on 31 december 2017, three bishops of kazakhstan, including bishop athanasius schneider, issued a "profession of immutable truths about sacramental marriage". the profession states that some pastoral guidelines issued by bishops that allow the divorced and civilly remarried to receive the sacraments of penance and holy communion have caused confusion among the catholic faithful and clergy. the profession states: "an approval or legitimation of the violation of the sacredness of the marriage bond, even indirectly through the mentioned new sacramental discipline, seriously contradicts god's express will and his commandment". one month after its release, seven other bishops, including cardinal janis pujats and archbishops carlo maria viganò and luigi negri, had added their names to the profession.