Interpreting Amoris Laetitia, canon law expert says people in irregular union can receive Eucharist
Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, in his new book affirmed that Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia allows divorced and remarried persons to be given Holy Communion under certain circumstances.
The Cardinal in his 30-page book — Chapter Eight of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, offers his interpretation of the Amoris Laetitia. Examining the Pope’s teachings, the cardinal said it is aimed at ‘grasping the rich doctrinal and pastoral message’ of Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic.
“The Church could admit to penance and to the Eucharist faithful who find themselves in an illegitimate union when two essential conditions occur: they want to change the situation, but they are unable to fulfil their desire,” wrote Cardinal Coccopalmerio, 78, in his book.
Explaining the reason about writing the book, the Cardinal said the exhortation’s eighth chapter has been judged with either negativity or with a certain reservation. In the book, quoting Amoris Laetitia, he says the chapter eight illustrates clear doctrines of the Church in marriage as well as the conditions where couples living in ‘irregular unions’ for other reasons will be able to receive Communion.
“By referring to any irregular situation, the exhortation intends to refer to all those who are married only civilly or only living in a de facto union or are bound by a previous canonical marriage,” Catholic News Agency quoted the cardinal saying.
In the book, citing the example of a woman who is living with a man and his three children after they were abandoned by his first wife, the Cardinal said the woman probably saved the man from committing suicide. Adding that the couple have been living together for 10 years now and have another child, with the woman making considerable sacrifices to help raise the other three.
“While the woman in the hypothetical situation ‘is fully aware of being in an irregular situation’ and would ‘honestly like to change her life, but she can’t. Now if she leaves, the man would turn back to the previous situation and the children would be left without a mother,” CNA quoted the Cardinal.
Explaining further, he said to leave then would mean the woman would fail to carry out her duties toward the children. Because of this, Cardinal Coccopalmerio said, “it’s then evident that she couldn’t leave without new sin” occurring.
In brief, according to the Cardinal, Amoris Laetitia allows sacraments to couples living in irregular unions who recognise that their situation as sinful and they desire to change.
On continence, the canon lawyer pointed to Famillaris Consortio, which says that the divorced and the remarried who can’t for various reasons separate may receive Communion only if they live as brothers and sisters.
Here, the Cardinal that says the couples who are able to do this, should, but in other cases the longer a couple refrains from sexual intimacy, causes greater harm. Such cases must be observed carefully by the couple’s parish priest.
But a couple in an irregular union would be barred from Communion when they have no sincere desire to change the sinful union, CNA reported.
His interpretation raises questions on whether Communion is restricted only to divorced and remarried persons or is for cohabiting Catholics too. And does it stand true for same sex couples as well?
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