Polish Bishops Reaffirm the Traditional Doctrine of the Church and Say “No” to Allowing Communion to the Divorced and Remarried

No to Communion to the divorced and “remarried”

The cardinals refuse the possibility of allowing Communion for couples living more uxorio, that is without being united by the Sacrament of Marriage.

The Polish Episcopal Conference, which met in plenary session in Lublin with the assistance of the Nuncio, has pronounced a resounding 'no' to giving Communion to the divorced and remarried, according to Nuova Bussola Quotidiana.

The central theme of the meeting was, precisely, to discuss the text with which to define the application of the Papal Exhortation Amoris Laetitia to the Polish Church, and although the final text has not yet been made public, Nuova Bussola has obtained from an "optimal source” its basic guidelines in which the cardinals reject the possibility of giving access to Communion to couples who live 'more uxorio' – as husband and wife - without being united by the Sacrament of Marriage.

It goes without saying that the same applies to cohabitating couples. They cannot receive sacramental Communion, nor spiritual communion as long as they are in a situation of open contradiction with the Eucharist, which represents the conjugal bond of our Lord with His faithful Church, a bond that is indissoluble and fecund.

The Pontiff himself, after the publication of the exhortation, left the bishops free to interpret with evangelical discernment its application according to the concrete practice of their regions, something that the Polish bishops seem to have taken advantage of to decide their own, which it is based on what has been the constant practice of the Church for centuries.

Why is this news important? In the first place, because it denies (as if it was necessary) the 'official line' unleashed against the critics of the exhortation and the cardinals signatories of the Dubia in the sense that the ambiguity of the text breaks Catholicity, by making, in a crucial matter for three sacraments and for the very concept of sin, lawful what is unlawful, and what is unlawful, lawful and permitted according to the each diocese.

In fact, we have already mentioned some regions where the chosen interpretation is diametrically opposed to the one decided by the Polish Episcopal Conference, as is the case of Germany.

But the decision of the bishops gathered in Lublin is no less crucial in the sense that it is opposed - there is no other way to say it - to what the Pope himself, in a private letter that was published by L'Osservatore Romano, described as "the only possible interpretation" of the pontifical text.

Indeed, Francis, in a letter addressed to the president of the Episcopal Conference of his country of origin, Argentina, congratulates his colleagues in the episcopate for the chosen application, "the only possible one" among the interpretations of the exhortation. And precisely in the Argentine dioceses it has been decided to allow, according to the discernment of the priest, (the sacrilege of*) giving Communion to divorced people who are "married" again.

The issue is thorny. Taking into account the aforementioned letter, the decision of the Poles could be understood as a challenge to the Pontiff, and even provide a vague ball of oxygen to the signers of the 'Correctio Filialis'.

But, on the other hand, the Polish episcopate is doing nothing but embrace the interpretative freedom opened by Francis himself, which is almost forced by the same ambiguity of the wording in the points relating to this question (and proclaim the infallible doctrine that always and everywhere has been taught by the Catholic Church for two thousand years*).

Source: Infovaticana, Article from Carlos Esteban

* Parentheses: Notes of Catholicityblog.

More than a Million Poles Prayed the Rosary along the Border for the Salvation of Poland and the World

It was an initiative of the laity supported by the Episcopal Conference of Poland

Byr Javier Lozano

Thousands of Catholics walking toward Poland's border with Czech Republic / New York Times

October 10, 2017. Last Saturday took place one of the biggest prayers of the Rosary in the history of Europe. More than a million Polish Catholics made a human prayer chain along the more than 3,000 kilometers of the country's border to surround it and pray for Poland, Europe and the world asking Mary for her protection.

The initiative surpassed any forecast and provided spectacular images, because there were groups of people praying the Rosary anywhere along the border. The initiative was carried out by lay Catholics of “God Alone Suffices”, supported by different private and state companies and the Episcopal Conference. The Prime Minister of the country also joined the event by publishing in his Twitter account a picture of a Rosary.

A group of people pray on the border between Poland and Belarus / New York Times

The Episcopal Conference claims that this is the second prayer meeting in Europe, only surpassed by the last World Youth Day in Krakow.

Recovering the Christian roots of Europe

The archbishop of Krakow, Marek Jedraszewski, said that it is necessary to pray for Europe. "Let us pray so that other nations of Europe and the world understand that we need to return to the Christian roots of European culture if we want Europe to remain Europe."
In each of the thousand points where the Rosary was organized, the day began with a Mass, a subsequent pilgrimage and ended with the Marian prayer at the border. Those who could not attend did so from their parishes.

A date not chosen at random

The date chosen to organize the event "Rosary on the borders" was not casual. The organizers explained that Saturday, October 7, was the ideal day for these reasons:

• It was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a day that also commemorates the victory of Christianity in Lepanto.
• It was the first Saturday of the month, and Our Lady of Fatima spoke of the importance of this devotion.
• 2017 marks the 140th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady in Gietrzwald, the only one recognized in Poland.

The Rosary can "change the fate of Poland and the whole world"

The organizers of the event said that "the powerful prayer of the Rosary can change the fate of Poland, Europe and even the whole world. Suffice it to say that Mary always asks for the praying of the Rosary in almost all her revelations. "

"Through this unprecedented prayer of the Rosary we want to show fidelity and obedience to Our Lady, who tirelessly calls us to say the Rosary. We also want to apologize for all blasphemy and insults against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We wish to implore by the intercession of the Mother of God to save Poland and the world. "
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After the success in Poland, now Italy

The success of this initiative in Poland has caused that the prayer of the Rosary extends to other countries. This is the case of Italy, where the Marian group AIASM also wants to pray to Mary for the protection of their country and Europe.

The event will take place next Friday, October 13, at 5:30 p.m. In this case, a call is made for simultaneous prayer throughout the country but inside the parishes. This is "the most powerful initiative for peace, to recite the Holy Rosary."

Below you will find videos of some of the places where the Rosary was prayed on the borders of Poland:

Vídeo:

Vídeo:

Vídeo:

Fuente: Cari Filii

Christ Enthroned King in Poland By Religious and Civil Authorities

President Andrzej Duda and multiple members of the Executive and the ruling party Law and Justice attended the ceremony this past weekend.

Jesus Christ has become King of Poland, and has done so with the approval of the President, Andrzej Duda, who attended this weekend the ceremony of enthronement accompanied by several members of the Executive and deputies of the ruling party Law and Justice.

This is not the first time that Jesus has been granted the throne of Poland, since in previous occasions (the most recent ones in Jasna Góra, 1997, and Sagiewnikim, in 2000) similar ceremonies took place, although the President had never attended them before.

Polish President (at the front left) next to his mother (right) during the ceremony. (President’s Facebook picture).

Around 6,000 faithful attended the Enthronement Mass, according to local media, which was held at the Sanctuary of Lagiewniki, near Krakow, who fulfilled their longing to see Jesus Christ on the

Polish throne, seven months after the Catholic hierarchy approved of the enthronement.

In addition to Duda, linked to the ruling party Law and Justice, who presided over the act accompanied by his mother, Jadwiga, were also present the ministers of Justice and Environment, Zbigniew Ziobro and Jan Szyszko, as well as many deputies of this assemble.

The presence in the ceremony of high representatives of Law and Justice demonstrates the closeness between the Catholic Church and the government of this party, which has never denied its identification with the postulates of Catholicism.

There are many examples of the weight of Catholic values in the Polish high politics, the last one being the struggle that Law and Justice maintains to achieve the restriction of abortion.

The government's relationship is particularly close with the more conservative sectors of the Polish Church, including the controversial Redemptorist priest Tadeusz Rydyk, founder of the Radio Maryja network, Trwam Television and the Torun University of Social and Media Sciences (located in the center of Poland).

Manifestation to Proclaim Jesus King

In March 2010, several thousand people demonstrated in Warsaw with crosses, banners and national flags to request a joint declaration between the State and the Church to name Jesus Christ honorary king of Poland.

Before that, in 2006, 46 Polish MPs (10% of the chamber), including members of Law and Justice, raised a bill to proclaim Jesus King.

These parliamentarians argued that the son of God should be made king theological and historical reasons, as was the Virgin Mary, who was declared honorary queen of Poland by King John II Casimiro Vasa, 350 years ago.

PICTURES OF THE CEREMONY (taken from the President’s Facebook account)

Source of information: ABC and Blog CATOLICIDAD. Translated from Spanish by Catholicity blog