A two-thirds majority of the German bishops’ conference adopted a proposal in February to allow Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Communion under certain circumstances. ADVERTISEMENTThe bishops’ conference approved it in part as a gesture of ecumenical outreach to Protestants in a country where mixed-faith marriages are common. Seven German bishops wrote the Vatican to request a ruling on whether the guidelines violated Church doctrine. The Vatican initially declined to rule and asked the German bishops to find a unanimous agreement. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German bishops’ conference, said he was surprised by the letter given the Vatican’s previous request for dialogue.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 06, 2018 02:48 UTC