It’s All Good Columnist Patti Lamb reflects on working and shaping spiritual muscles this Lent, page 12. Serving the Church in Central and Southern Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com March 7, 2014 Vol. LIV, No. 21 75¢ Cardinal outlines possible paths to Communion Felici Roma Fotografia Photo by for divorced, remarried VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Catholic Church needs to find a way to offer healing, strength and salvation to Catholics whose marriages have failed, who are committed to making a new union work and who long to do so within the Church and with the grace of Communion, Cardinal Walter Kasper told the world’s cardinals. Jesus’ teaching on the indissolubility of sacramental marriage is clear, the retired German cardinal said, and it would harm individuals and the Church to pretend otherwise. However, “after the shipwreck of sin, the shipwrecked person should not have a second boat at his or her disposal, but rather a life raft” in the form of the sacrament of Communion, he said. Pope Francis had asked Cardinal Walter Kasper, a well-known Pope Francis takes time to talk with Mary Kubala, seated, and Vicki Stark after the two members of St. Anne Parish in New Castle attended an audience theologian and author with the pope last fall in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Cardinal of a book on mercy as Walter Kasper a fundamental trait of God, to introduce a Feb. 20-21 discussion by St. Anne parishioners savor conversation the College of Cardinals on family life. The Vatican did not publish the cardinal’s text, but Catholic News Service obtained a copy. with Holy Father during papal audience The Catholic Church needs to find a way to help divorced and remarried Catholics (Editor’s note: On March 13, the Church Kubala reach up and touch him. to see him, I’m going to ask him who long to participate fully in the life of the marks the one-year anniversary of the They still remember the words he shared not to change—because he’s doing Church, Cardinal Kasper told the cardinals. election of Pope Francis as universal with them. everything right.’ ” While insisting—for the good of individuals shepherd. In this week’s issue, we feature It all happened unexpectedly during their The two friends have appreciated the and of the Church—on the need to affirm a special package of stories reflecting guided tour of Italy last fall. tone and the witness of Pope Francis, Jesus’ teaching that sacramental marriage is on the Holy Father’s first year, including The tour didn’t include a visit to the who will mark his first anniversary of indissoluble, he allowed for the possibility reflections from Criterion readers on Vatican, but Kubala told Stark that there his election as pope on March 13. They that in very specific cases the Church could how his pontificate has affected their was no way she was “going that far and celebrate his emphasis and his example to tolerate, though not accept, a second union. lives of faith.) not try to see Pope Francis because he’s people to love God and love one another. From the first moments of creation, the amazing.” So Kubala arranged, before the They rejoice in the way he reaches out to cardinal said, God intended man and woman By John Shaughnessy trip, to line up two of the several thousand the poor, the disabled and children. They to be together, to form one flesh, to have tickets for a papal audience on Nov. 6. love how he focuses on the bonds that children and to serve him together. But sin The joy radiates as Mary Kubala and Then as the tour led them to Tuscany, connect people instead of the issues that entered the world almost immediately, which Vicki Stark recall the moment when Pope Kubala told the guide that she and Stark divide them. is why even the Bible is filled with stories of Francis stopped to talk with them and bless were leaving the group for a day to take the “I think he’s an amazing person husbands and wives hurting and betraying them during their visit to the Vatican. train to Rome to see the pope. On the train and a very holy man,” says Stark, one another, he explained. The two members of St. Anne Parish in ride, the 65-year-old Kubala allowed herself who is 69. “There’s just an inner Christ, who came to set people free from New Castle still picture the pope’s smile. to dream. happiness about him.” See DIVORCE, page 2 They still savor the moment when he let “I told Vicki on the train, ‘If I get See AUDIENCE, page 8 Pope Francis’ constant refrain: As people of faith, let us ‘go forth,’ evangelize and help poor of the world VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis’ most frequent advice and exhortation to Catholics— from laypeople in parishes to bishops and cardinals—is “Go forth.” In Italian, the phrase is even snappier: “Avanti.” Reuters Gentile, CNS photo/Tony As the world’s cardinals gathered at the Vatican in early March 2013 to discuss the needs of the Church before they entered the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, “avanti” was at the heart of a speech by then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The speech captured the imagination of his confrere, Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino, who received permission to share it after Pope Francis was elected. “Put simply, there are two images of the Church: a Church which evangelizes and goes out of herself” by hearing the word of God with Pope Francis blesses a child as he arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter’s Square See EVANGELIZE, page 8 at the Vatican on Feb. 26. Page 2 The Criterion Friday, March 7, 2014 members of the extraordinary Synod of DIVORCE Bishops on the family in October and the continued from page 1 world Synod of Bishops in 2015 to discuss CNS photo/Paul Haring CNS photo/Paul concrete proposals for helping divorced the bonds of sin, established marriage as and civilly remarried Catholics participate a sacrament, “an instrument of healing for more fully in the life of the Church. the consequences of sin and an instrument A possible avenue for finding those of sanctifying grace,” he said. proposals, he said, would be to develop Because they are human and prone “pastoral and spiritual procedures” for to sin, husbands and wives continually helping couples convinced in conscience must follow a path of conversion, renewal that their first union was never a valid and maturation, asking forgiveness and marriage. The decision cannot be left only renewing their commitment to one another, to the couple, he said, because marriage has Cardinal Kasper said. But the Church also a public character, but that does not mean must be realistic and acknowledge “the that a juridical solution—an annulment complex and thorny problem” posed by granted by a marriage tribunal—is the only Catholics whose marriages have failed, way to handle the case. but who find support, family stability As a diocesan bishop in Germany in and happiness in a new relationship, 1993, Cardinal Kasper and two other he continued. bishops issued pastoral instructions to “One cannot propose a solution different help priests minister to such couples. from or contrary to the words of Jesus,” The Congregation for the Doctrine of the the cardinal said. “The indissolubility of a Faith, headed by the then-Cardinal Joseph Pope Francis leads opening prayer during a meeting of cardinals in the synod hall at the Vatican sacramental marriage and the impossibility Ratzinger, made the bishops drop the on Feb. 20. The pope asked the world’s cardinals and those about to be made cardinals to meet of a new marriage while the other partner plan. A similar proposal made last year by at the Vatican on Feb. 20-21 to discuss the Church’s pastoral approach to the family. During the is still alive is part of the binding tradition the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Germany, meeting, Cardinal Walter Kasper introduced a discussion on family life. of the faith of the Church, and cannot be was criticized by Cardinal Gerhard abandoned or dissolved by appealing to Muller, current prefect of the doctrinal a superficial understanding of mercy at a congregation. discount price.” Citing a 1972 article by At the same time, “there is no human then-Father Joseph Ratzinger, Be an answer situation absolutely without hope or Cardinal Kasper said the Church also solution,” he said. Catholics profess their might consider some form of “canonical to prayers. belief in the forgiveness of sins in the penitential practice”—a “path beyond Creed, he explained. “That means that for strictness and leniency”—that would adapt one who converts, forgiveness is possible. the gradual process for the reintegration Even the smallest gifts If that’s true for a murderer, it is also true of sinners into full communion with make a big difference. for an adulterer.” the Church used in the first centuries Cardinal Kasper said it would be up to of Christianity. † Make your $25 Vatican court denies appeal of merger online gift now! of Holy Rosary Parish in Seelyville Criterion staff report court and that it could be appealed to all of its members. The petitioners had 10 days The Apostolic Signatura, the highest from the time they were informed of the Your gift is tax deductible. canon law court at the Vatican, has denied decision to make their appeal.