help with pedophelia]..O and NCR has never done a story on Retrouvaille.
so you have to look it up yourself if you or a family/friend needs help.
http://www.retrouvaille.org/
I agree with Aileen that
I agree with Aileen that condemning homosexuals is wrong. Same sex marriage should be praised, as it encourages stability, faithfulness and dignity. Many homosexuals (lesbians as well) have children to raise. Oscar Wilde had children, Elizabeth Taylor's and Liza Minneli, Judy Garland all had homosexual dads, and throughout the history of humans, many homosexuals are parents too. Homosexuals, gays and lesbians, do not choose their orientation. God has made all species and all orientations, and we have various levels of hormones of testosterone, and estrogen and variations in genitalia manisfestations, for example hermaphodites characteristics, all born that way.
Jesus welcomed the Ethopian eunach, praised the anointing done of him by the sexual woman of the city, praised the sexual samaria woman, he never went about shunning, restricting, excluding, excommunicating people of faith who were different or sexually active. Mutual respect, dignity, maintaining the human rights of others is what Jesus was all about. I am heterosexual and I an aware that not all of us are the same.
God has made this world in wisdom. We are not to hate the creation of God.
The 60 page message (it can
The 60 page message (it can hardly be called pastoral at this length)reminds me of a legal brief written by a lawyer who has no case or is not familiar with the case he is defending: Cite enough cases and pile on enough paragraphs and words and maybe I will win the day.
The Bishops failed. So now they will most likely spend more time and effort defending this document in the future. A document that may be perfect for times before the Industrial Revolution but for today can be summed up in the wornout cliche of "Keep women barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen."
And I detected a very sad undertone: If kids have to live in poverty, it's okay. If parents have to work so hard to provide for their family that they have no time for each other, much less their kids, it's okay. Is this ProLife?
This is very disappointing but I suppose it shouldn't be. We've known now for a long time that the Bishops live in a cocoon of sweet dreams that even mind altering drugs can't induce.
With regard to how the
With regard to how the bishops regard practices of contraception and cohabitation I fail to see how amendments make any difference at all from the presented draft of this "pastoral" message. I fail to see how the substitution of synonyms alters that yet two other groups of baptized human beings are corralled to be labeled (branded))as outsiders or deviants.
The damage has already been done. We know what the bishops really mean. We can't say they weren't transparent in this pastoral. They were/are. THEN [in the draft] both contraception and cohabitation are "intrinsically evil". NOW [after amendment] contraceptive practices are "objectively wrong" & "essentially opposed to God's plan...." NOW [after amendment] cohabitation "...does not conform to God's plan ... is always wrong and objectively sinful." I fail to see a difference among "intrinsically evil", "always wrong","objectively" wrong or sinful, and "essentially opposed..." Do not the various adjectives used mean the identical same thing?
In at least these issues the it's fairly obvious how "worthy" this document will be for giving pastoral direction to bishops and other clerics for the next three years. How I wish that Archbishop Hurley's desire to see a re-write utilizing Benedict XVI's encyclical ("Caritas in Veritate) for inspiration. Dear Bishops, your heavy handedness and repeated inflicting of
"blunt force trauma" in many issues does not strike many of us as pastoral in any sense of the word. We weep on our faith journey often these days. Walk with us; speak with us not just to us; listen to us as you want us to listen to you - please.
I believe that the reason
I believe that the reason they changed 'intrinsically evil' is because an intrinsically evil sin must be forgiven by a Bishop, or permission must be given by a Bishop specifically to the local priests of his Diocese to forgive that particular sin during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Abortion is 'intrinsically evil' and must be forgiven by a Bishop, or permission granted.
Relationship is a two way
Relationship is a two way commitment between partners. In a relationship, there are many trials and challenges to face. One of it is some misunderstandings. The most important thing to do is to hold on and be patient. Do not let your pride over power you. There are so many ways that can make a relationship work good. I've been through this.
I have recently posted my thoughts about this here: help save marriage
Thanks,
Jessica
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