Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, the newly elected head of the German bishops and one of the eight cardinals chosen by the Pope to help him in the reform of the Church, said that at the October synod on the family, the German bishops plan to campaign for a more merciful approach to remarried divorcees at the level of the world Church.

He said the bishops will propose a “pastoral way of reconciliation” for remarried divorcees. The final version of this paper will be drawn up when the permanent council of the bishops’ conference meets in April.

In an interview with Die Welt am Sonntag he agreed with the solution Cardinal Walter Kasper suggested that remarried divorcees who recognised their failures should be allowed to apply to be readmitted to the Sacraments after a period of atonement. Marx added that the solution has to be reached on the international Church level.

Burke opposes Kasper

Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s top court, has taken a position diametrically opposite to that of Cardinal Walter Kasper about the reception of communion by Catholics who are divorced and remarried.

On EWTN TV programme The World Over, he said Kasper’s proposal would seem to conflict with established Catholic doctrine and canon law: “In my estimation as a canonist I do not think it is possible… I trust in coming days the error of his approach will become ever clearer,” said the canonist of the theologian’s proposal. He added that Kasper’s proposals had met some resistance among the cardinals.

Orthodox threaten to seize churches

According to the Moscow Times, Russian Orthodox priests have tried to seize two Crimean churches belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate. The Russian orthodox priests were accompanied by armed men.

There is open hostility between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, which was established in 1992. Patriarch Filaret, who has been excommunicated by the Russian Church, leads the Ukrainian Church.

According to Yevhen Nyshchuk, Ukraine’s Minister of Culture, the confiscation of places of churches in Crimea is being fomented by Russia.

Same-sex marriage ruling ‘regrettable’

The Catholic bishops of Michigan, the US, described as ‘regrettable’ a ruling by a US District Court that Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. They said the ruling does not change the fact that “marriage is and can only ever be a unique relationship solely between one man and one woman”.

They added that “nature itself, not society, religion or government, created marriage. Nature, the very essence of humanity as understood through historical experience and reason, is the arbiter of marriage, and we uphold this truth for the sake of the common good”.

The bishops added that “the biological realities of male and female and the complementarity they each bring to marriage uniquely allows for the procreation of children”.

Pope warns Mafia

At a prayer vigil for victims of organised crime, Pope Francis pleaded with Mafia members to “convert yourselves, stop perpetrating evil”. During the vigil in Rome, the Pope met the families of Mafia victims.

“I ask this on my knees,” the Pope said, while reminding criminals that whatever riches the Mafia gain by violence, “you cannot bring them with you to the next life”.

“You still have time so as not to end up in hell,” the Pope continued. “And that is what is waiting for you if you continue on this path.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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