Pope allows schismatic society to celebrate marriages

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Pope allows schismatic society to celebrate marriages

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Apr. 4, 2017 8:52 AM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has taken another step to bring a breakaway traditionalist society back under the Vatican's wing by decreeing that its priests can celebrate marriages that will be recognized by Rome.

The measure announced Tuesday follows the pope's decision in 2015 to allow priests of the schismatic Society of St. Pius X to validly hear confessions.

The permissions come amid continuing negotiations to regularize the status of the Swiss-based society, which split from the Vatican over the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

The Vatican letter to bishops' conferences outlining how to implement the change says the society remains "irregular," but only "for the time being."

For months, news reports have suggested that a deal is near to give the society the same legal status in the church as another Catholic movement, Opus Dei. The "personal prelature" functions as if it were a diocese unto itself.

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Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/d4653795d5164f6e9791254a07805fcd/pope-allows-schismatic-society-celebrate-marriages

[Lordquinton]

1. Some issues

Francis is no friend of Catholic traditionalists, and many commentators have noted the irony of a possible deal being reached during his pontificate rather than Benedict's. But Francis is less a doctrinal purist than Benedict and has sought to make his church as inclusive as possible, bringing back excluded Catholics from all margins

Francis is very conservative and traditional, and his views follow cleanly with Benedict. He is no different than his predecessors, just has better spin.