Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect
Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith
11 Palazzo di S. Uffizio
00193 Vatican City State, Europe
Your Eminence:
Today I am enclosing three pages
from the September 1998 issue of St. Anthony Messenger Magazine which is
online.
The article is titled "Understanding
annulments" by Fr. John Catoir who headed the diocesan marriage tribunal
in Paterson, New Jersey, for 10 years and, according to the article, served
part-time as a presiding judge on the court of second instance.
I don't know if he continues to
fill this position, but the information on pages 9, 10, and 11 of the enclosed
article on the internal
forum of conscience is, I think, a matter of extreme concern.
Fr. Catoir argues that people can
make up their own minds as to whether or not they are married. "Believing
their prior marriage to be invalid, many Catholics have divorced and later
remarried civilly without having obtained a Church annulment. . . .Perhaps
they are right and should follow their consciences."
This seems to be a convenience that
others can resort to as well on other issues like, for example, homosexuality
or abortion. Why not, in fact, everyone?
We have heard of priests giving
people advice to receive Holy Communion even though they are in irregular
marriages, and Fr. Catoir explains how they do it. "A priest cannot marry
them because this would be simulating the sacrament, but he may encourage
them to follow their conscience if the facts seem to support them. . .
.very few priests would turn anyone away from receiving the Eucharist.
The burden is on the person to do what he or she thinks is right."
This is really permission to do
evil and call it good.
I am outraged that a priest like
Fr. Catoir has been allowed to function as if he is a faithful member
of the clergy.
Cardinal Ratzinger, how much longer
do we have to put up with these lies? How much longer do children have
to put up with such outrageous examples of their parents?
Sincerely,
Mrs. T
CC: Bishop Serratelli, Paterson,
New Jersey