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A few days ago the bishop of Antwerp, Mons. Johan Bonny, made statements totally incompatible with the moral doctrine of the Church regarding marriage and sexual life. Among other niceties, he said: «We must seek within the Church a formal recognition of the relationship that is also present in numerous bisexual and homosexual couples . Just as there is a diversity of legal frameworks for couples in society, there should also be a diversity of forms of recognition within the Church. There was no immediate reaction from the Holy See. Nothing. But in addition to the Holy See, there are more than 5,100 bishops in the world . And as far as we know, no one has publicly stated that the statements of the Bishop of Antwerp were a set of serious errors contrary to Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium.
They have been young people from an association of Catholic students , founded in 1902 - and in 1973 in Antwerp -, who have said what everyone who has a minimum of love for the Catholic faith thinks and can say about those statements, adhering to what The Second Vatican Council teaches both bishops and laity : Each of the Bishops who is placed at the head of a particular Church exercises his pastoral power over the Job Function Email List portion of the People of God entrusted to him, not over the other Churches nor over the universal Church. But as members of the Episcopal College and as legitimate successors of the Apostles, each and every one, by virtue of the institution and precept of Christ, are obliged to have for the universal Church that request which, although not exercised by an act of jurisdiction , contributes, however, greatly to the development of the universal Church.
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Therefore, all Bishops must promote and defend the unity of faith and the common discipline of the entire Church... (Lumen Gentium, 23). And also: The laity , like all Christian faithful, have the right to receive abundantly from the sacred Pastors the help of the spiritual goods of the Church, in particular the word of God and the sacraments. And express your needs and desires to them with that freedom and confidence that befits the children of God and the brothers in Christ . According to the science, the competence and the prestige they possess, they have the power, indeed, sometimes the duty, to express their opinion on matters concerning the good of the Church... (Lumen Gentium 37) No need to add more.
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