by Robert Lazu Kmita
Recently used by Cardinal Müller,[i] the phrase “practical heresy” has been popularized in a couple of his latest articles by Timothy Flanders,[ii] the editor-in-chief of One Peter Five (1P5). Essentially, this concept refers to any religious practice that contradicts, through deeds and actions, a revealed doctrine. We will take the teaching on marriage as an example.
Every well-formed Christian knows that in the Church founded by our Savior Jesus Christ, “the essential properties of Marriage are unity (monogamy) and indissolubility.”[iii] In practice, in the case of spouses united in a valid and consummated marriage, divorce is not possible. According to the divine teaching, no one on the face of this earth can “dissolve” their bond: “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9). If, unfortunately, the two spouses separate, their remarriage – as long as both are alive – is absolutely forbidden. The revealed and error-free texts of …More