“Mercy” beaucoup

Unless you’re the Pope, a member of the College of Cardinals, a Cardinal-Designate, or a member of the

general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, you would not have been privy to discussions made in the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals from 20-21 February 2014.  The gathering was convened in preparation for the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family convoked by Pope Francis in October 2014.

“So? Who cares?” your Average Joe(y) would ask.

Well, yeah...

But every well-meaning Catholic should be concerned, given the gravity and urgency of this meeting of the entire College of Cardinals (or at least 150 of its members), the first under this papacy.

On the one hand, the use of the adjective “Extraordinary,” although one of the only two modes by which these general gatherings can be convened (the other being “Ordinary,” of course) should be an indication of the Consistory’s significance.

Angelo Cardinal Sodano
Dean
College of Cardinals

On the other hand, the acknowledgment by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Cardinal Sodano, of the magnitude of the task the “Pastors of the Church” are about to face in October is also disquieting.  In his remarks during the Consistory, Cardinal Sodano said that all hands will definitely be on deck to confront a “pastoral challenge as important as that of the family.”

Big deal.

Doesn't the Church always talk about the family anyway? 

Well (again) yeah...

To be sure, this challenge is nothing new and has long been staring the Church in the face. However, this will be the first time (correct me if I’m wrong) it will be discussed in an Extraordinary General Assembly of the world’s Bishops.

To prepare for this, questionnaires based on the preparatory document released by the Synod secretariat were handed out by local Bishops’ Conferences to gauge the reality of specific problems and issues in their Particular Churches. Among the questions that are in that survey form and which will later be discussed in October’s Synod are cohabitation, same sex unions, the state of children in irregular marriages, and family planning, among other things. So far, only the Bishops’ Conference of Japan has made public the results of their survey.  

And, as if to emphasize the importance of the work that will be done in October even further, Pope Francis

Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri,
Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops

created the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Lorenzo Baldiserri, a Cardinal after Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and before Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Gerhard Muller.  (N.B.  The Secretary of State and the Prefect of the CDF are known as the Vatican’s “number 2 and 3,” respectively.) Baldiserri’s precedence in relation to Parolin and Muller is an indication not only of the importance of the Synod but of the increased collegiality that will likely be exercised in the governance of the Universal Church under this papacy.

Walter Cardinal Kasper
Prefect Emeritus
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity

To get the ball rolling, the Pope assigned German Cardinal Walter Kasper to introduce the discussion for the Extraordinary Consistory.  This is not the first time Kasper, a theologian and an author of a book on God’s Mercy, has been thrust into the spotlight by the Holy Father.  During his first Angelus on 17 March 2013 (yes, that Angelus shown in the next two photos), the Holy Father revealed that he recently read Kasper’s book and that it “has done me so much good.”   

To be sure, not a few eyebrows were raised because of the Pope’s decision to have Kasper deliver the introduction. (Was it your left or your right eyebrow?)  As a diocesan bishop in 1993, Kasper’s pastoral plan to help his priests minister to Catholics whose marriages failed but who find stability and happiness in a second union was thwarted by the CDF, whose then-Prefect was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.  With Ratzinger at CDF’s helm from that time until 2005, and later on, at the Universal Church’s helm as Benedict XVI, that pastoral plan never saw the light of day. With that piece of history and the topic to be presented at the Consistory, Kasper’s critics surely knew what was coming.

And true enough, that is what hit them.

As a theologian and a Cardinal of the Holy Roman, Kasper’s discourse was faithful to the deposit of faith. He affirmed the indissolubility of sacramental marriage, as Jesus Himself teaches us in the Gospel. (Curiously, this passage was actually the reading on February 28, Friday of the 7^th Week in Ordinary time, eight days after Kasper’s speech.)

However…however, the Cardinal continued, despite the weakness and frailty of the human situation because of the sinful nature of a second union, one that is undertaken while a spouse is still alive…forgiveness…yes, forgiveness is still possible.  “If that’s true for a murderer, it is also true for an adulterer,” Kasper said. 

Come to think of it, wasn’t forgiveness possible for the tax collector who eventually became one of the

Twelve Apostles? (Mt 9:9)? Did it not become a reality for the thief hanging beside Jesus on the Cross on Calvary? (Lk 23:43) Wasn’t it true for the adulterous woman --- yes, an adulterer --- who was nearly stoned to death by the crowd but was not condemned by Jesus Himself (Jn 8:11)? 

No doubt about it, Kasper’s pronouncements caused a stir among and were condemned by traditionalist circles. They said that the Cardinal provided another opening for certain sectors in the Church to once again capitalize on the Pope’s “program of mercy” to push for the changing of existing Catholic doctrine.

Raymond Cardinal Burke
Prefect, Sacred Tribunal of the
Apostolic Signatura

In a recent column published in L’Osservatore Romano, Raymond Cardinal Burke, the Vatican’s “Chief Justice” who is widely seen as a champion of the conservative Catholics' cause, blasted those who lavish Pope Francis with false praise for his unique pastoral approach. Burke contended that these “cheerleaders” are misleading the faithful into believing that the Pope’s popular style and welcoming attitude towards those who have been isolated from the Church because of harsh doctrine hint at a softening of his stance on the Church’s non-negotiable moral truths to draw more lukewarm Catholics back into the fold.

Perhaps fully aware that his remarks will be met with criticism, Kasper himself entered a “qualifying clause” to his hypothesis and warned that those who have “a superficial understanding of mercy at a discounted price” should not twist this proposal as a ticket out of a sacramental marriage in general.  Kasper used the word “tolerance” (of something which is impossible to accept), which is very, very, very different from wholesale acceptance.  

[Curiously, aside from the Gospel reading on the indissolubility of marriage last February 28, the First Reading and the Responsorial Psalm were in line with Cardinal Kasper’s ideas.  The First Reading, taken from James, exhorts us not to complain about or judge one another so that we may not be condemned by the Judge who is standing before the gates (cf Jas 5:9).  Meanwhile, the Responsorial Psalm talks about God’s compassion and mercy (cf Ps 103:4,8).  It’s as if the readings for that day were specifically chosen to back up Cardinal Kasper’s point! ]

Kasper's words, however, were non-binding and will not be the proposal that will be put to a vote. The task of laying down procedures that will allow those estranged from the Church because of sinful unions to receive communion again will be placed in the hands of the Pastors of the Church who will participate in the second part of the Synod, an Ordinary General Assembly which will convene in 2015.

Although we may never know how much the house was divided because of  Cardinal Kasper’s address, Pope Francis, who called Kasper’s discourse a product of “serene theology,” one done while kneeling in prayer, seems to have affixed his seal of approval to it.

Meanwhile, days after that Consistory, doctrinal watchdog Muller, in a press conference for the launching of

Gerhard Cardinal Muller
Prefect, Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith

his new book, asserted that the Church’s doctrine on sacramental marriage cannot be changed. However, new paths to help those in situations described by Kasper “are possible but these must not go against Christ’s will.  God’s mercy is not against God’s justice.” 

MERCY --- a word we have come to know for a very long time but which we are guilty of not practising enough.  It took the present Pope, through his actions, the story of his vocation, and his motto, to remind us of this fundamental trait of God.

I am no theologian nor am I a canon lawyer.  My knowledge of Catholic doctrine is limited and just enough to help me obey God’s laws and the Church’s doctrines, have recourse to the sacraments, and add a few pious devotions here and there. But I strongly believe in God’s Mercy, even in the most sinful and difficult situations.

For some who are devout, have been given the wisdom to understand the Catholic faith even more, and who have been blessed to remain in a state of grace, it can be difficult, at times, to see others who are “not like them.”  But who are they, who are we, to judge (Mt 7:1)? 

Whenever I am faced with these difficulties, I always recall this anecdote that I read in a Catholic digest almost a decade ago, about an incident that happened to a woman who was lining up at a checkout stand in her local supermarket in the US.  While waiting for her turn, she noticed the colorful and beautifully crafted bracelet that the woman in front of her was wearing.  On it were the letters “WWJD.”  She couldn’t resist giving the bracelet-wearer a compliment about the accessory.  Without thinking twice, the bracelet owner removed the trinket from her wrist and gave it to the compliment-giver. The astonished recipient was at a loss for words, but regained composure and thanked the benefactor profusely.  Then the new bracelet owner asked, “Why did you give it to me?” The other woman replied, “Oh, I have a lot of them to give away, just like what I did moments ago.”  Startled at this answer, the recipient pressed on, “What do the letters mean?” The generous lady answered, “WWJD --- What Would Jesus Do? It serves as my reminder to act as Jesus would, say if somebody needed some change, a warm meal, or even a shoulder to cry on. You noticed and appreciated my bracelet and the only way I can repay you for your kindness is to give it to you. That’s what Jesus would do.”  They smiled at each other, hugged, and bid each other goodbye.

Not knowing the truth, especially the Church’s doctrines, is not an excuse not to follow the rules or to apply them to one’s life, according to Cardinal Muller.  But for those who acknowledge this truth but are pained by their separation from the Lord and the Church because of their existing union, a life raft, in the words of Cardinal Kasper, must be made available.  It doesn’t mean turning a blind eye towards their sinfulness, but casting a merciful gaze upon them --- just as Jesus would.

We pray for the Pastors of the Church as they embark on the delicate and difficult task at hand. We pray that the Church will not be divided but instead, bring more of Her children back into the fold because of this undertaking.

We also pray for ourselves, especially during this season of Lent, that we may have the Lord’s purity of heart to be able to look at others with more mercy.

Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much, dear Lord!

Mercy beaucoup. Increase our mercy!

 A blessed and introspective Lenten Season to one and all!