杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

At a meeting in the Vatican on Thursday, senior Vatican officials and members of the German Bishops conference held a conversation on a set of pastoral guidelines announced in February. The German Bishops鈥� Conference at the time approved the development of the guidelines, which would potentially broaden permission for non-Catholic Christians who are married to Catholics to receive Holy Communion.

A cordial and fraternal atmosphere
 

According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, released in the wake of the encounter, the meeting took place in a 鈥渃ordial and fraternal atmosphere.鈥�

The German Bishops had been called to Rome by 杏MAP导航 Francis after 鈥渁 not inconsiderable number鈥� of Bishops expressed their opposition to the proposed guidelines. Seven diocesan Bishops appealed to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts for clarification.

"Find a possibly unanimous arrangement"
 

During the conversation, which took place in German, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, explained that 杏MAP导航 Francis 鈥渁ppreciates the ecumenical commitment of the German Bishops鈥� and asks them to seek 鈥渁 possibly unanimous arrangement鈥�.

The Press Office statement said that during the meeting, various points of view were discussed, concerning, for example, how the question of extending permission to receive Holy Communion relates to the Faith and to pastoral care; the relevance of the question to the universal Church; and various juridical aspects of the question. 鈥淎rchbishop Ladaria will inform the Holy Father about the content of the conversation,鈥� the statement said.

Who was there
 

Thursday鈥檚 meeting took place at the seat of the Congregation for the Congregation for the Faith. The following German Bishops were present for the conversation: Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising and President of the German Bishops鈥� Conference; Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne; Bishop Felix Genn of Münster; Bishop Karl Heinz Wiesemann, Bishop of Speyer and president of the doctrinal commission of the Conference; Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer, Bishop of Regensburg and vice president of the doctrinal commission; Bishop Gerhard Feige, Bishop of Magdeburg and president of the Conference鈥檚 commission on ecumenism; and Fr Hans Langendorfer, SJ, secretary of the Bishops鈥� Conference.

In addition to Archbishop Ladaria, the Holy See was represented by Cardinal Kurt Koch, the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Msgr Markus Graulich, SDB, Under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; and Fr Hermann Geissler, FSO, head of the office for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.