Yet it’s been Novus Ordo Law since 1983…
German “Bishops” cause Outrage by allowing “Holy Communion” for Protestants on Case-by-Case Basis
“Cardinal” Jorge Bergoglio at work distributing the invalid Novus Ordo cookie (video)
There is just never a dull day in Novus Ordo Land. Yesterday, the big story was that, led by the infamous “Cardinal” Reinhard Marx, the German “bishops” had decided to permit the Protestant spouses of “Catholics” to receive the Novus Ordo version of Holy Communion. This permission is to apply only, of course, in “individual cases” and only under “certain circumstances” — just like Bergoglio’s permission to commit adultery — and without “chang[ing] any doctrine”. Naturally! Imagine what havoc would result if the doctrine were actually changed to reflect the practice. Perish the thought!
Journalist Edward Pentin reports as follows:
German bishops have voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of producing a “guide” for Protestant spouses on reception of Holy Communion under certain conditions.
At their spring conference in Ingolstadt, the German bishops’ conference agreed that a Protestant partner of a Catholic can receive the Eucharist after having made a “serious examination” of conscience with a priest or another person with pastoral responsibilities, “affirms the faith of the Catholic Church,” wishes to end “serious spiritual distress,” and has a “longing to satisfy a hunger for the Eucharist.”
(Edward Pentin, “German Bishops Allow Holy Communion for Protestant Spouses in ‘Some Cases’”, National Catholic Register, Feb. 22, 2018)
Some semi-traditionalists and conservative Novus Ordos are shocked at this development. “All hell breaks loose”, the famous blog Rorate Caeli proclaims, interpreting the move as the fruit of the “Francis Effect meet[ing] the German heresiarchy”. “This is definitely one for the chronicle”, writes Tradicat, and GloriaTV points out that “this decision is utterly void and null because the bishops have no right to take it.”
These reactions reveal that apparently these people are not up to speed on the laws of their very own church or choose to ignore them deliberately. Permission for Protestants to receive “Communion” in Novus Ordo churches in individual cases has long been established. It is contained inchoately in the Second Vatican Council and was made explicit (“developed”) in the Modernist Code of Canon Law of “Saint” John Paul II. The official news release mentions this explicitly, and it was also reported by Life Site and Catholic News Agency and is contained in the news report provided by Ed Pentin linked above. Some people either cannot read or pretend that this hasn’t been the official law of their church for roughly 35 years.
Let’s review the facts.
On January 25, 1983, “Pope” John Paul II published the official Novus Ordo Code of Canon Law, which replaced the original Code compiled under Pope St. Pius X and solemnly promulgated by Pope Benedict XV in 1917. The reason for the introduction of a new Code of Canon Law was the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Church law simply needed to be adapted to the new teachings of the council, so a revision of canon law had become necessary. As a result, the new Code is a direct application of the ecumenism and false ecclesiology taught by Vatican II, and it comes with the full putative “authority” of John Paul II.
One of the new laws in the 1983 Code gives permission to some non-Catholics to receive the “sacraments” under certain conditions. This is by no means an “abuse” of Vatican II but actually rooted in the council itself. In its decree on ecumenism, the fateful Modernist synod said:
…[W]orship in common (communicatio in sacris) is not to be considered as a means to be used indiscriminately for the restoration of Christian unity. There are two main principles governing the practice of such common worship: first, the bearing witness to the unity of the Church, and second, the sharing in the means of grace. Witness to the unity of the Church very generally forbids common worship to Christians, but the grace to be had from it sometimes commends this practice. The course to be adopted, with due regard to all the circumstances of time, place, and persons, is to be decided by local episcopal authority, unless otherwise provided for by the Bishops’ Conference according to its statutes, or by the Holy See.
(Vatican II, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 8; underlining added.)
Of course the council here is not very specific, but that’s just the point: It is vague enough to open the door to shared sacraments between “Catholics” and Protestants, and John Paul II was only too happy to oblige early on in his lengthy reign of error.
So, remember this next time someone tells you that Vatican II taught nothing new — oh yes, it did! This idea that non-Catholics can participate in the reception of (what are thought to be) Catholic sacraments, is a direct result of the false ecclesiology of the council, its false new teaching that heretics (i.e. non-Catholics who retain the name of Christian) are in “imperfect communion” with the Catholic Church merely in virtue of a valid baptism, the profession of heresy notwithstanding (this false teaching has been nicknamed “Frankenchurch” or “Patchwork Ecclesiology” and is exposed and refuted here and also here and also in this lively debate).
But let’s finally have a look at just what the Novus Ordo Code of Canon Law says about this. It legislates as follows:
Novus Ordo Canon 844:
3. Catholic ministers administer the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick licitly to members of Eastern Churches which do not have full communion with the Catholic Church if they seek such on their own accord and are properly disposed. This is also valid for members of other Churches which in the judgment of the Apostolic See are in the same condition in regard to the sacraments as these Eastern Churches.
4. If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.
(Antipope John Paul II, Novus Ordo Code of Canon Law [1983], Canon 844.3-4)
In 2003, the same John Paul II reaffirmed this impious and sacrilegious law in an encyclical letter:
While it is never legitimate to concelebrate [the New Mass] in the absence of full communion, the same is not true with respect to the administration of the Eucharist under special circumstances, to individual persons belonging to Churches or Ecclesial Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church.
(Antipope John Paul II, “Encyclical” Ecclesia De Eucharistia, n. 45)
This goes for the Latin church as much as it does for the Eastern Novus Ordo churches, whose Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches, published in 1990 by the same John Paul II, legislates the exact same thing (see Canon 671 §§ 3-4).
But wait, there is more!
In 1993, the Modernist Unholy See published a lengthy documented entitled Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, which is a veritable manual for implementing the ecumenism and ecclesiology of Vatican II. It was approved, confirmed, and ordered to be published by Antipope John Paul II on March 25, 1993. This impious document states:
129. …[I]n certain circumstances, by way of exception, and under certain conditions, access to these sacraments [Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick] may be permitted, or even commended, for Christians of other Churches and ecclesial Communities.
130. In case of danger of death, Catholic ministers may administer these sacraments when the conditions given below (n. 131) are present. In other cases, it is strongly recommended that the diocesan Bishop, taking into account any norms which may have been established for this matter by the Episcopal Conference or by the Synods of Eastern Catholic Churches, establish general norms for judging situations of grave and pressing needand for verifying the conditions mentioned below (n. 131). In accord with Canon Law, these general norms are to be established only after consultation with at least the local competent authority of the other interested Church or ecclesial Community. Catholic ministers will judge individual cases and administer these sacraments only in accord with these established norms, where they exist. Otherwise they will judge according to the norms of this Directory.
131. The conditions under which a Catholic minister may administer the sacraments of the Eucharist, of penance and of the anointing of the sick to a baptized person who may be found in the circumstances given above (n. 130) are that the person be unable to have recourse for the sacrament desired to a minister of his or her own Church or ecclesial Community, ask for the sacrament of his or her own initiative, manifest Catholic faith in this sacrament and be properly disposed.
(Antipope John Paul II via Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, nn. 129-131; underlining added.)
So, let’s get this straight: As long as they’re baptized, non-Catholic Christians can legitimately, according to Novus Ordo law, ask to be given “Holy Communion”, “absolution”, and “Anointing of the Sick” — and then just as legitimately receive the same — without converting to Catholicism, as long as they have a “grave and pressing need”, even outside the danger of death (as in, “I have no intention of becoming a Catholic, but I just need Catholic sacraments”), which is verified and/or judged in part by the “competent authority” of the non-Catholic’s false religion, as long as the non-Catholic is “unable to have recourse” to a false minister of his own heretical sect!
For this reason, “Cardinal” Marx is entirely correct when he says that Canon 844.4 does not require that Protestants become Catholic before they can receive the invalid Novus Ordo wafer. From Pentin’s report:
Cardinal Marx rejected the idea that such a step would amount to a path that would call Protestants to conversion, otherwise known as an “ecumenism of return or conversion.” In other words, he stressed that the document does not mention that Protestants may receive Holy Communion only if they convert. He also said much would be left to the discretion of the local bishop, and consequences he might draw from the guide. He said only the bishop himself may establish new laws in this area.
This is actually true. Marx is simply drawing from and applying the fake Canon Law published by John Paul II. Certainly, he is softening the conditions somewhat, but that’s just accidental to the fundamental point: As long as there is a “sufficient reason”, then Protestants can licitly receive Novus Ordo sacraments, according to Canon 844. Now it’s just a matter of tweaking that “sufficient reason” a bit, and the bogus Canon Law is vague enough to allow for plenty of room — hardly an oversight.
So, for once the German “bishops” aren’t to blame: John Paul II did it. Doubters can find this confirmed also by the hardcore “conservative” Novus Ordo bastion Catholic Answers, who published the following video of their senior apologist Jimmy Akin:
Video: Jimmy Akin explains on Catholic Answers Live that heretics can receive
“Holy Communion” in the Novus Ordo Church in certain circumstances
To give another example: The Novus Ordo diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, explains on its web site under what “special circumstances” it will administer “Holy Communion” to “other Christians”:
Are you shocked? Well then, all we can say is: “Where have you been?” This particular mockery of the sacraments has been around for 35 years!
For those who may still think that there is implied some need on the part of the Protestants to convert to Catholicism first, John Paul II’s Directory explicitly legislates against that idea:
125. Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and the anointing of the sick to members of the Eastern Churches, who ask for these sacraments of their own free will and are properly disposed.
In these particular cases also, due consideration should be given to the discipline of the Eastern Churches for their own faithful and any suggestion of proselytism should be avoided.
(Antipope John Paul II, Directory on Ecumenism, n. 125; underlining added.)
Although this caveat regarding “proselytism” is mentioned only with regard to the Eastern Orthodox, the same principle can and in fact must be applied also to Protestants, since there is no essential difference between these two groups. So “proselytism” rears its ugly head again! You can see that Francis’ condemnation of “sins against ecumenism” is firmly rooted in the tradition of Vatican II and his Novus Ordo predecessors; he’s merely “developed” it!
In a footnote that is supposed to provide cover for the sake of plausible deniability, the Directory indicates that it understands “proselytism” to mean that which was described by Vatican II’s erroneous declaration Dignitatis Humanae as follows: “In spreading religious belief and in introducing religious practices everybody must at all times avoid any action which seems to suggest coercion or dishonest or unworthy persuasion especially when dealing with the uneducated or the poor” (n. 4; cf. Directory on Ecumenism, fn. 41).
We have blogged about the Vatican’s dishonest definition and use of the term “proselytism” elsewhere. For our purposes here, what matters is that the caveat that “any suggestion of proselytism should be avoided” is another definitive proof that any attempt to interpret the Novus Ordo permission for non-Catholics to receive the sacraments in such a way that it would require their conversion to Catholicism beforehand, is illegitimate. Because if that were the case, then “proselytism” wouldn’t be an issue, not even in theory, for we would then be talking about giving the sacraments to new converts, not to non-Catholics who must not be “proselytized”.
In short, John Paul’s Directory on ecumenical norms tells Novus Ordo clergy: Do not even think about making the administration of Novus Ordo sacraments to the Eastern Orthodox dependent on their prior conversion to Catholicism! That would be “coercive”, “dishonest” or “unworthy.”
Of course, the true practice, rooted in dogma, of the real Catholic Church has always been that Catholic sacraments can only be given to, well, Catholics, for the simple reason that only Catholics are members of the Church (by definition!). Therefore, the Novus Ordo law is a direct attack on the authentic Catholic practice of requiring non-Catholics’ conversion to the True Faith before giving them access to the sacraments — which only stands to reason! See for yourself:
Canon 731.2
It is forbidden that the Sacraments of the Church be ministered to heretics and schismatics, even if they ask for them and are in good faith, unless beforehand, rejecting their errors, they are reconciled with the Church.
(Pope Benedict XV, Code of Canon Law [1917], Canon 731.2; underlining added.)
This is the Roman Catholic law. What a stark contrast to that of the Vatican II Sect!
For more in-depth coverage of this issue and to see how the Novus Ordo permission to Protestants to receive some sacraments refutes the Vatican II Sect’s claim to being the Catholic Church, please see our previous, more substantial article on the topic:
You will also derive great profit from the following video we made, demonstrating how this sacrilegious and harmful disciplinary law proves Sedevacantism:
In sum: Giving “Holy Communion” to Protestants is not something the German “bishops” just invented as the latest manifestation of the Francis Effect. No, it has been the official law of the Vatican II Sect since 1983. Laws like this are little time bombs. They may not get noticed much until someone actually starts applying them.
And then indeed all hell breaks loose.
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