Sweden’s Cardinal Arborelius praises liturgical translation reform
December 8, 2017 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
“There are so many different issues and we have to look upon every case as a single, unique case,” said the cardinal. “So it’s very difficult to give general rules.”
“I think if we understand the message of the pope, it means we have to look upon every single case with the eyes of Christ,” he said, asking: ” ‘How would you, Lord, have solved this issue in this case?’
“Of course, we have a lot of help from tradition, from canon law,” said Arborelius. “But it’s a pastoral situation that is also very different and very unique.”
He brought up the work of his canonical tribunals in the context of the demographics of the Catholic Church in Sweden, which includes many converts from other religions and also many Catholic refugees who have been part of the continuing migration from the Middle East into Europe.
In 2015, at the height of the migrant crisis, Swedish authorities said they took in more than 160,000 refugees fleeing from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Arborelius said his tribunals often encounter cases of converts who had been married before becoming Catholic and wish to have clarity about their first, non-Catholic unions, and also cases of refugees who had arranged marriages in their home countries.
“Half the cases in our tribunals come from people from the Middle East, because many marriages there were arranged between families,” he said. “And when they come to Sweden, the position of the woman is totally different.”
“We live in a very, very mixed situation where there are so many different kinds of cases and problems, that it’s very difficult to give general rules,” he said. “We just have to try to help people to sort things out.”
‘Just listening to people is important’
Arborelius also addressed the reaction to a suggestion he had made in a June NCR interview that Francis consider creating a special advisory body of women akin to the College of Cardinals to offer more opportunity for women’s leadership in the church.
The cardinal said he had received some negative feedback to that idea. “Some women were against it,” he said. “They said, ‘We have to be on the same level.’ “
“Some people say it’s good, but some women say we have to be equal with the men, we have to have a mixed group of people, not only women,” said Arborelius. “It’s a question [to be] discussed.”
Asked about an address Francis gave to new bishops from around the world in September, when the pope told the prelates to listen to laypeople and consult with them in how their dioceses should be run, Arborelius responded: “In our countries, it’s quite natural because we live in a very democratic society and you rely a lot upon the help of laypeople.”
“It’s important to listen to … people,” said the cardinal. “And a lot of my time is to speak with all kinds of laypeople.”
“Of course, I cannot satisfy all their wishes, but just listening to people is important, I think,” he said. “Because so many people feel that there is no one who listens to me. You cannot make them all happy, but you can try to find out what is good.”
