Cardinal Kasper sees ‘paradigm shift’ in Church teaching on marriage/divorce/Communion
October 25, 2016
In an essay published in a German journal, Cardinal Walter Kasper argues that Amoris Laetitia represents a “paradigm shift” in Catholic teaching on marriage, divorce, and access to the sacraments.
“Amoris Laetitia does not change an iota of the teaching of the Church, yet it changes everything,” the German cardinal wrote in Stimmen der Zeit. He said that the apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis shows that in life “there is no black and white but only different nuances and shadings.”
Cardinal Kasper rejected the idea that it would create scandal to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion. In some cases, he contended, “not the admission but the denial of the sacraments is creating scandal.”
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Posted by: Biscjim -
Oct. 29, 2016 3:33 AM ET USA
Randal, you are probably right, heresy is a harsh world, but the scandal being caused by such nonsense can lead in that direction. At the least, it makes upholding the Faith more and more difficult. Eventually the outrageous becomes the norm.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Oct. 27, 2016 3:52 PM ET USA
To Biscjim, when I raised the same issue with a former archbishop of my archdiocese, he told me that he knew every U.S. bishop personally and that none was a heretic. I asked how he could make that statement. He replied that no matter how outlandish their personal opinions may be, not a one of them had publicly denied an infallible doctrine of faith or morals. The same goes for C. Kasper. Although his divisive opinions sound outlandish, he is not publicly denying a dogma or moral truth.
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Posted by: Biscjim -
Oct. 27, 2016 12:32 AM ET USA
I'm not a theologian, but as a simple Catholic I cannot see how Cardinal Kasper has not now crossed the line into heresy. Sometimes we have to call it as we see it and to also discern how we can respectfully resist such nonsense, even if it comes from the Pope.
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Posted by: Gil125 -
Oct. 26, 2016 5:21 PM ET USA
To the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary: In the next edition, under the entry for double-talk, you may wish to consider as example no. 1: “Amoris Laetitia does not change an iota of the teaching of the Church, yet it changes everything,”
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Posted by: feedback -
Oct. 25, 2016 11:47 PM ET USA
"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a divorced person commits adultery" [Luke 16:18]. "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators... nor adulterers... nor sodomites... will inherit the kingdom of God" [1Cor 6:9]. "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily... eats and drinks judgment on himself" [1Cor 11:27]. "If anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!" [Gal 1:8-9]
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Posted by: Faustina01 -
Oct. 25, 2016 11:45 PM ET USA
A paradigm shift from God's teaching???? Highly unlikely that the Cardinal has become a new Moses, receiving instruction directly from the mouth of God....so, the Cardinal no longer can distinguish between what is Truth and what is not, or has it become inconvenient?
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Posted by: loumiamo -
Oct. 25, 2016 9:01 PM ET USA
"There is no black and white but only nuances and shadings." So I guess sometimes the priest confects the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus into the Eucharist, but sometimes he doesn't get any closer than a nuance or shade of the Real Presence. What's the Col. Potter euphemism I'm searching for here? Oh yeah. Mule fritters!!!
