Nuala O’Loan
“It is in the interpretation of individual situations that there is scope for more generosity and more compassion”, writes Nuala O’Loan
One of the things which has impressed itself upon me recently is the extent to which the Church in which I grew up has changed so much. That Church was manifestly different from the Church of the 19th Century and thus it has been throughout the ages. We can think of the Church as a vast, unchanging hierarchical monolith, which really does not seem to have much to do with the Church which enables the relationship between God and his children, between the divine creator and those whom he has created. That is not the true Church.
So what is the Church? How has it survived the evil that some of its members have done over the centuries, and the repression, the savagery which it suffered over the years? Is it worth fighting for in the face of modern secularism? Why struggle to preserve the heritage which forms the environment in which we practice our faith? Must we as a Church change to accommodate those who are currently excluded, and so be the true Church?
The Church is not static and never has been. It has, over the centuries recognised its failings, its wrongdoing, as not consistent with the teachings of the Gospel and has moved – very often very slowly – to put things right.
In this modern age, that process continues. Yet there are two groups of people who still find themselves at odds with the Church and for whom Pope Francis, and so many others, have recognised, there needs to be accommodation: people who are not heterosexual but are in faithful relationships and people whose marriages have broken down.
Good News
If one thinks back through the centuries one can envisage a Church which had absolutely nothing. There was a time when the apostles walked long dusty roads to spread this strange and wonderful Good News. They had no cars, no buses, no mobiles, no instant communication. More importantly they had no churches, no New Testament, no liturgy, no vestments, no canon law! Yet still this Church thrived, and in so doing, it took on the character of each age.
Thus it was that Christians went to fight in the Crusades over some 400 years, initially at the request of Pope Urban II to guarantee pilgrims access to the holy places in the Holy Land which were controlled by the Muslim people. Yet it deteriorated as avarice and savagery gave rise to campaigns which were, in many cases, vicious and terrible.
Centuries later we saw the religious conflicts following the divorce of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon. We saw people burned to death because they would not subscribe to Catholicism or to Protestanism.
A hundred years or so later we saw the repeated attempts to suppress Catholicism in the penal laws which applied in Ireland, Scotland and England during the 17th Century. Catholics were not allowed to hold public office, to attend their own churches, priests were executed, property was seized. This lasted for nearly 100 years, years during which one might have thought that the Church would just die. It did not die.
Reform and emancipation followed. The Church rose to great strength during the 19th and 20th Centuries. We can see that in the wonderful architecture and the huge numbers who actively practised their faith. It was another world.
Injustice
Yet in that world of Church too, there was great injustice. This was the world which decided that it was right to take babies from their unmarried mothers, to exclude illegitimate children from religious life and priesthood, to place all authority and decision making in the hands of men, to require women to cover their hair lest they distract men at prayer, to forbid them access to the sanctuary, to any form of ministry and for the most part to any participation in decision making.
These things were seen as proper things to do in their time. They were of their time. They were not unique to the Catholic Church. Yet they were of the Catholic Church. The strange thing is that even though priests prayed and read the Bible and pondered upon things, they did not see the need for change.
I believe firmly in the sanctity of marriage. I do believe that marriage is a sacrament, and that it is core to the protection of family life. However, the reality is that marriages do break down, for a wide variety of reasons. One partner may lack faithfulness, the spouses may change as they grow older, so that they no longer love the person who was the whole world to them. Trust may disappear from the relationship, and without trust the marriage will no longer be sustainable.
The Church does not have proper answers for people who, having found themselves in such situations leave their spouses and enter into new relationships. Many of those who find themselves in this situation are the victims, not the sinners. The reality for these people may well be that they love their new spouse or partner dearly, and that love must surely have come from God, because all that is good comes from God. They may well have children of the second union, who see their parents excluded. Yet those children too were made by and loved by God. They are excluded from Communion and Confession, from the core sacraments of the Church.
It is to be hoped that Pope Francis will be able to find a way forward. There are processes which are capable of development to deal with these situations.
Annulment
Marriage annulment processes are to be simplified and made less expensive. That is right. More is needed. Just as a priest can be laicised and be allowed to marry, so the Church must find a way to enable people in these situations to be reconciled to the Church and to become full practising members once again, if that is what they want to do.
It is in the interpretation of individual situations that there is scope for more generosity and more compassion. Even the words of Jesus, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” are capable of more profound, wiser interpretation. I do not believe that anyone marries to be divorced. We know so much more now about why relationships break down and also about the impact of bad experiences on people’s capacity to sustain marriage and relationships. All this has to be factored into how such situations are resolved.
The only group of people who are denied the sacraments are those who have committed grave sin. Yet people in second relationships who love God, and who are trying to live their lives in accordance with the teachings of Christ are currently excluded. For these people, who seek to remain within the Church, there is an urgent need to provide accommodation. It is to be hoped that Pope Francis will have the courage and wisdom to do what must be done.