Will the Amoris Laetitia ‘discernment process’ always produce the same result?

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 26, 2018

So now the Archdiocese of Braga, following the lead of bishops in Germany and in Malta, has said that Catholics who are divorced and remarried should receive the Eucharist after the "process of discernment" that is the essence of the "Kasper proposal." But wait. Exactly what is being "discerned" in this process?

Nowhere have I read the suggestion that some Catholics, after going through this process, will discern that they should not receive Communion until they have brought their lives into conformity with the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is invariably taken for granted, in public discussions, that those who undertake this process will be admitted to the Eucharist.

If the result of the process is pre-ordained, then it really isn't a "discernment" at all, is it? And if the result is not settled in advance, what are the norms by which the Church will separate those who may be admitted to Communion from those who may not?