Historic Rome Conference Issues "Final Declaration" of Immutable Catholic Truths

By David Martin —— Bio and Archives April 9, 2018

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On April 7, 2018, a historic conference was held in Rome to address the debacle of error and confusion that has plagued the Church since the election of Pope Francis. The hot-button issue of course has been the Vatican’s sanctioning of adultery by sometimes allowing divorced and civilly “remarried” Catholics to receive Holy Communion, something that Francis himself promulgated as “authentic magisterium” on June 5, 2017 through the Vatican's Acta Apostolicae Sedis. In refutation of this and other related errors that have been advanced in the name of the Church's Magisterium, the conference issued a Final Declaration in the name of its participants, wherein the authors restated, in six points, the Church’s immutable teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, adultery, absolute moral norms, subjective judgment of “conscience,” the need for contrition to receive valid sacramental absolution, and the fact that “remarried” divorcees living in adultery may not receive Holy Communion.

The Final Declaration is significant in that it has been publicized in the supportive presence of the four main remaining prelates who have publicly voiced their Catholic resistance to the various errors being spread by Pope Francis, namely: Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Cardinal Joseph Zen, and Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Presented at the conference was a brief video message of the late Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, founding president of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Marriage and Family, who inspired the conference and to whom Sr. Lucy of Fatima revealed in 1982: “The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family.” Without further ado, the Final Declaration of the conference is presented here in its totality.

Therefore we testify and confess…”

Final declaration of the conference “Catholic Church, where are you going?” Rome, April 7, 2018 Due to contradictory interpretations of the Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris laetitia,” discontent and confusion are spreading among the faithful throughout the world. The urgent request for a clarification submitted to the Holy Father by approximately one million faithful, more than 250 scholars and several cardinals, has received no response. Amidst the grave danger to the faith and unity of the Church that has arisen, we baptized and confirmed members of the People of God are called to reaffirm our Catholic faith.

The Second Vatican Council authorizes us and encourages us to do so, stating in “Lumen Gentium,” n. 33: “Thus every layman, in virtue of the very gifts bestowed upon him, is at the same time a witness and a living instrument of the mission of the Church itself ‘according to the measure of Christ’s bestowal’ (Eph. 4:7).” Blessed John Henry Newman also encourages us to do so. In his prophetic essay “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine” (1859), he spoke of the importance of the laity bearing witness to the faith. Therefore, in accordance with the authentic tradition of the Church, we testify and confess that:

1. A ratified and consummated marriage between two baptized persons can be dissolved only by death.
2. Therefore, Christians united by a valid marriage who join themselves to another person while their spouse is still alive commit the grave sin of adultery.
3. We are convinced that this is an absolute moral commandment which obliges always and without exception.
4. We are also convinced that no subjective judgment of conscience can make an intrinsically evil act good and licit.
5. We are convinced that judgment about the possibility of administering sacramental absolution is not based on the imputability of the sin committed, but on the penitent’s intention to abandon a way of life that is contrary to the divine commandments.
6. We are convinced that persons who are divorced and civilly remarried, and who are unwilling to live in continence, are living in a situation that is objectively contrary to the law of God, and therefore cannot receive Eucharistic Communion.

Our Lord Jesus Christ says: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8: 31-32). With this confidence we confess our faith before the supreme pastor and teacher of the Church together with the bishops, and we ask them to confirm us in the faith. Related: Final declaration of Rome Conference on Confusion in the Church