At the Second Vatican Council there were no plans—in principle—to abolish
Latin from the liturgy, nor to authorize Communion in the hand, but some time
afterward, in the name of the spirit of the Council, exceptions were introduced
depending on the circumstances, the persons, the countries…. Which means that
today the exception has become the rule: everywhere the liturgy is in the
vernacular and Communion is received in the hand.
In keeping with this spirit, which makes it possible to obtain in practice
what is not authorized in principle, Cardinal William Kasper, during the recent
Consistory on the family, proposed exceptions to the rule that does not allow
divorced-and-remarried Catholics to receive Communion. This is not a matter of
changing the doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage, he assured his
listeners, but only of authorizing some pastoral exceptions. In other words,
marriage is doctrinally indissoluble but can be dissolved pastorally.
In a while we will see that these exceptions become the rule: all
divorced-and-remarried Catholics will receive Communion on the hand during
Masses celebrated in the vernacular. Because in reality, since the Council,
doctrine itself can be dissolved in pastoral practice.
Fr. Alain Lorans
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