2012-05-09   Letter from Pope

March 18, 2013 - Pope John Paul III - Letter No. 1: "Ten Courageous Decisions"
( c.f. April 8, 2004  Martini says Church should be more democratic)

The time has come for courageous decisions to help the Catholic Church continue its service of the human family. In young Christian countries the Church is in a fairly healthy state. But in older Christian countries the Church is hemorrhaging - losing clergy, religious, lay people...and relevance. As Pope John Paul II said in 2003, Christianity in some older Christian countries is not only not practised, it's in danger of not even being remembered. Christian customs and values are being forgotten, churches are becoming museums. To reverse this trend in older Christian countries, and to prevent it in younger Christian countries, I humbly announce the following measures:

1. I ask bishops and priests to do all in their power to stop the practice of closing or combining parishes and Mass centerss. The people have a right to the Eucharist in their own area. Because there are currently some 100,000 parishes without a priest, and because a huge number of dioceses are heading inexorably towards a priestless future, therefore I authorise the ordination to priesthood of married men, in accordance with St. Paul's words re the appointment of elders (1 Timothy 3,1-7 and Titus 1.5-9). I envisage that many married men could continue their present professions as teachers, doctors etc...and also carry out priestly duties of Masses, baptisms, weddings and funerals

2. I also authorise the re-entry to priestly ministry of the tens of thousands of good men who have left the priesthood and married in recent decades. National Bishops' Conferences are asked to draw up guidelines for the re-entry of "ex-priests" and for the ordination of married men

3. To provide Mass for the people in their own area I encourage the establishing of small basic communities - having Eucharist and fellowship in homes, schools and community centers.....rather than the building of huge and expensive structures that make a sense of belonging difficult. I especially hope that these basic communities will foster weekly Bible study groups that most people will want to belong to. One of the present sad realities is that the vast majority of Catholics rarely if ever open a Bible. Most Catholics are seriously undernourished, as Pope John Paul II often pointed out. I appeal to all Catholics: open the letter that God has written to us. How can we go on having three hours a day for newspapers, magazines, TV, the internet, movies etc, but "no time" to read the most important of all information: our Creator's love letter?

4. After long and serious reflection, and after consultation with all Bishops' Conferences, I now decree that all priests and bishops, both diocesan and religious, now in priestly ministry, are free to marry or continue in the celibate lifestyle. In making this decision, I am painfully aware that for the majority of priests, both diocesan and religious, celibacy has been not so much a free choice as a compulsory condition for priesthood. I hereby acknowledge that the gift of priesthood does not necessarily include the gift of celibacy. What Jesus made optional I do not wish to make compulsory. I am also most painfully aware that many good priests have been involved in damaging relationships with women. I hope that cases of this nature will be drastically reduced in future. I encourage religious congregations to broaden their membership to include married priests and their families.

5. In recent decades many Bishops' Conferences and individuals have discussed the problem of Catholics in irregular marriage situations. Jesus' words should be understood carefully: when he says "no divorce" he is speaking of someone who has walked out on their partner. He is not speaking of someone who has been walked out on. In the same way that Saint Paul made allowance for special cases (I Corinthians 7.12) I also now make allowance for the partner who has been walked out on. With the consent of the local bishop, that walked-out-on party may remarry in the Church. Each Bishop's Conference is to draw up guidelines for this and other complex marriage issues. Marriage cases no longer require Vatican approval. All cases shall be decided by the local Bishop following his Conference's guidelines.

6. I am establishing a special commission to study the Biblical and historical basis for the restoration of the ministry of deaconesses in the Church. I encourage the participation of more women in all Church agencies at all levels

7. I ask all Bishops' Conferences to give more importance to the work of Christian unity. Lack of unity is one of the main reasons why Christian values are often ignored by decision makers in government and in the media. Let us do all we can to make friends with, meet with, pray with and work with Christians of other denominations. I now give Bishops' Conferences the authority to issue guidelines for Inter-Communion in their own countries. I encourage the sharing of Catholic Church facilities with other denominations. In new areas I encourage the building of inter-denominational chapels and churches, as well as inter-denominational schools

8. I wish to put the principle of subsidiarity into practice by giving more responsibility to Bishops' Conferences. From now on Bishops' Conferences are responsible for and do not need Vatican approval for:
a) The appointment of bishops in their own country, to be done after full and public consultation with the clergy, religious and lay representatives of the diocese concerned.
b) The election, every five years, of the president of the Bishops' Conference
c) All liturgical decisions (feast days, texts, translations, songs, prayers, even Eucharistic Prayers)
d) All church laws that are special to their own country
d) All dispensations (priesthood, religious life, marriage)

From now on the official Vatican representative in each country will be the president of each country's Bishops' Conference.
I recognize all countries  that are members of the United Nations. All UN member countries are welcome to have a representative at the Vatican.
I shall not appoint new cardinals. The conclave to elect my successor shall be made up of the presidents of all the Bishops' Conferences together with the president (man or woman) of each country's  National Laity Association. 
I shall appoint an advisory council to help me in the pastoral guidance of the Church - with representatives of various regions, together with experts in the field of Scripture, history, church law, liturgy etc. This advisory council will replace the Roman Curia.

9. From now on, the official language of the Church shall be English, not Latin.
Seminaries are encouraged to continue offering Latin as a subject, but I hope all seminaries and Catholic schools in every country will make the learning of English a normal subject.

10. Last but not least, in fact this item has number one place in my heart, I ask all Catholics to give more time to help the poor people of this world. One in six people of the human family now live in slums. Unless action is taken, that figure will become one in five in a decade or so. I ask every bishop, priest, religious, every man, woman, boy and girl to give time each week to helping the less fortunate members of society. Let every Catholic school arrange for its students and staff regularly to visit old people's homes, poor families, refugees, new arrivals etc.
Let every seminary and higher Catholic institution have a program for students and staff to spend time in poorer parts of the world.
Let every Catholic parish sponsor a team, especially married couples, to work as teachers, nurses, doctors, lay missionaries in a poorer part of the world.
Let us do all in our power to wage war on poverty and injustice. Then we will not need to be so concerned about a war on terrorism. Let's remove the air that terrorism breathes to survive: poverty and injustice.
I call on world leaders to form a new economic union - REFT: R(espect)  E(arth),  F(air) T(rade) - to promote care for the planet and to promote fair trade

I am confident that people who pray and read the Bible each day will put the above 10 measures into practice.

Dear Lord Jesus, please increase the influence of your Holy Spirit in our hearts, that your Church, your Body, may be healthy, united, and committed to serving the poor.
May this century be remembered in history as a time when the human family made giant strides to replace poverty and war with justice and peace

John Paul III