Magyar Egyház, 1966 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1966-04-01 / 4. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ difficulties which the present regulations present for non- Roman marriage partners. The most important improvement is the fact that Roman Catholic Christians who have been married outside the Roman Catholic Church will no longer be excommunicated. This decision will be a great relief to many Roman Catholics, and indirectly it implies increasing recognition of a marriage contracted outside the Roman Catholic Church. The wording of the Instruction also opens a door towards making it possible to show more respect for the conscience of the non-Roman partner, at least in some cases. Although a promise that the children shall be brought up as Roman Catholics will still be normally required, there is now a possibility for a decision to be taken by the Holy See to dispense with this promise. Everything will depend on what use is made of this possibility. However, the Instruction does not fulfill what might have been expected in the present state of the ecumenical encounter, because: a) It draws no real distinction between marriage between two Christians of different confessions, and marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian. It does not bring out the things which are common to all Christians, even if they belong to separated churches. b) It still exacts a promise from the non-Roman Catholic partner to bring up the children as Roman Catholics, instead of leaving this decision to the parents. The fact that the promise can be given orally in certain cases hardly eases the situation. c) It still does not recognize the validity of a mixed marriage contracted outside the Roman Catholic Church (with the exception of marriages contracted in the Orthodox Church, on which the Vatican Council has taken a decision in another context). The Instruction makes provision for a non-Roman priest or pastor to pronounce a blessing or something equivalent after the Roman Catholic ceremony has been concluded. It is for the individual churches to say what they think about this possibility. It is improbable, however, that participation of this kind will be welcomed. The Instruction was not published in the expected form of a papal motu proprio. This fact entitles one to hope that the Instruction is not the last word on the matter. The relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the member churches of the World Council of Churches have developed so much that preparations not only could, but should be made for further steps in the ecumenical conversation.” ★ Father Kiing Urges Revision of Mixed Marriage Rules (Editor’s note: The following comments were made by Dr. Kiing prior to the release of the Instruction discussed above.) (Hamburg) — The Roman Catholic theologian Father Hans Kiing has suggested that the Catholic Church recognize the validity of mixed marriages in non-Roman Catholic churches and that it give parents full freedom to determine the religious training of their children. The German scholar commenting on mixed marriages in an interview with the German news magazine, Der Spiegel, said the Roman Catholic Church can solve the problems regarding mixed marriages by taking three steps: 1. excommunications levelled against Catholics who marry outside the Roman Catholic Church, even those married in civil ceremonies, should be revoked; 2. marriage in non-Roman Catholic churches should be recognized as valid; 3. the question of baptism and training for children born of a mixed marriage should be left entirely to the parents. Father Kiing also said Roman Catholic decrees of excommunication against Martin Luther should be lifted, just as they were last year for the 1054 excommunication of Orthodox Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople, since the theological differences that separate Catholics and Lutherans today are no greater than those that divide Catholics and Orthodox. He said he excommunication was partly the fault of the Roman Catholic Church because Catholic theologians in the 16th century misunderstood what Luther was teaching. (EPS, Geneva.) WORLD’S POOR GET RICH MAN’S CRUMBS,’ RELIGIOUS LEADERS SAY An appeal to the conscience signed by many of the participants in a conference on the Second Vatican Council held rcently at Notre Dame University, South Bend, Ind., said the growing gap between the rich and poor nations constitutes a burning scandal. Like Lazarus, the poor of the world are crying out for respect and getting only crumbs from the rich man’s table, religious leaders from around the world warned in a document prepared by Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Jewish scholars. Signers pledged themselves to the work of eradicating “an evil so vast that it could, unchecked, call down upon the nations the terrible judgement of a just and compassionate God.” The increasing affluence of the West and deepening misery of the rest of the world “makes a mockery of all pretensions to be a Christian and humane society,” the statement said. “It threatens the resort to violence. It even carries within itself the apocalyptic risk of wider war and ultimate destruction.” The appeal noted that whilst the white, Christian and western nations constitute less than 20 per cent of the world’s peoples, they consume some 75 per cent of the world’s income. A report on the May 1 United Church Women Conference will be given in the next issue. American Gl's in Vietnam listen attentively as a chaplain reads from the Bible. The chaplain is the Rev. Henry Ackermann from the Hungarian Reformed Church in Passaic, N. J. (Religious News Service Photo.)
