The minority Churches experience inequality in terms of Mixed Marriage

21/3/2010

The worshippers of minority Churches in Poland suffer from inequality in matters of faith in marriages concluded with the followers of the Roman Catholic Church – acknowledged the participants of the debate that took place on March 13th in the VIIIth Gniezno Congress.

The drama of the Christianity breakdown is reflected in the family. One from the marriage goes to Holy Communion in the Roman Catholic Church and the other does not, one kneels to the rosary, the other does not. These are extremely difficult existential problems – admitted Franciscan Father Celestine Napiórkowski, speaking about the situation of mixed marriages.

Referring to the rules of the Code of Canonic Law announced in 1983, the monk said that “Mother Church tries to protect the faith of their children,” and therefore there is a provision that children in mixed marriages “should be baptized and brought up in the Catholic faith.” This Mother Church is extremely harsh for its members, putting them in a very difficult situation when they meet another Christian and want to spend life together – said bishop John Ostryk the Evangelical Methodist Church to father Napiórkowski.

Roman Catholic party must recognize that not only Catholics have obligations to their Church, but also Lutherans. Relationship must be based on equality of partners, otherwise it can be difficult. – added father Janusz Staszczak the Lutheran Church. We are glad when people respect each other and want to be together, even if they have different faiths. We are talking about love, responsibility and the Gospel, but the other party is hiding behind their canon law. It is an absolute clashRoman Lipinski of the Evangelical Reformed Church. – echoed father

Also representing the Orthodox Church, father Aleksander Konachowicz stressed that “we have no intention to force change of confession, and the issue of bringing up children is a choice of both spouses.”

In response to allegations father Napiórkowski mentioned a solution of Catholic Church in Italy, which in the case of mixed marriages of the Catholic Church worshippers with followers of Waldensian leaves freedom of conscience in matter of faith. “The greatest value of marriage is unity, harmony and consensus. – called fiery Franciscan. So you can not ignore the postulate of freedom of conscience. Let us pray for brothers and sisters, that the Holy Spirit all us won

The friar also pointed out that “mixed marriages provide an opportunity to seek common elements in the faith, because it presents the opportunity to experience together the Gospel and Christianity.”

In the period from August 12th to March 14th Gniezno Congress leaders, movements and Catholic organizations, men of science, culture and politics and the clergy of different faiths meet in the topic: “Family – hope of Europe.”

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