Bishop Galantino Comments - Irregular Matrimonial Situations

I wish I didn't have to write another article about comments people have made but it's called for and I will try to do so with as much charity as possible. It's not clear exactly what Bishop Galantino meant by certain phrases and so please take this as a general criticism of the comments and commentary attributed to him in the media which may or may not be related to what he actually said/meant.

Here are some quotes attributed to Bishop Galantino taken from the Huffington Post article (although various outlets have quoted them):

“Couples in irregular matrimonial situations are also Christians, but they are sometimes looked upon with prejudice,” said Bishop Nunzio Galantino, an apparent reference to divorced and remarried Catholics.

“The burden of exclusion from the sacraments is an unjustified price to pay, in addition to de facto discrimination,”

It's a little difficult to ascertain exactly what he means with all this. Is he saying that general exclusion of adulterers from Communion is wrong? Or, that they should be admitted because they feel excluded? Or that how Catholics within the Church see them is wrong? It's not very clear and different commentaries have placed different emphasis from the original Italian.

It seems from the context that "irregular matrimonial situations" is a reference to divorced and remmaried couples. If that is what is meant then the technical term is "adulterers" (Matt 19:9) so let's not fall in to the same trap we have done with abortion (termination of a pregnancy), practicing sodomites (those with a different sexual orientation) etc. and start rebranding sin with happy/inclusive terminology. Christ said it's adultery so let's use that term.

The most important point to make is that the Church doesn't exclude such people from the Eucharist but it is in fact they themselves through their own (free) choice who place themselves outside the Church. In fact, the Sacraments are as open to them as to anyone else. All they need to do is to go to Confession, make a sincere Confession with the firm idea of turning away from the sin of adultery (i.e. stop feigning a Christian marriage and normalise their relationship in line with Christ's teaching by either a) ending the relationship and moving out b) or if this is not possible then living together as if they were brother and sister). Once that is done they are welcome to the Eucharist. This is the same as anyone who has committed a mortal sin. Repent, Confess and you are welcomed to Communion. If they choose to continue living in a state of grave sin then sorry, they can't receive Communion but please don't blame others, or the Church, for the choice they themselves have made and the life that they have willingly entered in to.

"In his talk, Galantino, who is secretary-general of the Italian Bishops Conference, stressed that everyone should “feel at home” in the church, and especially at Mass — including migrants, the disabled, the poor and those in unconventional relationships."

It should be noted that only the "feel at home" part is a direct quote however if the rest is the true context then this all stinks of the modern nonsense that is "inclusivity". Whether the context in which the quotation is placed is accurate to what Bishop Galantino meant or not the first thing that should be clear to any Catholic is that it is wrong to place "those in unconventional relationship"  with "migrants, the disabled, the poor". These are often external situations beyond a person's control  unlike an "unconventional relationship" which is a choice. This is very similar to gay-"rights" activists who wish to place those against sodomy (a CHOICE) in the same bracket as those who discriminate based on ethnicity, nationality, disability etc. it's a deliberate ploy to downplay a sin and we should be on our guard against it.

Next, as far as I can tell "feeling at home" is not part of the Gospel message and indeed someone living in sin (be it adultery, fornication, drunkeness etc.) will indeed (and should!) feel uncomfortable at Mass as they enter in to the presence of Almighty God. The closer we come to God the more we feel His hand upon us, calling us to repent, to come closer to Him, to let Him love us, and yes at times this is "uncomfortable". If they feel uncomfortable due to how others treat them then this is more complicated. As Catholics we should welcome all those who come to Mass, and indeed a friendly demeanour can go a long way to helping people come in to the Church. Yes, we should treat adulterers with as much love as anyone else, but they are also living in and we shouldn't downplay that in order to be "kind" and "friendly". As I've said before in this blog:

Christ came to call people to repentence (Mark 1:15) not just accept and let people live in sin (which would be a total lack of charity).

We have a perfect example of how to treat adulterers from the Gospel: John 8:1-11. Verse 11 is the key text here: "...neither do I condemn you," said Jesus. "Go away, and from this moment sin no more."

As disciples of Christ we must do the same, we shouldn't condemn a person who is living in sin, but the message is one of repentence and the last line "and from this moment sin no more" is just as important and the "...neither do I condemn you" part. If a person in an "irregular matrimonial status" (i.e. committing adultery) seeks forgiveness then God (and the Church) will welcome them with open arms, but part of true repentence (read: metanoia) is that they must then seek to sin no more.

Anyone in that state should take heart that Jesus will be with them in leaving this sinful life behind and will give them all of the grace and strength of heart that they need to live as he wishes them to. He will not condemn them and they should know that God has already prepared a place for them (John 14:2). Take heart, be brave and follow Christ! You will find more peace and joy than anything this world can give (John 14:27).

(Quotes taken from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/28/bishop-nunzio-galantino_n_5730552.html)