Falsehoods about divorced Catholics

For many individuals, the pain and grief of a divorce is compounded by widely-held falsehoods about divorced Catholics.

“People come to the Catholic Divorce Ministry (CDM) groups looking for the truth about their situations and their relationship with the church,” said Deacon Tom Jennings who coordinates CDM with his wife Carol.

He said there are several myths about divorced Catholics who have not remarried:

• Catholics are automatically excommunicated.

• That they may not serve as sponsors at baptism or confirmation.

• That they may not receive Eucharist or the sacrament of penance.

• That they are not allowed Christian burial in the Catholic Church.

• That they are not allowed to be religious education teachers, lectors or extraordinary ministers.

“It is difficult to believe that in this day and age that anyone would still believe these things,” said Jennings, “but they do. Many suffer needlessly because of such false assumptions.”

“The facilitators of the CDM groups are available to provide the support needed to dispel such myths and to encourage divorced Catholics to participate in the life of the church.”

Jennings said divorced Catholics face challenges as they try to live out their lives as Christ commanded, and he cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church to emphasize the church’s concern for its divorced members:

“Toward Christians who live in (divorce), and who keep the faith and desire to bring up their children in a Christian manner, priests and the whole community must manifest an attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider themselves separate from the Church, in whose whole life they can and must participate as baptized persons” CCC 1651.

To participate in a Catholic Divorce Ministry support group call the Jennings at 856-663-8166 or e-mail cdmofcamdencounty@yahoo.com. More information is available at the North American Conference of Separated and Divorced Catholics at www.nacsdc.org