By Phil Lawler (bio - articles - email) | Jun 17, 2016
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=1159
Excerpt:
'During an address to a diocesan congress in Rome yesterday, Pope Francis was quoted as saying:
•that some priests are “animals,”
•that pastors should not be “putting our noses into the moral life of other people,” and
•that the “great majority” of Catholic marriages today are invalid.
'All of these shocking statements were attributed to the Holy Father by reliable journalists: experienced reporters who take pains to get things right, and usually do. Below I’ll address the important question of whether or not the quotes were accurate. But first let’s assess the damage done by the statements as they were reported.'
The Great Majority of Christian Marriages are Valid
June 17, 2016
https://canonlawblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/the-great-majority-of-christian-marriages-are-valid/
In the Light of the Law: A Canon Lawyer's Blog
Edward Peters, JD, JCD, Ref. Sig. Ap.
Excerpt:
‘Last time a ranking prelate (Cdl. Kasper) opined that half of all marriages were null his attribution of such a reckless assertion to Pope Francis himself could be dismissed as hearsay, deflected as referring to marriage in general and not Christian marriage in particular, or at least minimized as describing merely ‘many’ or even ‘half’ of all marriages. But none of those qualifications can be applied to blunt the impact of the pope’s startling claim “the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null”.
‘If last time was bad, this time is very bad.’
Responses