LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Marriage tribunals are not above making mistakes

Posted

TO THE EDITOR:

I would like to thank Father Najim for his faithfulness to his oath of fidelity to the teaching authority of the Pope and for not being unfaithful to the Church as some prelates and lay people seem to be recently. It made me consider the follow points after reading his letter:

Point 1: The Catholic Church recognizes a valid marriage, it does not cause one to occur. The couple cause the marriage to occur. Amoris Laetitia section 75

Point 2: The Catholic Church makes mistakes in its recognition of marriage, that’s why it has annulments and Radical Sanation. Amoris Laetitia section 75

Point 3: A Catholic must follow his conscience. CCC 1800 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience.

Point 4: If a Catholic knows their first marriage is invalid due to real impediments, a marriage tribunal can make a mistake in denying an annulment. The person has to follow their conscience and acknowledge that the tribunal is wrong.

Point 5: St. Joan of Arc was executed as a heretic by a tribunal of Catholic Cardinals and canon lawyers. Joan followed her conscience and opposed the decision of the tribunal. She was eventually exonerated by the Pope and declared a saint, but when she was dying she had a Catholic tribunal saying she was a heretic, in a state of mortal sin, and denied Communion. Thank God she followed her conscience and followed the Pope and the Church, and not a tribunal that was wrong.

Bud Hodes

Parishioner, St. Pius X, Westerly