Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov 10, 2003 / 22:00 pm
The Bishops of Buenos Aires have offered Catholics whose marriages have been celebrated by a group of fake priests the chance to have their unions regularized by the Church.
The bishops released a statement in which they lamented the fact that many Catholics of good will have been deceived by a group of “pseudo-priests” who have pretended to perform marriage ceremonies in private settings, and they encouraged such Catholics to consult with their local parishes.
“As pastors of the dioceses of the Buenos Aires region, we are deeply saddened by what has occurred and by the suffering endured by those who have been deceived by ‘pseudo-priests’ who fake marriage blessings according to rite of the Catholic Church in private areas, neighborhoods or banquet halls, which in no way were they entitled to do,” the bishops said.
The bishops are offering “the possibility of normalizing their situation by consulting with the nearest Roman Catholic parish in their area, in order to regularize their marriage before God and the Church.”
The bishops added: “All those who acted thus in good faith and who were not a fault for this situation should feel at peace in their conscience, and we exhort them take the necessary action” to resolve this situation.