Vatican says single mothers should seek sacraments
December 14, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: Unwed mothers “should be encouraged to access the saving and consoling power of the sacraments,” the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) said in a letter approved by Pope Francis and made public on December 14.
The DDF urges pastors to encourage single mothers to approach the sacraments, and remind the faithful that “sacramental confession of sins allows the person to approach communion.” The statement continues: “The ecclesial community should, furthermore, value the fact that single mothers welcomed and defended the gift of life they carried in their wombs and struggle, every day, to raise their children.”
The letter denounces priests who discourage single mothers from participating in the life of the Church. It quotes from a homily delivered by the future Pope Francis in 2012, when he said of priests who refused to baptize the children of such women: “They are the hypocrites of today. They have clericalized the Church.”
The letter, signed by Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the DDF, came in response to a dubium submitted by Bishop Ramon de la Cruz Baldera of San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic.
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Posted by: feedback -
Dec. 15, 2023 1:55 AM ET USA
This is rather strange case of reinventing the wheel. The Church has never prohibited any Catholic in the State of Grace, including unwed mothers, to receive the Eucharist. However, there is an ongoing scandal and a sacrilege when bishops openly admit to Holy Communion politicians who claim to be Catholic but promote abortions.
