"German bishops discuss intercommunion of Lutheran, Catholic spouses"

cruxnow.com

"MUNICH, Germany - Cardinal Reinhard Marx has announced that the German bishops’ conference will publish a pastoral handout for married couples that allows Protestant spouses of Catholics 'in individual cases' and 'under certain conditions' to receive Holy Communion, provided they 'affirm the Catholic faith in the Eucharist.'

According to the press report of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, the handout is primarily aimed at pastoral workers and is to be understood as a tool for pastoral situations, 'to consider the concrete situation and come to a responsible decision about the possibility of the non-Catholic partner to receive Communion.'

The announcement was made 'after intensive debate' at the conclusion of the general assembly of the German bishops’ conference, which was held Feb. 19 - 22 in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt, and attended by 62 members of the bishops’ conference under the leadership of conference chairman Marx.

The press release declares that its premise is that 'in individual cases, the spiritual hunger for receiving Communion together in interdenominational marriages can be so strong that it could jeopardize the marriage and the faith of the spouse.' The statement goes on to say that this applies all the more to spouses who 'already want to live out their marriage very consciously' as a Christian couple...

The handout is expected to be published in a few weeks’ time.

The Code of Canon Law states that in the danger of death or if 'some other grave necessity urges it,' Catholic ministers licitly administer penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick to Protestants '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.'"