Preliminary communication
DIVORCED BELIEVERS IN A NEW CIVIL MARRIAGE AND THEIR ADMISSION TO SACRAMENTS
Josip Grbac
; Theology of Rijeka, Dislocated Studies of Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
After the letter of the Congregation for the doctrine of faith, dated in 1994, concerning the admission to sacraments of civilly remarried believers, there has been a significant change in the approach to the question of admission to sacraments of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. The usage of epikeia, solution through the forum internum and the experience of the Eastern Churches do not suffice for the solution of the problem. Theological and biblical reflections are needed concerning some new aspects of ideas characteristic for the Christian marriage. These are notions like: “consumatum”, consensus and the sacramentality of the marriage. Beside this, there have been suggestions for the improvement of the practice of Church courts, in order to fasten the solutions in cases of proclaiming the annulment of a marriage. The pastoral practice must consider some other ways of dealing with the divorced and civilly remarried, so that they might be more involved in the life of the church. The issue of their admission to the sacraments should be in line with theological presuppositions, which are a real challenge for the theological and biblical sciences.
Keywords
divorced belivevers; civilly remarried believers; sacraments; epikeia; forum internum; Eastern Churches; Canon Lay; consumatum; consensus; sacramentality; Church courts
Hrčak ID:
220805
URI
Publication date:
10.8.2008.
Visits: 1.939 *