Holy Father Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia last year was a time of great joy, not only for the archdiocese but also for our country. I love and admire the pope for his enthusiasm and energy. As a lifelong Catholic and a member of St. Ephrem's parish here in Bensalem, and someone who raised four children in the church community, I would like to very respectfully suggest some changes in direction the Catholic Church may wish to consider. I realize these may be controversial and leave myself open for criticism, but I feel very strongly about having the dialogue, especially in light of the archdiocese's recent set of pastoral guidelines and interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, the "joy of love," a major document on family that was issued by Pope Francis.
First, remove the ban on artificial birth control, considered a mortal sin by the Church. My guess is that 90 percent-plus of Catholics in America do not employ natural family planning anyway. This change would be especially helpful for Catholics who live in countries around the world in poverty and poor economic conditions.
I would like to add that I believe strongly the Church should remain firm in its stance against abortion. Our faith tells us there is a human life present at the moment of conception that must be protected.
Our priests need help. Allow married men to become priests. We might be able to begin with permitting consecrated deacons, who choose so, to continue their studies for a short period of time and be able to perform all the duties of the priesthood. I envision the married priests assisting in the parishes on mostly a part-time basis but not being allowed to rise in the hierarchy, e.g., become monsignors, bishops, etc. Married priests, because of their life experiences of raising a family, should bring a new energy to the Church, the faithful and homilies on Sunday.
Next, allow Catholics a much easier, streamlined process for obtaining an annulment — one in which they can get their marriage annulled within the Church and continue to receive the sacraments. At present, there is an uneven, long, torturous process to have a marriage annulled. It might even be as simple as a testament the married couple could offer that despite their best efforts, they could not make their marriage work, while promising to raise their children to the best of their abilities in the Catholic faith.
We need to find a way to make the Church more welcoming and inclusive to gay Catholics, especially when it comes to receiving the Holy Eucharist. It seems at times as though the Church's policy is based on the belief that gay people have done something wrong. Pope Francis himself has said on this very issue, "Who am I to judge?"
I would also like to see a short penance service during Mass on Sundays. This would allow those attending Mass, who confess their sins during the service, to get absolution and be able to receive Communion. I envision this penance service taking place after the homily or the prayer of petition, where the priest could ask those in church to take a moment and confess their sins in silence, asking God for forgiveness. After a short time of reflection, the priest would offer absolution. I might suggest that the penance service is already present in the Mass: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed."
Finally, in Amoris, Pope Francis very powerfully wrote: "I would also point out that the Eucharist 'is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.'"
We need to find a way to get people back to church, especially our young people. Statistics tell us that only one in five Catholics actually goes to church on a weekly basis. I myself love going to the Masses of the young priest at Our Lady of Grace parish in Penndel. His Masses are alive, warm, friendly, inviting and inspiring. His homilies make you think and want to come back.
We are all only human. We are taught and believe as Catholics that our God is loving, compassionate, kind, merciful and, most importantly, forgiving. It has been said that a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. Our Church and our faith need the room to grow. We should all ask ourselves the question: "Who am I to judge?"
Who am I to judge, indeed!
While DiGirolamo mentions Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia and the Archdiocese's Pastoral Guidelines for Implementing Amoris Laetitia, he evidences minimal understanding of the truths she proclaims about marriage, family, and human sexuality. How sadly ironic that Bishop Egan alumnus DiGirolamo's poorly informed opinion piece appears in the midst of the USCCB's Natural Family Planning Awareness Week and just one day after the anniversary of Humanae Vitae:“The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships….
“husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives.
“The marriage of those who have been baptized is, in addition, invested with the dignity of a sacramental sign of grace, for it represents the union of Christ and His Church….
“each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life….
“If…there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile….
"Responsible men [and women, of course] can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.
“Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law….
“The family is the primary unit in the state; do not tolerate any legislation which would introduce into the family those practices which are opposed to the natural law of God. For there are other ways by which a government can and should solve the population problem—that is to say by enacting laws which will assist families and by educating the people wisely so that the moral law and the freedom of the citizens are both safeguarded.”
While DiGirolamo should be praised for his "yea" vote on House Bill 1948, which is backed by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, his name does not appear among the co-sponsors of HB 1623 (The PCC calls for its inclusion n the Fiscal Code.). While the PCC warns that HB 1510 would “run afoul of religious freedom,” DiGirolamo's poor appreciation of truth regarding marriage, family, and human sexuality should absolutely concern us. DiGirolamo voted against the PCC position on HB 162 and did not vote, when the PCC called for opposition to HB 1947.
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