Sunday, April 22, 2018

Vatican Bars Communion for Protestant Spouses; German Bishops Sought Conditional Communion

The Vatican body, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), has sent a letter with the approval of Pope Francis to German bishops rejecting their proposal to allow some Protestant spouses to receive communion, the Christian Today website reports today (April 22, 2018).

Sources have said that Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the current prefect of the CDF, wrote the letter, and that Pope Francis does not want the letter to be made public.

The Vatican response came after seven German bishops -- led by Caredinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne -- wrote to the CDF last month to say they believed the proposal to allow some Protestant spouses to receive communion contradicted Catholic doctrine, undermined Church unity, and exceeded the authority of the bishops' conference.

This came after Germany's bishops voted in favor at their spring conference in February of producing a guide, or pastoral handout, to allow a Protestant partner of a Catholic to receive the Eucharist in some cases and under certain conditions.

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