Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia recently released pastoral guidelines in the wake of Pope Francis's post-synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

In the guidelines, one of the topics addressed was divorced and civilly remarried Catholics living as brother and sister, without having sexual intercourse.

"Undertaking to live as brother and sister is necessary for the divorced and civilly remarried to receive reconciliation in the sacrament of Penance, which could then open the way to the Eucharist," the new guidelines read.

The guidelines also emphasised the parts of Francis's document that essentially told clergy not to give up on people whose lives don't adhere strictly to Catholic teaching.

Philadelphia's mayor Jim Kenny reacted negatively to aspects of the guidelines.

The mayor tweeted: "Jesus gave us gift of Holy Communion because he so loved us. All of us. Chaput's actions are not Christian."

The Catholic League's Bill Donohue said the tweet was an abuse of the mayor's office.

Veteran Vatican journalist John Allen predicted that approaches on to how to put Amoris Laetitia into practice will take two paths.

"My suspicion is that those who are inclined to a more progressive reading [of Amoris Laetitia] are not going to put out documents to say so.

"It will quietly be made clear to priests that it is OK under certain circumstances, for example, to allow some people to quietly come back to Communion," Allen said.

"My suspicion is that the more traditional line [adopted by some bishops] will be more public."

Sources

• Catholic Herald
• The Guardian
• Washington Post
• Philadelphia guidelines
• Image: Philly Voice

The National Board for Safeguarding Children published updated guidelines on Wednesday.

They give recommendations if an accused priest dies before an investigation has concluded.

In such a case, "careful thought should be given by the Church authority to the way the requiem liturgy and interment is conducted".

"Publicly praising the respondent's qualities as a priest could have a seriously detrimental impact on complainants."

Some of the content of the new guidelines was reported by the Irish Times.

The guidelines state that when the Church decides to announce a priest is standing aside from ministry due to allegations, a presumption of innocence should be emphasised.

"Confidentiality is required, and advice will be needed on what can be shared, by whom and with whom.

"Parishioners cannot be told everything, but they do need an explanation for the sudden unavailability of the priest for a period.

"What they are told should be the truth."

The preferred approach is for any public communication to be agreed with the "respondent".

The guidelines reiterate the inviolability of the confessional.

While "all suspicions, concerns and allegations of child abuse must be reported to the statutory authorities", the guidelines state that "there is one exception to this rule".

That is "if abuse is disclosed during the sacrament of Reconciliation", the documents state.

The guidelines stated that there must always be available "confessionals with a fixed grate between the penitent and the confessor in an open place, so that the faithful who wish to can use them freely".

However, where abuse is admitted by a perpetrator or alleged by a child/young person in the confessional, the guidelines direct that a priest should strongly advise them to report this to statutory authorities.

Sources

• Irish Times
• Image: Trip Wow

Jesuit Fr James Corkery, a theology professor at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, said the Church also must be an open, welcoming home for those who have been wounded and pushed away.

Fr Corkery was speaking after the annual Anglophone Conference on the Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults, held in Rome from June 21-24.

There is a danger that too much emphasis on "action" and "fixing" things can create a "muscular Christianity" which crowds out any space for a more motherly embrace of the Church's lost and wounded sheep, he said.

This year's Anglophone conference was dedicated to building a spiritual and theological approach to child protection.

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a psychologist and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, said a theological approach is crucial, even though some might think "that's wasted time, we should act".

However, such a reflection can help with prevention, discipline and healing, speakers said.

Fr Corkery said he looked at Church teaching on salvation because the fact that "we are saved by Christ from our sins" does not resonate well with survivors because "they have been sinned against".

"Sin is not a category that is good for them to begin with. In fact, it could make them feel worse because they think the perpetrator has been forgiven," he said.

People who are abused by someone in the Church may no longer feel "saved, but distinctly unsaved", the priest said.

"They also lose their sense of the Church as a face of consolation, security, warmth."

Fr Corkery said survivors could find greater healing from a complementary view of salvation that emphasises not just the sin people are saved "from", but that Jesus also saved people "for" something greater: "a flourishing life, health, restoration, wholeness."

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• Image: The Occult

Launched by the Christian-Muslim Forum, the guidelines are based on the advice of people of both faiths with many years' experience in working pastorally with mixed-faith couples.

They urge ministers of religion to be welcoming of interreligious couples, and to give them the care they need at such an important time in their lives. They stress that great respect is needed for the religious freedom of each partner, and of their families.

Auxiliary Bishop Paul Hendricks of the Catholic diocese of Southwark, and co-chair of the forum, welcomed the new guidelines, called When Two Faiths Meet.

"With an increasing number of Christian-Muslim couples entering into marriage, we also need an increased awareness of the particular pastoral support that is owed to them, which can help them and their loved ones discover their marriage as a place of dialogue, and a beneficial link between two religions," he said.

Among the principles spelt out in the guidelines are: No forced conversion; no violence; prioritise welfare of children and encourage family relationships; and keep the full ethical context of both partners in mind when dealing with an inter-faith couple.

The forum encourages Christian and Muslim scholars to revisit their theology and contextualise how each faith deals with spouses or children of other faiths.

It also asks both faith communities to create safe spaces in their congregations, share common values, and invite other faiths to observe, or share, in religious ceremonies, as appropriate.

A survey of eight Catholic dioceses in England and Wales indicated that 16 per cent of Catholics who married in 2010 did so with someone from a non-Christian religion.

Sources:

Independent Catholic News

Christian-Muslim Forum

Image: IslamicAnswers