US Bishops Reiterate Health Care Reform Concerns

Send 2 Letters Urging Respect for Life; Consideration of Immigrants

WASHINGTON, D.C., DEC. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org).- As the Senate is debating a massive health care reform bill this week, the U.S. episcopal conference sent two letters to lawmakers urging them to respect life, make health care affordable for everyone, and give immigrants access to basic care.

In a letter sent Monday, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the conference's Committee on Pro-Life Activities, noted that "the Catholic bishops of the United States strongly support authentic reform of our ailing health care system -- reform that will respect the life, health, and consciences of everyone."

The cardinal recalled that the episcopal conference has offered "three moral criteria for reform: respect for life and conscience; affordability for the poor; and access to muchneeded basic health care for immigrants."

"Thus far the Senate reform bill, in our view, has fallen short," he added.

Cardinal DiNardo stated that a major problem with the current Senate bill is that "it explicitly authorizes the use of federal funds to subsidize health plans covering elective abortions for the first time in history."

The letter notes that current U.S. law -- under the Hyde Amendment -- prohibits the use of federal funds for health coverage that includes elective abortion, and it also protects conscience rights for health care workers.

Last week, the Senate tabled the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment proposed by senators Ben Nelson, Orrin Hatch and Robert Casey, which would have upheld current federal law.

"Health care reform is too urgently needed to be placed at risk by one lobbying group's insistence on changing the law," Cardinal DiNardo stated. "Before the Senate considers final votes on its health care reform legislation, please incorporate into this bill the longstanding and widely supported policies of current law. [...] Please give the American people health care reform that respects the life, health and consciences of all."

Immigrants

Another letter, also sent Monday, expressed "strong" support in favor of the Menendez Amendment, which would allow states to lift the current obligatory five-year waiting period for legal immigrants to obtain Medicaid coverage.

The letter was signed by Cardinal DiNardo; Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chair of the bishops' Committee on Migration; and Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, chair of the Domestic Policy Committee.

"Legal immigrants, who work, pay taxes, and are on a path to citizenship, should have access to health care services, such as Medicaid, for which they help pay," the bishops stated. "Moreover, providing low-income legal immigrants access to Medicaid would help ensure that the general public health of immigrant communities and the nation is served."

The letter continued: "Although the legislation provides subsidies to low-income legal immigrants to purchase health care, it does not guarantee that they will be able to afford such coverage.

"Families living in or near poverty, regardless of their legal status, may have difficulty affording co-payments, prescription drugs, deductibles or additional treatments not provided for in insurance plans. As a result, some families may have to choose between health care coverage and food and shelter for their families.

"For many, Medicaid is their best option for accessing health care."

Pope Modifies Canon Law on Marriage, Deacons

Clause Removed on Formal Renunciation of Church

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has made two changes in canon law, regarding marriage for those who have formally renounced the Church, and clarifying the ministry of deacons.

The changes came in a statement issued "motu proprio" (on his own initiative), called "Omnium in mentem" (In the Mind of All). The document is dated Oct. 26 but was released today. Preparation of the statement began during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and required lengthy consultations with episcopal conferences around the world.

The document published today contains five articles modifying Canons 1008, 1009, 1086, 1117 and 1124. According to an explanatory note by Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, these variations "concern two separate questions: adapting the text of the canons that define the ministerial function of deacons to the relative text in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1581), and suppressing a subordinate clause in three canons concerning marriage, which experience has shown to be inappropriate."

Deacons

The variation to the text of Canon 1008 will now limit itself to affirming that "those who receive the sacrament of orders are destined to serve the People of God with a new and specific title," he explained.

Canon 1009 "will be given an additional third paragraph in which it is specified that the minister constituted into the order of the episcopate or the priesthood receives the mission and power to act in the person of Christ the Head, while deacons receive the faculty to serve the People of God in the diaconates of the liturgy, of the Word and of charity," the archbishop's note added.

Marriage

Archbishop Coccopalmerio's statement then goes on to explain that the other changes concern the elimination of the clause "actus formalis defectionis ab Ecclesia Catholica" contained in Canons 1086, 1117 and 1124. This clause, he said, "was held to be unnecessary and inappropriate."

With that clause, those who had formally abandoned the Church were "not obliged to follow the canonical form of celebration for the validity of marriage (canon 1117), nor were they bound by the impediment concerning marriage to the non- baptized (canon 1086 para. 1), nor did they suffer the prohibition on marrying non-Catholic Christians (canon 1124)," the statement explained.

This exception was designed to protect the validity of marriages by Catholics who did not consider themselves Catholics and who thus were not seeking the necessary permissions for their particular situations. However, the archbishop said, in practice it was causing confusion and abuse.

"Omnium in mentem" removes that exception, such that "in order to regularize any unions that may have been made in the non-observance of these rules it will be necessary to have recourse, if possible, to the ordinary means canon law offers for such cases: dispensation from the impediment, sanation, etc.," the archbishop explained.

Comment:

The story is told that Francis and Brother Leo, his secretary, were once on a journey and Francis volunteered to tell Leo what perfect joy is. Francis began by saying what it was not: news that the kings of France, England, as well as all the world’s bishops and many university professors had decided to become friars, news that the friars had received the gift of tongues and miracles, or news that the friars had converted all the non-Christians in the world. No, perfect joy for them would be to arrive cold and hungry at St. Mary of the Angels, Francis’ headquarters outside Assisi, and be mistaken by the porter for thieves and beaten by the same porter and driven back into the cold and rain. Francis said that if, for the love of God, he and Leo could endure such treatment without losing their patience and charity, that would be perfect joy (cited in Regis Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., and Ignatius Brady, O.F.M., Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, pages 165-166).

Honoratus worked very zealously to serve the Church, partly by establishing a great variety of religious congregations adapted to the special circumstances of Poland in those years. He could have retreated into bitterness and self-pity when the direction of those congregations was taken away from him; that was certainly a “perfect joy” experience. He urged the members of these groups to obey willingly and gladly, placing their gifts at the service of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Quote:

When the Church removed Honoratus from the direction of his religious congregations and changed their character, he wrote: “Christ’s Vicar himself has revealed God’s will to us, and I carry out this order with greatest faith.... Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that you are being given the opportunity to show heroic obedience to the holy Church.”

Confession of sins in the Sacrament of Penance

I would like to say three words to the soul that is determined to strive for sanctity and to derive fruit; that is to say, benefit from confession.

First word - complete sincerity and openness. Even the holiest and wisest confessor cannot forcibly pour into the soul what he desires if it is not sincere and open. An insincere , secretive soul risks great dangers in the spiritual life, and even the Lord Jesus Himself does not give Himself to such a soul on a higher level, because He knows it would derive no benefit from these special graces.

Second word - humility. A soul does not benefit as it should from the sacrament of confession if it is not humble. Pride keeps it in darkness. The soul neither knows how, nor is willing, to probe ..the depths of its own misery. It puts on a mask and avoids everything that might bring it recovery.

Third word - obedience. A disobedient soul will win no victory, even if the Lord Jesus himself, in person, were to hear its confession (113)

(During a time of illness) Suddenly I felt sick, I gasped for breath, there was darkness before my eyes, my limbs grew numb - and there was a terrible suffocation. Even a moment of such suffocation is extremely long...There also comes a strange fear, in spite of trust. I wanted to receive the last sacraments, but it was extremely difficult to make a confession even though I desired to do so. ...Oh, may God keep every soul from delaying confession until the last hour! I understand the great power of the priest's words when they are poured out upon a sick person's soul. When I asked my spiritual father whether I was ready to stand before the Lord and whether I could be at peace, I received the reply, "You can be completely at peace, not only right now but after each weekly confession." Great is the divine grace that accompanies these words of the priest. The soul feels power and courage for battle. (321)

Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one's misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God's mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late. (1448)

I feel much better today. I was glad I would be able to meditate more during the Holy Hour. Then I heard a voice: You will not be in good health. Do not put off the Sacrament of Penance, because this displeases Me. Pay little attention to the murmurs of those around you. [Sr. Faustina then recounts her unexpected suffering which occurred soon after]. I now understand the Lord's warning. I decided to call any priest at all, the next day, and to open the secrets of my soul to him....for while I was praying for sinners and offering all my sufferings for them, the Evil spirit could not stand that. (1464)

Today the Lord said to me, Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls. (1602)

My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyse what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light. (1725)

US Bishops Reiterate Health Care Reform Concerns

Pope Modifies Canon Law on Marriage, Deacons

Explanation of the Ten Rules of Life

3. I will hold firmly to one secret: prayer