Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, says caring for the environment is "one of the most serious duties" for the faithful today.

Christians should not only "not harm" but "improve" the environment, he says. The new canon would be dedicated to this "grave duty."

The canons which Coccopalmerio suggests amending address general obligations for Catholics relating to the practice of the faith and maintaining communion with the Church.

These canons do not address specific moral obligations or particular doctrinal teachings.

Coccopalmerio suggests asking Pope Francis "on behalf of the dicastery for legislative texts" to amend the law.

Inspired by Francis's 2015 encyclical on the environment (Laudato si') and his recent address to CEOs of major oil and gas companies, Coccopalmerio made the proposal during an event earlier this month in Rome.

The event was entitled "Dialogue on Catholic Investments for the Energy Transition."

Participants highlighted the importance of pursuing ethical investment strategies in line with the social doctrine of the Church.

Francis has often expressed his environmental concerns. In his message on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in 2016, he said maintaining our common home ought to be considered a work of mercy.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms the Christian calling to respect and protect the earth.

However, some canonists have raised concern about the cardinal's proposal.

On Twitter, canonist Edward Peters called it "a trivialisation of canon law."

Source

• Crux
• LifeSite News
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The bishops have published a document saying some divorced and remarried Catholics may receive Holy Communion.

Francis says the document "explains precisely the meaning of Chapter VIII of ‘Amoris Laetitia.' There are no other interpretations."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of State, says a letter Francis wrote to the bishops on 5 September 2016 and the bishops' guidelines for interpreting Amoris Laetitia will be published as official documents on the Vatican website.

Francis wrote the letter in response to guidelines the bishops in the Buenos Aires region published.

Parolin says Francis also wants the letter and the bishops' guidelines to be included in the "Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS)".

The AAS is the official record of Vatican documents and acts.

By applying the character of "official Magisterium" to an exchange of letters, the pope has strengthened the bishops' interpretation's doctrinal significance.

Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, commented on the official Magisterium.

"The fact that the pope requested ... [these documents] ... be published in the AAS means that His Holiness has given these documents a particular qualification that elevates them to the level of being official teachings of the church.

"While the content of the pope's letter itself does not contain teachings on faith and morals, it does point toward the interpretations of the Argentine bishops and confirms them as authentically reflecting his own mind.

"Thus together the two documents became the Holy Father's authentic Magisterium for the whole church."

Open letters that question a "confused" teaching - such as that by the American theologian Fr Thomas G. Weinandy, or those by the four cardinals who wrote the "dubia" ("doubt") - now come up against a new theological obstacle.

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• La Croix
• Crux
• Catholic Culture
• In the Light of the Law
• Catholic Culture
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Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) ruled Anglican orders are "null and void" - a ruling Coccopalmerio, who is said to have one of the Vatican's top legal minds, is revisiting.

"When someone is ordained in the Anglican Church and becomes a parish priest in a community, we cannot say that nothing has happened, that everything is ‘invalid'," he says.

Validity isn't a matter of church law, but of doctrine.

Pope Francis has already shown his acceptance of the Anglican priesthood in many ways, Coccopalmerio says.

He also cites a number of examples going back over decades - such as Pope Paul VI giving a chalice to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1966.

"What does it mean when Pope Paul VI gave a chalice to the Archbishop of Canterbury?" Coccopalmerio asks.

"If it was to celebrate the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, it was meant to be done validly, no?

"This is stronger than the pectoral cross [often given as gifts to Anglican clergy], because a chalice is used not just for drinking but for celebrating the Eucharist.

"With these gestures the Catholic Church already intuits, recognises a reality."

Another Pope who values the Anglican priesthood is Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.

Although he does not offer any suggestions about the appropriate way forward for the Anglican and Catholic churches, he sees value in the Anglican celebration of the Eucharist.

"When an ecclesial community, with its ordained ministry, in obedience to the Lord's command, celebrates the eucharist, the faithful are caught into the heavenly places, and there feed on Christ," he says.

Source

• The Tablet
• Image: Anglican Ink