German communion ruling

Germany – Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has instructed the Archdiocese of Freiburg to withdraw a policy under which it signalled its willingness to offer Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics.

The Communion move was undertaken by diocesan officials shortly after the departure of Archbishop Robert Zollitsch and immediately drew warnings from the Vatican. Now, however, Archbishop Muller has spoken definitively on the issue, stating that continuation of the Freiburg policy would cause confusion among the faithful about the Church’s teaching about the indissolubility of marriage”.