Bishops of Malta suggest it may be 'impossible' for people to abstain from sex?

With God, all things are possible.

The debate over Amoris Laetitia may not be over. Last week the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Gerhard Muller, declared that the document was "very clear" and did not require correction. But now the bishops on Malta have issued their own interpretation, which may result in a new round of debates.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - The bishops on the island of Malta have suggested that separated or divorced Catholics who "feel at peace with God", may under certain circumstances, receive the Holy Eucharist. This appears to contradict the longstanding moral teaching of the Catholic Church on this essential subject.

As a result, it is also fostering serious confusion among many of the Catholic faithful and has led to a growing disagreement among Bishops and theologians. The matter involves the indissolubility of marriage. Therefore it goes to the heart of Catholic teaching on marriage as a sacrament. 

A document issued by the bishops of Malta called "Criteria for the Application of Chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitia," reads: "a separated or divorced person who is living in a new relationship manages, with an informed and enlightened conscience, to acknowledge and believe that he or she are at peace with God, he or she cannot be precluded from participating in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist".

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the issue of divorced Catholics among Catholics. Divorced Catholics can indeed receive holy communion, if, like any other Catholic, they are in a state of grace and free from mortal sin when approaching the altar. If not, they need to go to confession before receiving Holy Communion.

What is really at issue in this debate is the longstanding moral teaching of the Catholic Church that divorced persons may not receive Holy Communion - IF THEY REMARRY. Unless, the first marriage is deemed to have not been a sacramental marriage and is annulled by a competent ecclesiastical tribunal. That is handled in an ecclesiastical court and there are clear guidelines set forth in Canon Law.

This teaching is ancient. It is found in the Bible. It has been reaffirmed with clarity, over and over again, at Church Councils, in the Catholic Catechism and, most recently, in the magisterium of Pope St John Paul II. Civilly divorced Catholics do participate in the life of the Church, which includes attending Holy Mass. However, the Catholic Church has held to the teaching of Jesus that Marriage is indissoluble.

So, short of an annulment, a civil divorce does not affect a sacramental marriage. When one comes forward to receive Holy Communion who has remarried after a divorce, without an annulment, they are not in full communion with the teaching of the Church.

There may be some room for pastoral discretion in cases when a couple abstains from sexual activity when they are in a second civil marriage. But the Maltese bishops have implied that abstaining from sexual activity with such a second partner may somehow be "impossible." This is itself a  potentially controversial statement. The Lord never requires what is impossible from a person but grants them the grace which is needed. Abstinence from sexual activity is indeed possible through prayer and fasting.

The Maltese bishops have referenced a footnote in Amoris Laetitia, numbered 351. Footnote 351 refers to the integration of people in "irregular situations." It is not only a footnote, it is a rather obscure one. It has led to a growing controversy in the Catholic Church.

So what is the answer? Are the bishops of Malta mistaken? Is something missing from our understanding?

It is important to understand that we are dealing with human people, with souls and feelings. We are called to deal with one another in a spirit of charity and solidarity. We should do all things, even correct one another, in a spirit of love.

However, the Moral truth is not subject to individual interpretation, or even an interpretation of an apostolic exhortation written by a particular pope. The teaching of the Church is timeless, universal, and unchanging when it reflects the unerring Word of God. People make mistakes, but God does not.

In time, the Bishops of the Catholic Church will sort out the confusion surrounding Amoris Laetetia and understanding will follow. The Holy Spirit will guide the Church. However, the clamor over this controversial apostolic exhortation shows little promise of dying down any time soon.

Prayer, meditation, and time are essential, as well as love and a steadfast devotion to God' s will, whether we find it easy or not.

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