Discernment, a way of accompaniment

Oct 30, 2015

By Gerard O’Connell
This key word—“discernment”—appears in several paragraphs, three of which (83-84-85) encountered very strong opposition from a group of synod fathers that wanted to totally exclude the possibility that the divorced and remarried could ever be allowed to receive communion.

The first significant appearance of "discernment" comes in Paragraph 51 where the synod states that when "faced with difficult situations and wounded families, 'Pastors must know that, for the sake of truth, they are obliged to exercise careful discernment of situations'"(Familiaris Consortio, n. 84). It asserts that "the degree of responsibility is not the same in all cases, and there are factors that can limit the capacity of decision. Therefore, while the doctrine must be expressed with clarity, judgments must be avoided that do not take into account the complexity of the different situations, and it is necessary to be attentive to the way in which persons live and suffer because of their condition."

The synod returns again to this key word in paragraph 84 when it speaks of “discernment and integration” of the divorced and remarried civilly into the life of the church. This paragraph (approved by 187-72) states:

The baptized that are divorced and civilly remarried must be integrated into the Christian communities in the various possible ways. The logic of integration is the key to their pastoral accompaniment, so that they not only know that they belong to the Body of Christ which is the Church, but that they also can have a joyful and fruitful experience. They are baptized, they are brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit has given them gifts and charisms for the good of all: the Church needs them. Their participation can be expressed in different ecclesial services: it’s necessary, therefore, to overcome the various forms of exclusion that are, at present, practiced in the liturgical, pastoral, educational and institutional fields. They should (not only) not feel themselves excommunicated, but they should feel that they can live and mature as living members of the Church, feel her as a mother who welcomes them always, takes care of them with affection and encourages them in the journey of life and of the Gospel. This integration is necessary also for the care and Christian education of their children, who must be considered as the most important. For the Christian community, to take care of these persons is not a weakening of her own faith and witness about the indissolubility of marriage: instead, the Church shows her charity precisely in this caring.

Again in Paragraph 85 — the most contested paragraph of the whole report (approved 178-80) — the Synod returns to “discernment” in this way:
St John Paul II has offered a criterion for the evaluation of these situations: “Pastors must know that, for the sake of truth, they are obliged to exercise careful discernment of situations. There is, in fact, a difference between those who have sincerely tried to save their first marriage and have been unjustly abandoned, and those who, through their own grave fault, have destroyed a canonically valid marriage. Finally, there are those who have entered into a second union for the sake of the children’s upbringing, and who are sometimes, subjectively certain in conscience, that their previous and irreparably destroyed marriage had never been valid.”

In the view of the synod
It is, therefore, the task of priests to accompany the interested persons on the path of discernment according to the orientations of the bishop. In this process, it will be useful to make an examination of conscience, through moments of reflection and repentance. The divorced and remarried should ask themselves how they have behaved towards their children when the marriage went into crisis; whether there were attempts at reconciliation; what is the situation of the abandoned partner; what consequences has the new relationship have on the rest of the family and the community of the faithful; what examples are offered to young people that have to prepare for marriage. A sincere reflection can reinforce trust in the mercy of God which is never denied to anyone.

Furthermore, the Synod asserts that
one cannot deny that, in some circumstances, “the imputability and the responsibility of an action can be diminished or annulled” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1735) because of the different conditionings. Consequently, the judgment of an objective situation must not lead to a judgment on the “subjective imputability” (Declaration of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, 24 June 2000, 2a). In certain circumstances, persons find great difficulty in acting differently. Therefore, while maintaining a general norm, it is necessary to recognize that the responsibility with respect to certain actions or decisions, is not the same in all cases. Pastoral discernment must address these situations, while taking account of the rightly formed conscience of persons. Also, the consequences of the acts that have been done are not necessarily the same in all situations.

The word “discernment” is present again in Paragraph 86 (approved by 190 -64) where the Synod affirms that
the process of accompaniment and discernment orients these faithful to becoming conscious of their situations before God. The conversation with the priest, in the internal forum, contributes to the formation of a right judgment on that which blocks the possibility of a full participation in the life of the Church and about the steps that can favour it and make it grow. Given that in the law, there is not graduality (See Familiaris Consortio, n. 34), this discernment cannot ever prescind from the demands of truth and charity of the Gospel proposed by the Church. For this to happen, the necessary conditions of humility, confidentiality, love of the Church and her teaching, have to be guaranteed in the sincere search for the will of God, and in the desire to reach a response that is more perfect to that.

Through these three paragraphs (84-95-86), the Synod recommends to the Pope that the path be opened for the integration of the divorced and remarried into the life of the Church. Nowhere does it close the door to the possibility that Catholics who are divorced and remarried may, under certain circumstances, be allowed to receive communion. The Synod has handed this open question, and many others, to the Pope for him to address in a future magisterial document. --America