A July 6 decree from the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts has supported earlier statements by two other Vatican bodies: the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Divine Worship. The former Congregation, in an October 1994 letter to the world’s bishops, had insisted that—contrary to the suggestions of some theologians and pastors, especially in Western Europe—divorced and remarried Catholics should not be admitted to receive the Eucharist.

In the latest statement, the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts cites #915 of the Code of Canon Law, which stipulates that Catholics “who obstinately persist in grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” Christians who abandon a valid marriage in order to form another union are in effect involved in an adulterous relationship, and thus a grave sin.

The Pontifical Council allows that some divorced and remarried couples, “for serious reasons” such as the welfare of their children, might continue to live together “as brother and sister.” In such cases, they are not involved in grave sin, and may receive the Eucharist. However, the decree cautions that these couples should use discretion, especially if their marital status is well known, so that they do not give rise to scandal.

It is in order to avoid the risk of scandal, the Council continues, that the Church must—”with extreme charity” refuse Communion to those who are divorced and remarried. When that situation arises, the document adds, the pastor should “explain the reasons that constrain him, at an opportune moment.” Those reasons involve the sanctity of marriage; the Church cannot admit divorced and remarried couples to full communion without giving the impression that their marital status is acceptable—and thus that marriage is not a permanent union. While being careful to explain the situation with compassion and sensitivity, the Pontifical Council continues, pastors should also be clear and firm.

If the widespread acceptance of divorce has given rise to a situation in which the public no longer regards remarriage as a scandal, the Pontifical Council argues that this shows a “deformation of consciences.” It is all the more imperative, therefore, for the Church staunchly to uphold her insistence on the integrity of marriage.

The Council says that pastors have the responsibility for determining which parishioners should not be admitted to the Eucharist. The pastors should then give appropriate instructions to all Eucharistic ministers, the text says.

Archbishop Julian Herranz, the president of the Council, later disclosed that the Vatican issued the new statement on the status of Catholics who are divorced and remarried because there is “a great deal of confusion on the subject.”

Archbishop Herranz said the new statement was required because some Catholics had “badly interpreted” Canon 915. Because of the widespread confusion over whether or not that law pertained to divorced and remarried Catholics, the archbishop explained, the Pontifical Council concluded that the proper interpretation of the law should be laid out “in juridical terms, according to our competence.”

The archbishop observed that the confusion over the status of divorced and remarried Catholics included the widespread impression that these people are excommunicated. They are not, he said. He continued: “We must distinguish between those who are outside the Church, because they are excommunicated, and those who—as with those who are divorced and remarried—remain sons of the Church, and are invited to participate at Mass, and to take part in parish activities, even if they cannot receive Communion.” The archbishop said that there are two reasons for the prohibition against Communion for those who are divorced and remarried. The first is the imperative to preserve the integrity of the Eucharist, by excluding those who are in a state of sin. The second is to uphold the Church’s firm teaching that marriage is indissoluble. The Church cannot accept remarriage, he reasoned, without accepting the notion that a first marriage can be dissolved.

“It is not that the Church has no mercy” toward those who are divorced and remarried, Archbishop Herranz declared. Rather, the Church follows the example of Christ, “who pardons the adulterous woman in the Gospel, and tells her, ‘Go and sin no more.’ Christ does not justify adultery, even as he pardons this woman.”

By the same token, the archbishop concluded, the Church cannot justify remarriage for Catholics who are, in the eyes of God and of the Church, already engaged in a Christian marriage to another spouse. Archbishop Herranz cautioned against the belief that “if a majority of people think that the truth does not apply, then that truth no longer exists.” In the end, he said, “A law that comes from God can not be changed.”

“The Gospel must be proposed; it cannot be imposed,” the Pope said in his homily. He said that all Christians should proclaim the Gospel, “with respect for the dignity of peoples, their cultures, and their traditions.”

Because the Holy Spirit helps to prepare people to receive the Gospel message, regardless of their cultural backgrounds, Catholics should maintain “an attitude of openness and dialogue toward those of different religious convictions,” the Pope said. If a Christian is open to the action of the Holy Spirit, he will find ways to make the message of Jesus Christ more accessible to others, he said.

The Holy Father also emphasized the example of living a life of constant witness. “Only the believer who practices what he preaches can expect to obtain a hearing,” he said.

Agca, who is on trial in Turkey for a robbery in 1979 as well as a prison escape the same year following a conviction in the murder of a newspaper editor, said he respects the Pope but urged him to resign. “My dear brother Pope, resign! Resign immediately and go back to Poland. You are a good person but you cannot sit at the head of the Vatican, that rubbish dump of history and the headquarters of the devil,” he said.

Agca promised to devote himself to the end of the Church. “I declare an international cultural struggle against the Vatican,” he said, calling the Church “a betrayal of the Bible, of the Messiah, and of God.”

Earlier, just after he was granted the clemency, Agca told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, “My fondest desire is to see the Pope again. If I can’t go to Italy this year, I will wait for the next, when he comes here.” He also said that when he finishes his prison term, he would like to go to Portugal, to “pray for 40 days and 40 nights” at Fatima.

The Pope had expressed his pleasure with the Italian government’s decision to grant clemency to Agca when it was announced. “The Holy See has received with satisfaction the news about the clemency accorded to Ali Agca by the president of the Italian republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi,” the official Vatican statement said.

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the spokesman for the Holy See, reminded reporters that the Pope had himself forgiven Agca soon after the attack. He said that more recently, “the Pope has communicated to Italian authorities that he would favor an act of clemency, if the rules of Italian law allowed it.” He added that the Pope’s desire “had recently been expressed again.”

“The grant of clemency, during the celebration of the Jubilee, gives the Pope still more intense personal satisfaction,” Navarro-Valls added.

In June 1997, the Holy See wrote to the Italian government, indicating that it would have no objections to a pardon. At that time, the prosecutor in the case argued against any such move. Agca renewed his appeal in February 1999, and asked for the Pope’s intervention on his behalf. Again, the Holy See indicated that it would not object, although the Vatican statement made it clear that the final decision must be made by Italian authorities. Agca reportedly made yet another new appeal in May of this year, shortly after the Pope’s visit to Fatima.

The unprecedented event was held in the Paul VI auditorium at the Vatican. The invited guests were seated at large round tables, where their hosts were such Vatican dignitaries as Cardinals Angelo Sodano, Roger Etchegaray, and Edmund Szoka.

The guests—drawn from a list prepared by the Roman Caritas agency, the Sant’Egidio community, and the Missionaries of Charity—included all different age groups. Some were living in relatively stable situations, while others were homeless and/or refugees. The luncheon was served by Roman seminarians, with music provided by the Legionaries of Christ.

As coffee was served, the Pope rose to compare the meal with the Eucharistic banquet; this material sustenance, he said, was only a shadow of the spiritual benefits conferred through the Eucharist. He then said: “As I look at you, one by one, I think of all the people in Rome, and in the entire world, who are experiencing times of trial and of difficulty. I would like to address each one of you, to tell you that you are not alone, because God loves you.”

The new book, entitled Martyrdom of Patience, includes the personal notes left by Cardinal Casaroli, who died in June 1998. He had been the Vatican Secretary of State from April 1979 to December 1990. But his influence on Vatican foreign policy stretched even longer, since he worked in the Secretariat of State from 1961 through 1990.

The introduction of Cardinal Casaroli’s memoirs produced an impressive roster of dignitaries. The late cardinal’s successor as Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, was on hand for the occasion. Other notables included: Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission; Lamberto Dini, the Italian foreign minister; Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, the prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches (and a longtime collaborate of Cardinal Casaroli’s); Oscar Scalfaro, the former Italian president; and Cardinal Francesco Colasuonno, the former papal nuncio in the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev praised Cardinal Casaroli as “a man of dialogue.” He recalled how he first met the veteran Vatican diplomat in June 1988, shortly after coming to power as head of the Communist Party in Russia. At that time, he said, Cardinal Casaroli conveyed a message from Pope John Paul II, suggesting the opening of direct talks between the Kremlin and the Holy See. It was, the former Soviet leader remarked, the beginning of a critical period of change, in which Cardinal Casaroli and the Vatican were instrumental.

Gorbachev went on to salute the Vatican for its role in the Helsinki Conference, at which Cardinal Casaroli signed the final agreement in August 1975. That conference, with its firm recognition of religious freedom, reflected the contribution of the Holy See, Gorbachev said.

In remarks that were echoed by Prodi, Gorbachev went on to say that the Vatican now is an important player in efforts to integrate the Eastern European countries into the life of the European community.

The Casaroli memoirs, brought out in Italian by the Enaudi publishing house, contain more than 300 pages of recollections by the late cardinal. His notes include details on dozens of the decisions reached by Vatican policy-makers regarding relations with the Soviet empire. The cardinal also included reports on the protests lodged by some Eastern European prelates, such as Cardinals Mindzenty of Hungary and Wyszynski of Poland, who felt that the Vatican was making too many compromises with an adversary.

“Divisions and divergences still unfortunately disfigure the Body of Christ, and prevent Christians of different confessions from partaking in the one Eucharistic bread,” the Pope said. As the Eucharistic Congress invites Catholics to “renew our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament of the altar,” the Holy Father continued, it should also renew the desire to see all Christians share in that banquet.

During the Vespers ceremony, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray—who joined Pope John Paul in leading the opening prayer service, along with Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope’s vicar for Rome—added his own prayer for Christian unity, noting that Christ’s disciples must “purify their memories and recognize their own faults” in order to be ready for unity.

At least 50,000 people, many of them members of ancient lay organizations devoted to Eucharistic adoration, were on hand for the opening of the Eucharistic Congress. They participated in a procession through the streets of Rome prior to the formal opening ceremony. Then, along with the Pope, they knelt in silent homage before the Body of Christ displayed on the altar. At his regular Angelus audience on June 18, the Pope had said that he looked forward to the week of prayer and festivity associated with the Eucharistic Congress. The central focus of that week, however, must be the Eucharist itself, he said. “Here sense and reason lose their power, and it is faith which must sustain man in his confrontation with the mystery,” he said.

In the basilica of St. John Lateran on June 20, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago delivered the first catechetical address of the Congress.

Cardinal George focused his talk on the Eucharistic presence of Christ among men. He delivered his address in Italian, while interpreters provided simultaneous translation into several different languages to assure that most listeners would have no trouble understanding his remarks.

“Nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ, Christians should transform the global society,” the American cardinal said. “It is the Eucharist that gives us the courage to evangelize.”

Cardinal George said that Christians should “give themselves completely,” using their human freedom to consecrate themselves to the service of others. He suggested that an improper understanding of human freedom has contributed to serious ills in today’s world. “The crisis of marriage and of consecrated life in the world is a crisis of freedom,” he said.

Following Cardinal George, Jean Vanier—the founder of the L’Arche community, which is dedicated to serving the handicapped—said that “we must recognize the presence of Christ in the handicapped,” but added that “in order to recognize that presence, we must discover the Eucharist.”

On Wednesday, June 21, the Holy Father devoted his regular weekly public audience to the Eucharist. The Eucharist, the Holy Father said, is “the source of missionary engagement for the Church.” As believers receive the Body and Blood of Christ, he said, they recognize his death and resurrection. Thus, the Pope observed, the celebration of the Mass is “in itself a missionary event.” In fact it is “the most effective missionary act” which the Church can make.

Through the grace that flows from this sacrament, the Pope continued, the Church can discern missionary vocations in young men and women. He invited all Catholics to pray that their celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice would help them to recognize the needs of their communities, and other needier communities, for the help of the Church and the Word of the Gospel.

Finally, the Pope said, the Eucharistic sacrifice is “a permanent school of charity, of justice, and of peace,” which gives the faithful the power to “renew the world in Christ.” Through this sacrifice, Christians have the courage to pursue their mission of transforming the “structures of sin” in society. The Pope pointed to the martyrs as “a clear sign of the power that flows from Christ’s sacrifice,” and “that spiritual energy that leads those who are nourished by the Lord’s Body to offer their own lives for him and for their brothers.”

On June 22, Vietnamese Archbishop Francois-Xavier Van Thuan and French Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger spoke to the hundreds of pilgrims who had gathered in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Archbishop Van Thuan said that he had “celebrated the most beautiful Mass of my life while I was in prison.” The Vietnamese prelate, who was jailed from 1975 to 1988, told how he had celebrated Mass each day in his prison cell, using tiny portions of bread and wine that were smuggled into the jail by his friends. He also related how he had distributed the Eucharist to other prisoners, concealing the consecrated Hosts in cigarette packages.

The archbishop—who is now president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace—said that the power of the Eucharist was evident in the Vietnamese prison. Many prisoners, he said, had not practiced their faith before their prison term. But they became “very fervent, courageous, and joyful” behind bars. “They became true catechists for the other prisoners,” he said, saying that many prisoners were baptized while others returned to active practice of the faith. Cardinal Lustiger, the Archbishop of Paris, said that a culture “nourished by the Eucharistic mystery” can be “a reflection of God’s love.” He observed that Western culture grew up around the Catholic faith, and was oriented toward the Eucharistic sacrifice. For that reason, he said, “the Christian faith made Europe fruitful,” and enabled the continent to develop a rich human civilization respectful of “humanity, beauty, and truth.”

Europe has never been completely faithful to her Christian roots, the French cardinal conceded; nor is Christianity a product of European culture. Nevertheless, he insisted that the best of European civilization can be traced to the faith, and to the concept of life centered on the Eucharist.

An estimated 70,000 people took part in a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Rome on the evening of June 22, as the Vatican celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi, the climactic event of the Congress.

The procession, led by the Pope, spanned the distance between two Roman basilicas, starting at St. John Lateran and ending at St. Mary Major. The Holy Father had concelebrated Mass at St. John Lateran, together with more than 300 bishops and 500 priests from all around the world.

The tradition of a Corpus Christi procession had arisen in Italy during the 14th century, and continued until 1870, when Italian troops entered Rome and forced the Pope to abandon control of the city. In 1979, Pope John Paul II restored the old custom.

During his homily at the Mass in St. John Lateran, the Pope spoke of the Gospel story about Christ’s multiplication of the loaves and fishes. That miracle, he said, “helps us better to understand the mystery of the Eucharist.” The miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes, he explained, points toward “the beginning of a long historic process: the ceaseless multiplication, in the Church, of the Eucharistic bread that brings new life to men of every race and every culture.” At the conclusion of the Mass, the Pope took his place in a truck on which a small altar had been installed for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Father knelt on a prie-dieu before the altar, as the vehicle drove through the city. (Since suffering a broken leg in April 1994, the Pope has been unable to continue his earlier practice of walking the 1.3-mile route.) The thousands of faithful followed on foot, singing hymns and carrying candles—creating a spectacle that became more dramatic as night descended over Rome.

In a June 23 address to the Congress, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna emphasized the importance of sacramental confession as a preparation for the Eucharist.

The Austrian cardinal remarked that unfortunately many Catholics have lost sight of the notion that they should make adequate preparation for the reception of the Eucharist. He continued that “experience shows that if we neglect confession, we run the danger of growing inured to our little errors and sins, and no longer noticing them.”

Cardinal Schoenborn noted the irony of the fact that “a sort of public confession” is quite popular in the mass media. However, he suggested that this sort of “confession” amounts to a form of exhibitionism, and has very little potential for real psychological healing. On the other hand sacramental confession promises real spiritual healing, in that it “not only helps us understand our errors and sins, but heals and transforms us.”

After Mexico City’s Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera delivered the final catechetical talk of this year’s Eucharistic Congress, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Holy Father presided at an evening Mass that ended the celebration. About 10,000 children received their first Holy Communion at the Mass, which was celebrated in St. Peter’s Square.

“We firmly believe that Christ is the sole Savior of the world,” the Pope said in his homily. He went on to say that the Church encourages inter-religious dialogue, mindful of the fact that “man has many different means of religious expression by which he approaches God.” But at the same time, he cautioned, Catholics “are not afraid to say, clearly, that Christ is the sole Redeemer, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our sake, died, and has risen.” At his Angelus audience on Sunday, June 25, the Pope announced that the next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2004.

The 1999 surplus was just over $5 million, after expenditures of $181 million. That spending marked an $18 million increase over the previous year, with much of the new expense coming in media spending associated with the Jubilee. To counter the increase in spending, the Holy See saw a $23 million increase in revenue, with much of that increase attributable to investments which took advantage of the rise of the US dollar relative to the Italian lire.

The activities of the Holy See are divided into four sectors for bookkeeping purposes. The first sector, the Roman Curia, showed a deficit of $23.3 million. The second, the financial department, showed a very healthy positive balance; Archbishop Sebastiani reported that the Vatican’s money managers had “seized the most opportune moments” for investments, and brought in a $45.1 million profit. The third section, which represents the real estate holdings of the Holy See, also generated a profit, at $9.7 million. And the fourth sector, the media operations of the Holy See, ran a deficit of $20.4 million. Finally, $6.1 million was spent on pensions for Vatican employees.

Archbishop Sebastiani noted that the increased costs in the media department reflect an aggressive effort to convey publicity about the Jubilee. The daily circulation of L’Osservatore Romano has been increased substantially, especially in Europe. Vatican Radio has extended its broadcast schedule and formed new arrangements to relay its signal through other radio broadcasters. And the Vatican library has produced several special volumes for the Jubilee.

The annual accounts of the Holy See are presented to the Pope and the special council of cardinals that supervises financial affairs. After that presentation—which was made on June 21—the full figures are conveyed to all of the world’s bishops, and the heads of religious orders. Since 1991, when the Vatican made a special appeal for help from the national episcopal conferences, the world’s wealthier dioceses have been a critically important source of revenue for the Holy See. “Without their contributions, we would still be running a deficit,” Archbishop Sebastiani acknowledged. He said that the episcopal conferences that make the largest contributions to the Holy See are those of Germany and the United States, followed by Italy, Austria, Canada, South Korea, Spain, France, Australia, and Ireland.

The Holy See has adopted the euro as the basis for its accounts beginning with the 2000 fiscal year. Archbishop Sebastiani reported that the process of converting accounts was going smoothly, and the next public account of the budget—in June 2001—will be in euros.

Speaking on July 7 to a group of 800 Catholic physicians who were participating in a conference on “Medicine and Human Rights,” the Holy Father said that doctors should never become accomplices in actions which are “intrinsically immoral,” even if they are legal. Specifically, he said, doctors should not recognize the “so-called right to abortion or to euthanasia.”

“Today, unfortunately, we live in a society dominated by a culture which often favors abortion.” He went on to lament that this culture also sometimes sees euthanasia as “self-liberation from painful situations.” In fact, he said, these are crimes against human nature and human dignity. Euthanasia is more unjustifiable every day, he argued, because of the steady advance in pain-relieving treatments.

In their general practice, the Pontiff continued, physicians should understand that “medical means and technical services are not enough, even if they are carried out with exemplary professionalism.” The doctor’s service to his patients should also include “authentic human contact,” which can convey and encourage “love for life” and thus also encourage “an interior effort which is sometimes decisive in healing.” As the Pope put it, “It is necessary to help the sick individual recover not only his physical health, but also his psychological and moral health.”

Finally, the Pope encouraged Catholic doctors to be mindful of the “silent appeal” made by people living in “unsustainable situations” throughout the world, and especially in impoverished countries. He recommended new efforts to help these people combat epidemic diseases such as malaria, leprosy, and AIDS.

THE VATICAN

Cardinals Roger Etchegaray (the chairman of the Jubilee committee) and Camillo Ruini (the Pope’s vicar for Rome) concelebrated the liturgy. Italian justice minister Piero Fassino was also in the congregation.

Because of the limited space in the hall where the Mass was celebrated, only a relatively small number of prisoners were able to gather around the Pope for the liturgical celebration. (A dozen female prisoners from the nearby Rebbibia jail were among the congregation.) The other inmates followed the ceremony on television screens in their cells, as the ceremony was broadcast all over Italy.

“I come as a witness of God’s love,” the Pope told the prisoners in his homily. “I come to tell you that God loves you, and wants you to advance on the path to rehabilitation and pardon, toward justice and truth.” He told them that Jesus Christ “heals what is sick and repairs what is broken,” and urged them to recognize the importance not only of physical freedom but also of “freedom for the heart.”