... can absolve absolutely everything, can't they ... murder and paedophilia and genocide and sadistic rape and human trafficking and war crimes and torture and mutilation and slavery and subjecting people to inhuman living conditions and arbitrary imprisonment and ... you name it ... because God's Mercy is, isn't it, boundless ... except ... it has just been revealed ... they may not absolve the sins of consecrating or being consecrated to the episcopate sine mandato Apostolico.
Ah well, each of us, even a pope, just has to have something he feels really strongly about, doesn't he?
If the Holy Father showed willingness to absolve a man consecrated to the episcopate sine mandato Apostolico, and if such a man sought absolution and is truly repentant, would it not be required that he cease exercising his episcopal orders?
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Holy Father does not consider that a sin has been committed? Or if sinful, then not seriously so, and Pope Francis does not wish to remove shepherds by having them confess it as sin?
This may be something unfathomable to simple folk like me.
Father,
ReplyDeleteCan it really be true? How often have we heard in recent times the constant drum beat that there are no longer any reserved sins, only reserved penalties?
Howeverso that may be, perhaps, in his wisdom, the Pope of the Catholic Church [sic] has recognized that some sins have such a public character and they bear so directly and materially on the public welfare and estate of the Mystical Body of Chris,that a public reconciliation is an integral part a true contrition.
Call me old fashioned, but there is something seriously wrong, here.
ReplyDeleteDiscuss.
Call me old fashioned, but there is something seriously wrong, here.
ReplyDeleteDiscuss.
Firstly, Fr. Phillips' first question deserves a hearty examination, and Ben's final point re. the Mystical Body was almost exactly in the words that came to mind...
ReplyDeleteAs a simply pragmatic question, what category of persons, exactly, might be culpable of the mentioned crime? Suppose a protestant consecrated in the Dutch lineage converts to Catholicism --- must he or the confessor receiving him write to the Apostolic Penitentiary about it to get himself sorted-out? Or how about a Greek Orthodox Bishop wishing to be reunited with Rome? Or do we principally mean someone in the strange situation of the Notorious Four?
What of attempting to be consecrated, such as the female "bishops"? Is that a reserved matter?
ReplyDeleteOh, I see now that there are a few more than four of them, now; and clearly it wouldn't be fair to not split hairs by lumping them into one lot.
ReplyDelete