from SPUC

JOHN SMEATON, SPUC DIRECTOR

Friday, 3 October 2014

Cardinal Pell: A change in Catholic discipline on marriage would be sociologically disastrous

Cardinal Pell (right)

I  am currently attending a press conference in Vatican City featuring His Eminence Cardinal Pell (pictured). It's the launch of a book, to which the cardinal has written the preface, entitled The Gospel of the Family, which takes issue with Cardinal Kasper on the reception of Communion by divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.

“Doctrine and pastoral practice cannot be contradictory,” writes His Eminence.

In his address to this afternoon's press conference, Cardinal Pell posed the question: "Was Catholic resistance to Henry VIII all for naught?"

I am here with the Voice of the Family team, founded by SPUC, to support bishops at the Extraordinary Synod as they seek to defend marriage, parents as the primary educators of their children, and Catholic teaching on contraception. Contraception, involving the separation of the unitive and procreative dimensions of the sexual act, has been the catalyst and major source of the culture of death.

In this connection, His Eminence referred to the landmark academic work of Mary Eberstadt, on which I have previously blogged.

He said: "A change in Catholic discipline on marriage would be disastrous".

Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk