Folia Theologica et Canonica 9. 31/23 (2020)
Ius canonicum
326 SZABOLCS ANZELM SZUROMI, O.PRAEM. fül. The Holy Father expressed his satisfaction regarding the applicability of the issued guidelines by the Argentinian bishops: “This writing is very good and precisely explains the meaning of Chapter 8th of Amoris laetitia.” (NB. the English comments generally used the expressions of “correct”, “balanced” and “fully expressed the meaning” which are not literal translations of the papal terminology). Attached to the Spanish letter of Pope Francis can be found also the Spanish text of the bishops’ instruction and criteria to that. Moreover, a Latin rescript by Card. Pietro Parolin (rescriptum ex audientia ss.mi) informs about the two Spanish texts, that those are ordered by the Holy Father himself in personal audience, officially published as authentic magisterial statement (velut Magisterium authenticum). Reminding: Buenos Aires bishops emphasized within their issued guidelines that it was done with respect to access to Holy Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. It is not about ‘permission’ to the sacraments, but rather a ‘discernment process’ and conversion through ‘pastoral accompaniment’. They stated that this path does not ‘necessarily end’ with access to the sacraments, but may lead to other ways divorced and civilly remarried Catholics can be better integrated in the life of the Church. Pope Francis in his rescript “ex audientia,” (June 5th 2017) has decide that the above indicated two documents - as authentic Magisterial statements - had to be published on the Vatican’s home-page, and in the official review Acta Apostolicae Sedis.40 Therefore, the importance of Recibi el escrito as authentic magisterial statement enlightens a clear way on the administration of sacraments regarding the possibilities and permissibility of divorced and civilly re-married, whose marriage is invalid but it cannot be proved at ecclesiastical tribunal sufficiently. Moreover, on that, how is possible within the day-to-day pastoral life to make precise distinction between the “feeling of invalidity” and “really” invalidity. The main theme of Amoris laetitia is not the distribution and receiving of the Holy Eucharist, and within the topic of the family life there are so many inspiring ideas. Nevertheless, regarding the divorced and civilly re-married faithful contains significant novelty41, namely that they can receive the Sacrament of Penance and the Holy Eucharist in particular cases (see criteria 5), and the entire self-denial is not exclusively mandatory regarding these cases in the new civilly re-married life (see criteria 6). In the same time it must be emphasized, that every single personal situation has to be independently analyzed and there is no possibility to use uniformed or automatic considerations and decisions. It is wise, if on the occasion of single cases the administration of sacraments not publically happens, and the community of faithful should be 40 ^5108 (2016) 1074. 41 In detail cf. Travers, P. J., Amoris Laetitia and Canon 915: a merciful return to the «letter of the law», 1-11, in Periodica 107 (2018) 195-239; 107 (2018) 367-418.
