Piedmontese bishops: communion to divorcees remarried on a case-by-case basis

In the wake “of what was indicated by the prelates from the “pastoral region of Buenos Aires” - which has been approved by the Pope - civilly remarried couples are invited “to abstain from the acts proper to married couples and access the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, without provoking scandal for the faith of others. If this is not feasible, a case-by-case integration path shall be indicated”. This is what can be read in the official text of the Episcopal Conference of Piedmont and Valle D’Aosta, which accompanies the implementation document on the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia.

The note is entitled “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted” (Ps 34:19). Accompanying, discerning, integrating “, is dated 16 January 2018 and was published 29 January. The objective is “to focus attention on the reality of the family and the love of the couple that is at its foundation - the pastors explain in their presentation - the love between man and woman, united in marriage, which is rooted in the charity of God, vital source of wedding love, through the grace of the sacrament”.

The Piedmontese and Valle d’ Aosta bishops, led by Monsignor Cesare Nosiglia, Archbishop of Turin, also propose “indications useful for dealing with the situations of couples and families whose love is wounded or in sufferance”. Christian communities “are spurred on to a profound change in their gaze and style, so that they may focus on God’s merciful love”. The Lord, in fact, “draws himself close to those who live a wounded love also through the gestures of closeness of the parishes and the people who inhabit them”. This does not mean “to consider all situations as equal, which can also be serious from a moral and spiritual point of view, but to accompany them on the path of sincere conversion”.

The way to face “the reality of those who live a wounded or torn family situation involves three interrelated steps”, which the Note takes from chapter VIII of Amoris laetitia: accompanying, discerning, integrating. The first step “concerns the accompaniment of the faithful in all different situations”. It is necessary to understand “first of all what the history of each family is and how it came to be. Family stories can be very different from each other. And all this requires “time and care, good will on the part of those who ask for help, wisdom of the confessor or spiritual father, vigilant language that excludes rigidity or trivializes difficulties, correct and benevolent communication that does not threaten exclusion and indicates that even the so-called “irregular” couples are part of the Church”.

In particular, “it involves a couple - and never a mass - accompaniment, in an atmosphere of listening to the Word of God and spiritual direction, with in mind a conversion that verifies in conscience the truth of self and the sincerity of the ensuing choices”. For this reason, the Note exhorts each diocese to “provide a “welcome space”, in which it will be possible evaluate each different situation, and point towards competent and available figures: one or more couples for accompaniment, a priest, a point of reference for psychological or legal aspects, or families willing to “adopt” a struggling couple”.

The second point concerns discernment. “It, the note explains, is not an instant act and cannot be resolved in the demand for accessing to the sacraments, perhaps on particular occasions, but it is a journey undertaken by the couple on the condition and steps to be taken towards a conversion that leads to integration into the life of the Church”. The couple must be supported in order to overcome a “merely emotional reading of the situation, to heal wounds, to elaborate resentments, to decide on new choices to be made”.

The bishops’ document insists that discernment takes place in a dialogue lengthened in time, “between the priest and the couple or even just one of their spouses. This task is entrusted to all priests, who can follow the couples on this path”. Therefore, the bishops shall “encourage the pastors to be well trained on what Amoris laetitia indicates, in order to carry out with truth a ministry, which demands finesse of spirit, time to give, ability to listen and pastoral wisdom”. And if in conscience “they” see that their time and abilities are not sufficient for the proposed path, they can send couples to other priests, indicated by the diocese, who with other pastoral workers can offer themselves for this delicate and important service”.

The third step leads to “integration into participation to the life of the Church”. The Note distinguishes “simple cohabitations; married only civilly; those who are separated (or even divorced) but haven’t remarried; and the separated divorced civilly remarried”. In the first two cases, integration consists in accompanying “towards the sacrament of “Christian” marriage, by having the couple reflect on the finality of the choice and the reality of the sacrament”. The Note ensures that, “for the separated and/or divorced who have remained as such, there is no impediment to ecclesial witness and sacramental life”. On the contrary, for divorcees civilly remarried “it must be affirmed that their situation is not the Gospel’s ideal and integration must be achieved by distinguishing very different situations, without cataloguing or enclosing them in too rigid statements”.

The document also addresses the theme of access to the sacraments and participation in the life of the Church: In the first instance, it examines the situation of a civilly remarried couple, in which both spouses are Christians with a path of faith, proposing, in the wake of what is indicated by the bishops of the pastoral region of Buenos Aires, explicitly approved by the Holy Father, a commitment to abstinence from the acts proper to married couples and access the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, without provoking scandal for the faith of others “. If this path “is not feasible, the Note - adhering to the indications of Pope Francis - speaks of a path of integration on a case-by-case basis, after having prayed and reflected at length and with seriousness on the Word of God and the doctrine of the Church”.

In fact, it is stated in the Document, “The issue was already present in Familiaris Consortio 84, in which the possibility of admission to the sacrament of penance and the Eucharist was subject to two conditions: by abstinence from the acts proper to married couples and avoiding scandal for the faith of others (remote scandal). Let us remember in this regard what the bishops of the pastoral region of Buenos Aires say, explicitly approved by Pope Francis (AAS 108[2016]1071-1074):”When the concrete circumstances of a couple make it feasible, especially when both are Christians with a faith commitment, it is possible to propose that they try to live in continence. Amoris laetitia does not ignore the difficulties of this choice (cf. footnote 329), and leaves open the possibility of accessing to the sacrament of Reconciliation, when this purpose cannot be maintained (cf. footnote 364). If this route “is not feasible” - the Note continues - you should consider what Pope Francis says: a) since “the degree of responsibility is not equal in all cases”, therefore the “consequences or ef¬fects of a rule need not necessarily always be the same” (AL 300), note 336 states This is also the case with regard to “sacramental discipline”, since “discernment can recognize that in a particular situation no grave fault exists”; b)”Because of forms of conditioning and mitigating factors”, it is possible that, “it is possible that in an objective situation of sin – which may not be subjectively culpable, or fully such – a person can be living in God’s grace, can love and can also grow in the life of grace and charity, while receiving the Church’s help to this end” (AL 305); footnote 351 states that “In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments”.

According to the Note, the formulations of “Amoris laetitia” allow for “two considerations a) the access to the sacraments is placed as a moment of discernment dialogue and of the path of renewal: It is not a canonical norm, to be considered valid for all, but it is a possible aspect of the journey, fruit of personal and pastoral discernment; b) it is necessary to evaluate the individual situations, which are very different from each other, leading to the maturation of this choice within a wider path that provides for a specific time and the conclusion of the journey”.

Among other things “this practice could in the future also enrich the conscience of the Church making it capable of greater integration, opening up to practices of reconciliation that may become relevant in the ecclesial space. The Pope’s recommendation, in fact, invites us to recognize that the question of the access of remarried divorcees to the sacraments has a limited weight, and yet changes the Church’s gaze and heart in the contemporary challenge to the family. Access to the sacraments of confession and communion would be reductive, if it were not placed in a true path of spiritual renewal”.

As explained in their presentation, The Piedmontese and Valle d’ Aosta bishops point out that, with reference to the personal history and current condition of these families, “especially when they are not reversible without committing further faults, the different degree of personal responsibility and the gestures that can favor the steps for integration, placing them in a serious spiritual journey of conversion will have to be evaluated in the internal forum”. In certain cases, Amoris laetitia recalls “This can include the help of the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist”.