| |
| Vatican
Tribunal to Prompt Annulment Decisions Pope Benedict XVI
met the Roman Rota last January 28, 2006. The Roman Rota is a church
court dealing on marriage cases. The Pope said to them for the good
of individuals and the Catholic Church as a whole, marriage tribunals
must act as quickly as possible while fully following church law.
The Pope made an emphasis on this because many faithful were not
being able to receive Communion because their annulment is still
in process wherein the Communion or receiving the Eucharist is an
important one.
He told the Roman Rota that its decisions should come quickly for
the sake of the faithful, but he reminded church jurists that their
paramount task in making a ruling was determining the "truth"
about whether the marriage was valid. An annulment means that the
marriage was invalid, essentially concluding that the marriage never
existed, leaving the faithful free to remarry and receive Communion.
At the same time, the search for truth in a marriage case is very
concrete and has a deep impact on the individuals involved. Because
it touches both their human and Christian development, "it
is very important that the declaration arrive in a reasonable amount
of time," the pope said. Though the Pope is asking for a rapid
decision-making he reminded them that it should still follow the
law of the Church in making the judgment.
He also confirmed the obligation that the institutional activity
of the Church in the tribunals is increasingly close to the faithful.
The Pope pointed out that it is a pastoral duty to try to prevent
marital annulments when a couple asks for the sacrament of marriage
and to do everything possible so that "the spouses will resolve
their possible problems and find the path of reconciliation."
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| LIVES
OF THE SAINTS |
May
18
ST. JOHN
I
St. John I was a priest of Rome. He became pope after
the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's
ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian. (The Arians did not
believe that Jesus is God.) Theodoric let Catholics alone
at the beginning of his reign. Later, however, he changed
and became arrogant and suspicious of everyone.
May
19
ST. CELESTINE V
Peter di Morone was the eleventh of twelve children.
He was born around 1210 in Isernia, Italy. His father died
when he was small. The family was poor, but Peter's mother
raised her children with great love.
May
20
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA
St. Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in a town
near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor.
His parents died when he was seven.
May
21
BLESSED
EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Blessed Eugene was born in France in 1782. He became
a priest in 1811. Father Eugene was sensitive to the needs
of the poor and he ministered to them.
May
22
ST. RITA OF CASCIA
St. Rita was born in 1381 in a little Italian village.
Her parents were older. They had begged God to send them a
child. They brought Rita up well. Rita wanted to enter the
convent when she was fifteen, but her parents decided that
she should marry instead.
May
23
ST. JOHN
BAPTIST ROSSI
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in 1698 in a village
near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when
a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him.
His parents knew the couple and trusted them. John was happy
to be able to go to their house in Genoa because then he could
attend school.
May
24
ST. DAVID
I OF SCOTLAND
St. David was born in 1080. He was the youngest son of St.
Margaret, queen of Scotland, and her good husband, King Malcom.
David himself became king when he was about forty.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
Tour
of the Relics of the Passion
(International Center
for Holy Relics)
www.HolyRelics.org
|
|
| |
| REFLECTIONS |
 “Jesus’
Baptism”
Why did Jesus, the sinless one sent from the Father in heaven,
submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke
3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of
the “baptism” of Jesus bloody death upon the
cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning
of his mission as God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah
52:13-15; 53:1-12). He allowed himself to be numbered among
sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s
will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust
and submission to God?
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
