Marriage, Communion, and the Teachings of the Church

Newly married couples kneel as Pope Francis celebrates the marriage rite for 20 couples during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Sept. 14th. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Marriage, Communion, and the Teachings of the Church | CWR Staff | Catholic World Report

Two of the contributors to the book, Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church, discuss the Scriptural, historical, and theological basis for Catholic doctrine

Rev. Robert Dodaro, OSA., is President of the Patristic Institute, Augustinianum, in Rome. He is the editor of the forthcoming book, Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church (Ignatius Press, early October 2014), in which five cardinals of the Church, along with four other scholars, respond to Walter Cardinal Kasper's call for the Catholic Church to harmonize “fidelity and mercy in its pastoral practice with civilly remarried, divorced people.” Those contributors are Walter Cardinal Brandmüller; Raymond Cardinal Burke; Carlo Cardinal Caffarra; Velasio Cardinal De Paolis, CS.; Paul Mankowski, S.J.; Gerhard Cardinal Müller; John M. Rist; and Archbishop Cyril Vasil', SJ.

Dr. John M. Rist, one of the nine contributors, is Emeritus Professor of Classics and Philosophy at the University of Toronto, and former holder of the Kurt Pritzl, OP, Chair of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America.

Catholic World Report recently corresponded with Fr. Dodaro and Dr. Rist about the book.

CWR: What were the reasons for writing and production this volume?

Fr. Dodaro: The five Cardinals and four other scholars who contributed to this book wanted to respond to Cardinal Kasper's proposal [in The Gospel of the Family, published by Paulist Press, 2014] that the Catholic Church should adopt a variation of the Eastern Orthodox practice of admitting divorced and civilly remarried persons to the sacraments, specifically to penance and Holy Eucarist. We wanted to show the bishops and other faithful that Cardinal Kasper's proposal contradicts both Christ's teachings in the Gospels and the interpretation of His's teachings by the early Church.

Finally, we wanted to show that the current teaching and sacramental discipline of the Catholic Church offers a pastorally sound and, yes, even merciful approach to the care of civilly remarried Catholics.

CWR: What are the key issues and concerns that you and the contributors address in the book?

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