German cardinal tempers expectations about Synod of Bishops
July 10, 2015
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich has cautioned German Catholics that they should not expect dramatic change in Church policy as a result of the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops.
Cardinal Marx-- who has been an outspoken proponent of allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion-- said that it "will not be simple" to bring about such a change. He suggested that the Synod may not be ready to approve the policy, which has already won endorsement from the German bishops' conference, which Cardinal Marx heads.
The cautionary statement from Cardinal Marx, made in a meeting in Munich, may indicate that the German prelate is recognizing the strength of opposition to the "Kasper proposal" among the world's bishops.
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Posted by: rjbennett1294 -
Jul. 11, 2015 7:08 AM ET USA
German Catholic bishops want to show "mercy" to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics by allowing them to receive the Eucharist. If any German Catholics, though, fail to pay the government-mandated "church tax," which provides nearly the entire, enormous income of the Church in Germany, ah, THEN the bishops are absolutely merciless. Such Catholics are effectively excommunicated: they may not receive any sacraments - including the last sacraments - and they may not receive a Church funeral.
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Posted by: feedback -
Jul. 10, 2015 6:30 PM ET USA
Great news! It's funny how really good it sounds now from Cardinal Marx. It's not as much a matter of a mere "majority's opinion" as of a universal and unchangeable truth of the Faith.
