The following letter was sent, on August 1998, to His
Eminence Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger, with copies to a selected number of Cardinals and
Archbishops worldwide. It seemed to have been well
received by the
Hierarchy which gets caught in the cross-fire between the Faithful
and the Vatican.
The Church rightfully teaches that a divorce cannot break a
Sacramental Matrimony; however, this is an issue only if
there really was a Sacramental Matrimony.
August 1998
His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect
Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith
I T A L Y
Peace be with you, Cardinal Ratzinger!
The one single social disorder which is causing the most concern
to Roman Catholics worldwide is the increased amount of failed
marriages and the conflict with the rightful teaching of the Church
about the indissolubility of the Sacrament of Matrimony (1).
Precisely, the underlying reason for the increase in failed
marriages - the improper pre-nuptial instruction - provides the
groundwork
for the theological solution to what appears to be an insoluble problem.
Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke so clearly against divorce that
engaging in debates, as many do, to find a different interpretation, of
the very clear and correct position of the Church, is an exercise in
futility. However, the reality of so many fine and faithful Catholics
who, after trying all possible remedies, had to seek separation from
their spouse and wish to marry again needs redress. Would God allow
such a tragic scenario without showing a coherent remedy?
No, He would not. Only man is capable of sowing so much misery
and only man, with the Grace of God, can right such wrong. Allow us to
elaborate.
The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, with the
exception of the Baptism of a newborn, have one common visible
thread: Proper instruction before receiving the Sacrament. This
conscious awareness of the commitment which we are about to make, and
in which God is a real participant, is one of the necessary
requirements for it to be valid.
The confirming fact that proper instruction is the key to
engaging in Heaven what is being engaged on Earth lies in the very
Sacrament of Confirmation in which a cognizant soul acknowledges and
confirms its acceptance of the Holy Spirit and its responsibilities as
a Christian, thus completing its Christian initiation. (2)
We do not need to belabor the point that to partake in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist prior instruction must be extensive. Its
attendant corollary, the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also
requires that faithful be properly instructed. The same applies to the
Holy Orders which even require a more extensive instruction period
before making a final commitment.
The Sacrament of Matrimony (3) is no different. The
Sacrament of
Matrimony is the human level parallel of the sacrament of the Holy
Orders, through which the consecrated soul, in effect, become like a
spouse to God. (3a)
Therefore, not only the Sacrament of Matrimony (4) requires
appropriate instruction (5),
it requires a more
extensive and intensive
level of instruction than any other of the Sacraments except that of
the Holy Orders.
We all know that the president of the United States and his
wife, as a result of an ecclesiastical error, received the Body and
Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Republic of
South Africa. However, we cannot consider that President and Mrs.
Clinton received their First Sacrament of the Eucharist with all its
attendant benefits.
We also know that to undergo the Sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation without a real understating of sin, contrition and the
concept of Divine forgiveness (6)
serves no purpose since the absolution
imparted will not be engaged in Heaven - the interior condition of the
penitent would not be the required one.
The very existence of the Sacrament of Confirmation underscores
the point at hand:
Improper instruction
and understanding by
participants invalidates a Sacramental act. That is, regardless of the
Sacrament act - it is not valid. It did not meet the necessary
requirements for it to be bound in Heaven.
As you well know, a Sacrament is not an act of magic. A Sacramental act
is a Divine-human interactive event which requires full understanding
by the human engaged in it. A simple and uninformed acknowledgment of
the Sacrament, i.e. "I do" in the case of Sacramental Matrimony, by the
human being does not constitute a valid commitment with God.
Therefore the resolution of the multitude of Sacramental
Marriage anomalies lies in the hands of the local Bishops (7) since a
pronouncement of "Not Valid" identifies a faulty Sacramental act (8) and
harmoniously resolves the problem. What God has not joined together,
may be separated by man, thus the Vatican approved annulment is not
necessary. There is nothing to annul. The Church teachings remain
intact and in perfect accordance to the very explicit Word of God (9) on
said matter.
Those who are married under a faulty Sacramental Matrimony may
renew their vows as a post de facto act of Matrimonial Confirmation.
Then it shall be bound in Heaven
We encourage your Congregation to prayerfully meditate on the
above considerations and act upon them as the Holy Spirit dictate.
Respectfully presented by
End of Letter
NOTES
_________________________
(1) Except in
the very rare occasions of a valid
annulment and, of course, when "...death do us part."
(2) Paragraphs 1212
and 1306 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
[CCC]
(3) Paragraph 1601
CCC
(3a) Paragraph 1579 CCC
(4) Paragraph
1632 CCC
(5) Paragraphs
1626-1628 CCC
(6) "Your sins
are forgiven" and "Your faith has saved you, go in peace"
[St. Luke 7:48 & 50]
(7) Authorization
confirmed by His Holiness John Paul II in: (a) His
Homily of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, 29 June 1998.
L’Osservatore Romano; N. 27; 8 July 1998; English Edition and (b) The
message he delivered to a group of U.S. Bishops on Tuesday, March 31,
1998; Catholic World news, March 31, 1998
(8) We
recognize that this act will be admission of human error by part
of the Church. However, we must not forget Joan of Arc, Galileo, et al.
The delay in correcting those human errors caused much damage to the
Church.
(9) Matthew
19:6
On May 2, 2001, the Spanish
Press reported that bulimia, anorexia and addiction to gambling are
the causes of the increase in petitions for marriage annulments in
Spain, ecclesiastical judges report.
Given the inability of those suffering from these
pathologies to give valid consent and assume their marital
responsibilities, the Church's courts are having to study these new
"illnesses" of modern societies.
López Zarzuelo noted that people suffering from
anorexia, especially young women, often "reject marriage so that they
won't lose their slimness and beauty."
We praise God that the Ecclesiastical authorities are
beginning to realize, and apply the knowledge, that the ...inability
to give valid consent and assume marital responsibilities... are
valid grounds for annulment.
It naturally follows that anyone ill prepared to give valid
consent and assume marital responsibilities, as it would be the case if
the couple did not go through the appropriate ecclesiastical
preparation to responsibly undertake the Sacrament of Matrimony, should
be able to apply and secure an annulment.
