Removed from the Catholic Church for holding a ceremony in which homosexual couples were present, Father Ivanildo de Assis Mendes Tavares won the support of the faithful, who, through a petition, ask that the decision be revoked. According to the Archdiocese of São Paulo, the withdrawal of the “use of Order” (authorization to exercise the priestly ministry) is precautionary and can be changed after the facts are clarified.
The undersigned, represented by five communities, including Comunidade São José Operário – Favela de Vila Prudente, on the outskirts of the east zone of São Paulo, which already has more than 2,400 participants, mentions the sadness and indignation with the removal of Father Assis Tavares for the accusation of having “blessed people”. Look here the document.
Father Assis Tavares, as he is popularly known, was born in Cape Verde, Africa. Based in Brazil since 2012, he began, the following year, pastoral work in the region, where he helps many needy people, according to the communities.
In a decision signed by Cardinal D. Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo, the religious was removed for having participated in a community wedding held on October 22 at the Carlos Vicente Ferreira Sports Gym, located in Jardim Cruzeiro, in Franco da Rocha, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, which also brought together representatives of other religions.
According to the Franco da Rocha City Hall, during the 15th edition of the Community Marriage, organized by the municipality, the iyálorisá Tania ti Oyá, pastor Sérgio Cunha and kardecist José Lúcio Arantes also made their pronouncements. At least three gay couples attended the ceremony.
In a note, the Archdiocese of São Paulo states that this is not a “punishment”, but rather a precautionary measure, provided for in the norms of the Catholic Church, when there is a serious irregularity, from a religious point of view, that needs to be better clarified.
Also according to the institution, what led to the measure was the possible canonical crime of “simulation of sacrament” of marriage by participating in a community civil marriage ceremony.
“There was no due referral for the celebration of the aforementioned unions, nor was the regular ‘marriage process’ carried out beforehand, as prescribed by ecclesiastical norms, to verify the conditions for the valid and licit realization of marriages, from a religious point of view. And the priest could not celebrate marriages, even if they were ‘regular’, without the proper authorization of the bishop or the local parish priest. He could not even validly celebrate together with ministers of other religions, without the proper dispensation to do so, ”the archdiocese reported.
“It is worth mentioning that the fact that occurred did not consist only of a blessing given to people individually, which certainly cannot be denied to anyone who asks for it. What actually happened was a blessing to the civil unions held there. The people present wanted to get married and not just receive a blessing. The Church considers marriage as one of her sacraments and does not allow simple blessings to be given that could lead couples to believe they have contracted Catholic marriage,” added the archdiocese.
Wanted, Father Assis Tavares was not located. According to the community, he traveled to Cape Verde.
See the undersigned in full:
For the right of Padre Assis to Celebrate with the People – Dom Odilo revokes his decision
Open letter
“Between law and love, we choose love!”
It is with great sadness, frustration and indignation that the communities of the São José Operário Pastoral Area – Episcopal Region of Belém come, through this Open Letter, to express their total and unrestricted support for Father Assis Tavares in the face of the decision of Cardinal Dom Odilo Pedro Scherer of the Archdiocese of São Paulo to forbid him from celebrating sacraments and exercising his priestly functions in the Archdiocese of São Paulo, given the fact that he was accused of having “blessed people”.
The fact is that the presence of Father Assis is uncomfortable, his smile, his option for the poor is uncomfortable, the color of his skin is uncomfortable, his hair is uncomfortable. Since his arrival at the São José Operário Pastoral Area, in the slums of Vila Prudente, walking among the people, among the alleys and alleys, his choice is very clear, and for us, he is a brother who, since he was young, left the Cape Verde Islands and assumed its mission to be a presence among the oppressed people, but this comes at a cost. We are witnesses of how faithful Father Assis is to the Gospel, that fidelity that has the Cross as its prize.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven – Mt 5:10
In view of the above, the people of the São José Operário Pastoral Area, in the Favelas, express our request in this letter to “review the decision” that penalizes not only Father Assis, but all the people who walk with him between the alleys and alleyways trying to testify that the perspective of the Kingdom of God is a space of Mercy and not of punishment and that blessing people is a sign of God’s love.
Sign this letter:
São José Operário Community – Vila Prudente Favela, Nossa Senhora Aparecida Community – Jacaraipe Favela, San Francisco de Assis Community – Ilha das Cobras Favela, Nossa Senhora das Graças Community – Haiti Favela and Santa Terezinha do Menino Jesus Community – Sabesp Favela.
See the full note from the Archdiocese of São Paulo:
“The Archdiocese of São Paulo informs that, unfortunately, Father Ivanildo de Assis Mendes Tavares, a missionary of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritanos), active in the Archdiocese of São Paulo, had his “use of orders” (authorization to exercise the ministry sacerdotal) revoked in this Archdiocese. It is not a “punishment”, but rather a precautionary measure, provided for in Church norms, when there is a serious irregularity, from a religious point of view, that needs to be better clarified.
What caused the measure was the possible canonical crime of “simulation of the sacrament” of Matrimony, since there was no proper referral for the celebration of the aforementioned unions, nor was the regular “marriage process” for the verification of the conditions for the valid and licit realization of marriages, from the religious point of view. And the priest could not celebrate marriages, even if they were “regular”, without the proper authorization of the local bishop or parish priest. Nor could he validly celebrate together with ministers of other religions, without the proper “dispensation” for doing so. It was, therefore, an entirely irregular participation, from the point of view of the norms of the Catholic Church, for a wedding celebration.
It is noteworthy that the fact that occurred did not consist only of a blessing given to people individually, which certainly cannot be denied to anyone who asks for it. What actually happened was a blessing to the civil unions held there. The people present wanted to get married and not just receive a blessing. The Church has Matrimony as one of its sacraments and does not allow “simple blessings” to be given that could lead couples to believe they have contracted Catholic Matrimony.
The Catholic communities of Vila Prudente will continue to be assisted pastorally and the “withdrawal of the use of the Order” to the aforementioned Priest in the Archdiocese of São Paulo, as already mentioned, is precautionary, and may be changed, after the facts and their consequences are clarified and depending on the priest’s acceptance of observing the norms of the Church.
The Archdiocese of São Paulo regrets what happened and reinforces that the measures taken aim to protect the sacredness of the Sacrament of Matrimony which, as Pope Francis emphasizes, “is not a social convention, an empty rite or the mere external sign of a commitment” , but rather “a gift for the sanctification and salvation of the spouses”, a sign of the indissoluble union of Christ with the Church. (cf. Amoris Laetitia, 72)”.
Source: CNN Brasil
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