Most marriages today are invalid, Pope Francis suggests

Those might have been the nicest sandwiches he ever ate-so good he bought her flowers!

 

A response to the article that the above quote is taken from, and well worth reading:

http://www.onepeterfive.com/if-francis-is-an-antipope-we-cant-know-it-yet/

Summary closing paragraph, with which I wholeheartedly agree (Emphasis added):

"My suggestion is this: rather than worry about which one of the two popes in Rome is the real one — something the Church will resolve in time, without our help — I believe we should focus our efforts on combating the errors that Francis is promoting and Benedict is doing nothing to stop. And we should do so by promoting authentic Catholic teaching as an antidote. Coming to a better understanding of that teaching, and finding new and effective ways to disseminate it, is far more efficacious than idle speculation over something we can’t determine definitively and will never have the power to remedy."

 

http://www.markmallett.com/blog/that-pope-francis-a-short-story/#more-20078

 

Although labelled a 'Short Story' by Mark, it is still a bit long but the final paragraphs are worth copying here:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. (Prov 3:5-7)

“For all the suspicion, [18] speculation, and conspiracies flying around the Pope these days, what is it doing except creating anxiety and division? There is only one thing necessary: to be at the feet of Jesus, to be faithful.



“I think of St. John at the Last Supper. When Jesus said that one of them would betray Him, the Apostles began to murmur and whisper and try to solve who it was. But not St.John. He simply kept his head upon the breast of Christ, listening to His divine, constant, and reassuring heartbeats. Do you think it is a coincidence, then, that St. John was the only Apostle to stand beneath the Cross during that bitter Passion? If we are going to get through this Storm, through the Passion of the Church, then we have to stop whispering, speculating, fretting and worrying about things beyond our understanding and begin to simply rest in the Heart of Christ instead of relying on our own intelligence. It’s called faith, brothers. We must begin to walk by this night of faith, not sight. Then, yes, the Lord will make straight our paths; then we will sail safely to the other side of the Harbour.”

Gently hitting his fist on the table he cast a glance that would freeze a lion.

“Because, gentlemen, the Pope may be the Captain of the Barque of Peter, but Christ is its Admiral. Jesus may be asleep in the hull of the Ship, or so it seems, but He is the Keeper of the Storm. He is our Leader, Our Great Shepherd, and the one who will guide us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. You can take that to the bank.”
​

 

As a newby I hesitate to comment but perhaps the pope is just saying that the quality of marriage must improve hugely for it to reflect the way that Jesus intended.

 

So, following this thought, it's the QUALITY of the marriage that determines if it's sacramental? So you must be married for X amount of time (say 50 years) and then look back over those years and come to a conclusion of whether it was "high quality" or "low quality" to determine if it is sacramental???
Yikes.

 

When is marriage a sacrament?
Answer
The Code of Canon Law recognizes that, "a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament" (CIC 1055 §2). So there are two requirements for a marriage to be a sacramental marriage: (1) the marriage must be valid; and (2) both parties must be baptized.

To be in a valid marriage, Catholics must meet certain requirements of canon law including the obligation to observe the Church’s form of marriage celebration or to be dispensed from that form. This applies to every Catholic, even when marrying a non-Catholic.

All valid marriages between Catholics are sacramental because you can’t be Catholic without being baptized. However, a valid marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic is sacramental, while a valid marriage between a Catholic and a non-baptized person is not.

Non-Catholics are not generally under the authority of canon law concerning marriage, so marriages between non-Catholics are generally recognized to be valid unless proven otherwise. Some of these marriages are sacramental (when both parties are baptized) and some are not (when one or both are not baptized).

 

Catholic Wedding Q&A

What are the rules and requirements for a valid Catholic wedding?
There are three basic requirements for a valid Catholic wedding:

• The couple must be capable of being married—that is, they must be a woman and a man who are free of any impediment that would prevent marriage.
• The couple must give their consent to be married — that is, by an act of their will they irrevocably give and accept one another in order to establish marriage (Canon 1057).
• They must follow the canonical form for marriage—that is, they must be married according to the laws of the Church so that the Church and the wider community will be certain about the validity of their marriage.

- See more at: http://catholicweddinghelp.com/questions/rules-requirements.htm#sthash.6A1eLQ3Q.dpuf

 

Did the Pope say "quality"?

 

As davidtlg said

"“Because, gentlemen, the Pope may be the Captain of the Barque of Peter, but Christ is its Admiral. Jesus may be asleep in the hull of the Ship, or so it seems, but He is the Keeper of the Storm. He is our Leader, Our Great Shepherd, and the one who will guide us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. You can take that to the bank.”

Since no man knows the day nor hour we need a steady captain. After Vatican 2, I'm sorry could someone please explain to me the fruits of Vatican 2 again, the pedophile crisis and the billions spent, we got two popes who steadied the ship by explaining church teachings of Vatican 2 and giving us our catechism. Now we have a captain who wants to change course. Sorry Mark Mallett's/spinners of the facts, by rewriting the catechism and all his goofy comments, this pope has single-handedly put the boat back into turbulent waters. Thanks papa!

 

Who is currently "rewriting the catechism"?? We have never seen such puss being released, finally, from the putrid sores that have festered for decades within the Vatican hierarchy until these most recent years of exposure. Who's been responsible for keeping the graces offered to the faithful by heaven Itself for the last century from reaching those intended? Who've been the most responsible for obfuscating what heaven intended? Everyone's stance, that had been so well hidden in former years by "protocol" and window dressing, for their willingness to live out the mystical Body of Christ...or not....is being revealed. The Church is being purified...first...before the world. It must repent itself....first....before graces can be released. That is what Divine Mercy came for and now that great answer has been given even greater attention through this unexpected and "extraordinary" Jubilee year of Divine Mercy given to the world by this current Pope. And yet we still wait on the Church as a whole to make known everywhere just what is contained within this phenomenon for the souls of every believer. Labels are no longer enough....motivations of the heart will be tested and exposed.....and answered for! While people discuss and differ like never before, this examination of conscience is being forced. That necessary digging for the truth just hasn't happened previously while it was very much needed. Perhaps finally that "interference" by the Holy Spirit....to clear out the dust of massive neglect and diabolical control of those in authority.....is taking place.

 

Pic, I'm not sure I disagree with much of what you have said here, .... but .... I've come to look at it from another angle! We laity have much blame sharing when it comes to the Hi-Jacking of Vatican II and the aftermath. We sat in the Pews and said & did nothing and when the "Stink" became intolerable many good people, clergy-n-laity, voted with their feet. Of course, us oldsters had been taught to think, when it came to The Church, that our place was to be seen and not heard .... and cough up $$$ for the Offering! I believe that GOD wants us all riled-up and Papa might be The Guy to do it .... and at The Father's Direction!! I believe The Lord wants us simple Pew Warmers to get off our Fat Duffs and take back OUR CHURCH from the modern day High Priests, Pharisees & Scribes! Thus The Storm and Pope Francis ... Methinks.. anyway!!

GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

 

Thank you for your questions about my comment little me. And what a disarming and endearing name you have. I am not able to say if it is quality that makes a marriage sacramental but I suspect that endurance is more about quantity and is not the best way to determine if the marriage was good or bad. Only the parties and perhaps their families and friends could make this call. My comment was far less technical - if that is the right word - than your more informed response. I was simply saying - and perhaps - far too simply - that the pope is encouraging more people to look more carefully before they leap and then having taken the huge step of marriage it may be more pleasing to God and more likely to bear better fruit. I hope your "yikes" does not mean that my comment caused you offence. If so, I apologise. I notice that you have emphasised the word 'quality' in your comment. The emphasis in my mind when making my comment was on the intention of Jesus when He instituted the sacrament. I was just saying that the pope was reminding us that if marriage is not based on the way that Christ intended - one of lasting and mutual love and respect and lived according to his word - then it is devalued. How that would affect its 'sacramentality' I cannot say. I am no expert.

 

Thank you earthtoangels for requesting clarity to my comment. I see I will have to be on my toes here. I honestly do not know if the pope actually said 'quality' but I know that when a marriage is declared to be invalid the state of the minds of the parties at the start of it are examined. I was just suggesting that the pope was reminding us that marriage is sacred and should be approached with this in mind. He was saying that many people nowadays seem to enter into marriage without understanding what it really means or entails. I am sorry if I gave the impression that I was saying quality makes for validity. That was not my intention. Rather I was saying that the pope was saying that if the parties do not give proper regard to the quality of sacredness then a vital element in the sacrament is missing.

 

Excellent read of this situation by Judge Andrew Napolitano

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015...is-has-disappointed-many-roman-catholics.html

 

This judge is obviously well respected but I am confused as to how someone who professes to be a Catholic - and so well educated - can express such a poor opinion of the pope who as he admits is loved and respected by most Catholics across the world. To me the Pope is trying his best to make better Catholics of us. I can see how some people misunderstand some of what he says but is that due to the way they take it rather than the the way it is meant? Are they themselves undergoing a crisis of faith? As I said above I am no expert but I have read some of the pope's writings and homilies on the family and society. I see them in a totally different light to that of the learned judge. To me they illuminate the love of Christ and show how marriage should reflect the love of God for his church. They promote the sacredness of life and the permanence of marriage while addressing the defects in the attitudes and actions of those who call themselves Catholic. The pope consistently and clearly names and condemns sins of the flesh and at the same time declares mercy for those who are trying to change. For me that is the way of Christ. I am quite frankly shocked that such a prominent Catholic should present our pope in such a negative way. I wonder if the judge has his own hidden agenda. To me he has the wrong end of the stick, a stick that he uses on the pope in the most unwarranted way. On a brief review I see there is much opposition to the pope on this forum. I see I will have to be very careful in the way I express my support for the pope in responding to some comments. I hope there are those of a more academic and intellectual persuasion who can better express their support here.

 

Wow! They should have made the Judge Pope about 60 years ago and I'm certain everything would now be just hunky dory! I know, he'd only be around 8 years old but I just bet he still could have settled centuries of misbehavior.

Yeah, he's a "by the book" kinda guy....and carries it over to the spiritual as well it would appear. But then he dealt with alleged criminals with stipulated sentences rather than struggling sinners who may not have been properly catechized.

 

I saw this posted on a discussion elsewhere, and feel it's the perfect advice for our day:

"When the shepherd becomes a wolf, the first duty of the flock is to defend itself. The true children of Holy Church, at such times, are those who walk by the light of their Baptism, not the cowardly souls who, under the specious pretext of submission to the powers that be, delay their opposition to the enemy in the hope of receiving instructions which are neither necessary nor desirable."

- Dom Prosper Guéranger

 

Earthtoangels, may I ask, whose book? In the end may I suggest the only book that will matter is the book of life. I am sure Pope Francis knows this.

 

I am not confused by what the Church has always taught in her deposit of faith. Mark Mallet is not confused either. If you are confused it is because you let the spirit of confusion to set in. I think the few who are confused are the ones in the far right of the church and this has fogged the glasses of their soul to see through it all. God is in charge, don't loose heart at what is it is or is not being said. Pray, trust and don't worry as St. Pio taught.

The pope has not changed one doctrine of the faith and nor can he.