The Spanish Bishops Conference has published a doctrinal note criticising the practice of so-called “intergenerational healing” or “healing of the family tree”. Source: National Catholic Register.
The doctrinal note was published in response to these practices “in some Spanish dioceses, especially in the area of prayers and retreats organised by new religious movements of a charismatic nature”.
After receiving reports from various experts “in the fields of dogmatic theology, spiritual theology and psychology,” the conference’s Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared the text that was approved for publication.
The doctrinal note identifies as originators of these practices Anglican missionary Kenneth McAll, Claretian religious John Hampsch and Catholic priest Robert DeGrandis of the Society of St Joseph, “who has popularised the practice in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal due to his involvement in it”.
These authors teach “the intergenerational transmission of sin and, correlatively, the possibility of intergenerational healing”.
The way to “cure” physical and mental illnesses resulting from the sins of ancestors consists of “identifying the sin in one’s own family tree” and breaking “the bond of sin” through “intercession, exorcisms and, especially, the celebration of a Eucharist,” which results in a supposed healing, the doctrinal note explains.
In the doctrinal note, the Spanish bishops emphasise some magisterial points to be taken into account on the question of “intergenerational healing.”
They state that “sin is always personal and requires a free decision of the will. The same is true of the punishment for sin. It always involved personal responsibility.”
The Spanish bishops also point out that it’s not possible to “maintain there is an intergenerational transmission of sin without contradicting the Catholic doctrine on Baptism,” the sacrament in which “the forgiveness of all sins occurs.”
The bishops said “we wish to affirm that you can’t be guilty of someone else’s sins you had nothing to do with nor can anyone be held responsible for the sins of previous generations, but that each person is responsible for his own life and his own sins”.
FULL STORY
‘Intergenerational Healing’ Has No Basis in Catholic Doctrine, Spanish Bishops Affirm (National Catholic Register)
