Frank Portelli, St Paul’s Bay
Mediaeval impositions (4)
Mgr Arthur Said Pullicino is not singing from the same hymn sheet as the Vatican. Here is the official version of our Catholic Catechism published by the Vatican, CCC 2383: “If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offence.”
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Joe Zammit
Oct 12th 2010, 19:46
Dear Frank, be smart! Understand well what the Catholic Church wants to say in par.2383. In this paragraph she is still considering divorce as sinful. This paragraph refers to an external form of divorce, not internal; outward step not inward. The spouses still consider themselves bound before God, the Church and themselves! So for them the divorce decree is just ineffective with regard to the indissolubility of their marriage. The decree is used only for civil effects. The spouses cannot, and will not, enter into another marriage.
v zammit
Oct 12th 2010, 20:47
No. Mr Zammit (not me!) is twisting words to make them fit his likeness. The Canon is clear : "the only possible way" and "tolerated" (harkens back to 'hardness of heart" and Matthew's exception clause and the lesser of two evils, Origen, and all that). Not only, but that divorce "does not constutute a moral offence". In that light it may not even constitute a sin. But do we really need to split hairs here too and miss the proverbial wood for the trees. I mean it is a principle that where the wording is clear there is no need of interpretation. If that is not clear, I do not know what is.
Carmel Cilia
Oct 12th 2010, 19:25
When I was at school many decades ago in fact during the mortal sin on Labour I used to learn that the Church is ONE and UNIVERSAL. So If in Malta the curia starts opposing civil divorce what would be the position say for one who is living in Italy and has a divorce there and then returns to Malta and ends up living here. Would he have to die in Italy to go to heaven.
Mons Pullicino you better start living in the twenty second century and face the realities of modern times.
Paul Xuereb
Oct 12th 2010, 17:06
But Frank Portelli left out the opening sentence of clause 2383 of the Catechism of the church which runs as follows:
"Is-separazzjoni tal-mizzewgin WAQT LI TIBQA' R-RABTA TAZ-ZWIEG BEJNIETHOM, (my emphasis), tista' tkun legittima f'certi kazi msemmijin fid-Dritt kanoniku."
v zammit
Oct 12th 2010, 17:59
The first part does not add up in relation to the second. There is no connection between the two, between separation and divorce other than just marriage. The whole of Canon 2383 reads: “The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law. If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offence. There is no connection because separation maintains the marriage bond, whereas divorce does not. Of course separation is legitimate. Divorce is tolerated.
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Oct 12th 2010, 22:16
Paul
Mons Said Pullicino was talking about divorce not about separation
As Victor Zammit says CCC 2383 has 2 parts one on separation and one on divorce
“The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law."
"If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense. “
For the full Vatican Version of the Catechism
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#2383
Frank Portelli
v zammit
Oct 12th 2010, 16:08
Does it have to be a lay person to cite this article?
Kenneth Cassar
Oct 12th 2010, 16:12
Apparently yes, since the Maltese Church is holier than the Vatican.
Henry S Pace
Oct 12th 2010, 16:04
Yes, the Bishops must speak clearly and stop playing with words.
However, whatever goes against the word of God is a sin. We maltese tend to be catholics on a sunday and all days of the week we can do everything that comes our way.
True catholic believers though we are all sinners should observe what the Lord God has said through His Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Scripture.
victor rodenas
Oct 12th 2010, 10:37
Mons. Said Pullicino is not the Arch Bishop ,so when he promulgates it is not the Church speaking.
Kenneth Cassar
Oct 12th 2010, 16:11
Yes, clearly that's a very clever tactic from the Archbishop - permitting top people in the church to conduct their own crusades, and yet cleverly making sure no one can claim that HE is conducting any crusade.
Silence is complicity.