Catholic divorcees can still receive Holy
Communion and go to confession as long as they are “not engaged in a
permanent relationship”, the Curia has clarified.
“The official teaching of the Church states that those who are in a
permanent relationship outside the Catholic marriage cannot receive the
sacraments in a licit way.
“A divorced person (whether they divorced willingly or unwillingly)
who is not engaged in a permanent relationship can receive the
sacraments liberally,” a spokesman for the Church told The Sunday Times.
The Church was asked for its comments after certain sections of the
media reported that a 12-point leaflet distributed to households stated
that divorcees would not be permitted to receive the sacraments.
The leaflet was an insert in the monthly magazine Flimkien which is
published by the college of parish priests and distributed to all
households free of charge. It is based on a question-and-answer format.
One of the questions asks whether those who remarry civilly after a
divorce would be able to receive the sacraments. “(Those who believe
this) are definitely misunderstanding. If divorce is introduced, those
who are divorced can only remarry civilly and not in the Church.
“They cannot get married as a sacrament and therefore they cannot go
to confession or Holy Communion anyway. This is because their first
marriage still counts in God’s and the Church’s eyes. Divorce does not
nullify a valid marriage between two Catholics.”
As the Church has clarified, this means such divorcees will still be
able to receive the sacraments as long as they are not in an intimate
relationship with a new partner.
Meanwhile, the Church defended its right to distribute such information to the public in light of the ongoing divorce debate.
“The information given in the referred article falls in line with the
Church’s mission to teach and enlighten, in this case through its own
media,” the Church spokesman said.
“(The magazine) conveys the view of the Catholic Church on different
aspects of our faith and on Maltese society. As in the case of other
magazines, it is obvious that not all that is published is agreed with
by all readers, but like other magazines, it helps readers to (form) a
diversified opinion on various issues put before them, as befits a
pluralistic society.”
The 12 points in brief
1) If battered wives are granted the right to remarry, so too will their abusive husbands.
2) Although people have a right to marry, there is no such right to
divorce, according to a 1986 judgment of the European Court of Human
Rights.
3) Catholics who vote against divorce are not imposing their values.
They have a right to vote according to what they think is best for
society.
4) The Church allows priests to leave the priesthood and get married
because celibacy is a Church law, not a law of God like the
indissolubility of marriage.
5) Divorce weakens the marriage bond, leading to fewer people getting married.
6) If you do not vote it means you do not care about the family or your children.
7) In all countries with divorce, cohabitation increased, marriage decreased and more people fell below the poverty line.
8) There is nothing wrong with Malta being an exception in the world.
Malta has the most churchgoers. Unlike the US, it does not have the
death penalty. Should those things change too?
9) Divorce increases marital breakdown by 20 per cent. For society’s
benefit, sometimes individuals must suffer. For example, people might
have to give up their land to make space for an airport. All efforts
must be made to reduce their suffering, but the land must be taken for
common good.
10) People who remarry civilly after a divorce cannot receive Holy Communion or go to confession.
11) The Church is against abortion, condoms, sex before marriage and
divorce because these are all negative actions. However, it is in favour
of positive actions.
12) The number of children born out of wedlock increases in countries with divorce because cohabitation increases.