Pope Francis

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/waiting-for-the-decisive-second-half-of-the-synod-on-the-family-78541/

Waiting for the decisive second half of the Synod on the Family

Vatican City, Oct 10, 2014 / 02:54 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Synod of Bishops on Friday entered its decisive second phase, with the formation of small groups which are to come to decisions which will be synthesized into the synod's concluding “relatio.”

The relatio will form the basis for discussion in the 2015 ordinary synod on the family. It will be presented Oct. 13 by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, who is serving as general rapporteur for the Synod of Bishops.

The relatio will give the first response of the synod fathers to some of the event's discussions, including that of admission to Communion for the divorced and remarried.

Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, told CNA Oct. 10 that “the document will include a part on the divorced and remarried, gay couples, and also part of the discussion raised on the possibility of reforming the process of declarations of nullity,” but it will also include “a wider part on the Church’s teaching on the family, and positive examples to live it.”

The text of the document should be a balance between the two “poles” which have emerged in the synod.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod14-press-briefing-oct-11

Synod14: Press Briefing Oct. 11
Vatican City,  October 11, 2014

The extraordinary synod on the family has been listening to orthodox leaders who have been sharing their views on the pastoral challenges to the family, reporters were told Saturday at a Holy See Press Office briefing.

Noting the first week of the synod has concluded, synod press secretaries Father Federico Lombardi and Father Thomas Rosica began by pointing out that today was not a working day for the delegates.

Father Rosica then mentioned three points which struck him in the latest debates. The first was when the Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch discussed the challenges facing their Church: the economic crisis, means and methods of communication and their effects on families, and the instability of war.

The second important point came from the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew. Quoting the patriarch in French, Fr. Rosica underscored his real concern which is "to reach out to young people" and "to avoid too much 'moralizing' or being 'too rigid' where we lose the audience we are speaking to."

The third point, he said, came from the Church of England’s representative who spoke on preparation for marriage.

“Most of the preparation we are speaking about regarding marriage is about adult formation,” but he stressed: “Marriage formation begins as children. It begins with offering to them models.”

Turning to linguistic groups, Father Rosica said, in Group A, that is headed by Cardinal Burke, had "a very interesting dynamic in the group." After the original part of the meeting in which people identified themselves and gave brief biographies, they delved right into the topic, he explained.
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/americans-help-moderate-synod-discussions-87525/

Americans help moderate synod discussions

Vatican City, Oct 11, 2014 / 03:43 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Synod of Bishops has begun breaking into small discussion groups, with Americans Cardinal Raymond Burke and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz serving as two moderators of the first round of discussions.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said that the  bishops in the small groups will provide input drawn “from their pastoral experience.”

The discussions mark a new phase in the extraordinary synod, meeting from Oct. 5-19 to address the topic of the family in the context of the “new evangelization.” The discussion groups are separated by language: English, French, Spanish and Italian.

Cardinal Burke, a former Archbishop of St. Louis, is prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest tribunal ruling on the Catholic Church’s canon law. Archbishop Kurtz is Archbishop of Louisville and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are moderators of the three English-language circles along with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa.

The three Italian-language discussion circles are moderated by Cardinal Fernando Filoni, head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, who heads the Italian bishops’ conference; and Archbishop Angelo Massafra of Shkodre, Albania. The two Spanish-language discussion groups will be moderated by Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega of Guadalajara, Mexico and Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain. The French-language moderators are Cardinal Robert Sarah, a native of Guinea who heads the Pontifical Council Cor Unum; and Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, Austria.

Other synod officials, called relators, will help summarize the first session of discussions and the bishops’ reactions to synod discussions in a document known as a “relatio.”

Archbishop Martin is among the relators for the first series of discussion circles.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-challenges-quebecers-to-honour-missionary-her

Pope challenges Quebecers to honour missionary heritage
2014-10-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) In a Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonization of two Canadian saints, Pope Francis prayed that Quebec might return to a “path of fruitfulness, to giving the world many missionaries.”

François de Laval, the first Bishop of Quebec, and Marie de l’Incarnation, the founder of the Ursulines in Canada, were declared saints by equipollent or equivalent canonization in April

In his homily Pope Francis encouraged Canadian pilgrims to remember the founders of the Church in Canada. “The Church of Quebec is prolific! Prolific in many missionaries, who went everywhere. The world was filled with Canadian missionaries, like these two.” The devil, he said, "is envious, and does not tolerate a land that is so prolific in missionaries.”

Pope Francis homily focused on the vocation of missionaries, taking as his starting point the words of Isaiah, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.”

Missionaries, he said, “are those who, in docility to the Holy Spirit, have the courage to live the Gospel.” They have gone out into the world to call people to Christ and to the Church. “Missionaries have turned their gaze to Christ crucified; they have received His grace and they have not kept it for themselves.”
 
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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/10/11/what_is_equipollent_canonization/1108383
What is equipollent canonization?
11/10/2014

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-angelus-the-good-of-god-knows-no-boundaries-d

Pope Angelus: The good of God knows no boundaries, does not discriminate
2014-10-12 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his Angelus Address on Sunday said, “the goodness of God, “knows no boundaries and does not discriminate against anyone, everyone is given the opportunity to respond to his invitation, to his call”.

 From the window of his studio overlooking Saint Peter’s Square during his Angelus address, Pope Francis reflected on Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew,  in which the King issues an invitation to a wedding feast which is rejected by some and accepted by others.

The Pope explained that the invitation had three characteristics, those of gratuity, breadth and universality.

He went on to say that “none of the chosen ones accept to take part in the feast, they say they have other plans, and indeed some show indifference, alienation, even annoyance.” The Pope then recounted how despite this rejection, the King is not discouraged, “he does not cancel the party, but extends his invitation beyond all reasonable limits and sends his servants into the streets and to the crossroads to gather all those they find.” Pope Francis then added  “ the Gospel, rejected by some, is unexpectedly welcome in so many other hearts".

The goodness of God, underlined the Pope “knows no boundaries and does not discriminate against anyone, everyone is given the opportunity to respond to his invitation, to his call”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-santa-marta-holy-law-is-not-an-end-in-itse

Pope at Santa Marta: Holy law is not an end in itself
2014-10-13 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Be open to God's surprises, not closed to the signs of the times and remember holy law is not an end in itself. This was Pope Francis’ message this morning at Mass at Casa Santa Marta. Commenting on the words of Jesus to the Doctors of the Law, the Pope urged the faithful not to cling to their own ideas, but to walk with the Lord, always finding new things.

Jesus speaks of the Doctors of the Law who demand a sign and describes them as an "evil generation".  Basing himself  on this Gospel passage Pope Francis spoke about the "God of surprises”.  He said these doctors repeatedly ask Jesus for a sign, and He replies that they are not able to "see the signs of the times":

"Why were these Doctors of the Law unable to understand the signs of the times? Why did they demand an extraordinary sign (which Jesus later gave to them), why they did not understand? First of all, because they were closed. They were closed within their system, they had perfectly systemized the law, it was a masterpiece. Every Jews knew what they could do and what they could not do, how far they could go. It was all systemized. And they were safe there".

They believed that Jesus did “strange things”: "He went about with sinners, ate with tax collectors." The Pope noted that they "did not like” Jesus, he “was dangerous; doctrine was in danger, the doctrine of the law”, which the theologians had formulated over the centuries. Pope Francis said that while they had  "done this out of love, to be faithful to God", they had become “closed", they had "simply forgotten history. They had forgotten that God is the God of the Law, but He is also the God of surprises". On the other hand, said Francis, "God has often reserved surprises for His people" like when He saved them "from slavery in Egypt":
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-on-family-midterm-report-presented-2015-syno

Synod on Family: Midterm report presented, 2015 Synod announced
2014-10-13 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) As discussion at the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family got underway Monday morning, it was announced that the second phase of this process – next year’s Ordinary Synod – will be held October 4-25, 2015, and will have theme: The vocation and mission of the family in the church and the modern world.

Following the announcement the General Rapporteur, Cardinal Peter Erdő, presented the mid-term report outlining the main questions highlighted over the past week of General Congregations which will now be examined in by the bishops, fraternal delegates, auditors and experts in the ‘minor circles’ or small working groups.

Cardinal Erdő began by highlighting that the Synod Fathers spoke of how Jesus looked at men and women with love, accompanying them patiently and with mercy. He spoke of how Jesus Christ, "the Truth, became incarnate in human fragility not to condemn it, but to heal it”. Jesus – he said - taught marriage was indissoluble, but showed understanding of those who didn't live up to this ideal.

In the mid-term report the Synod Fathers speak of how it's the task of the Church to recognize those seeds of the Word that have spread beyond its visible and sacramental boundaries.  They appeal to the "law of graduality," as a reflection of the way God reached out to humanity and led His people forward step by step.

The need was noted for further reflection on whether sacramental fullness doesn't exclude the possibility of recognizing positive elements even in imperfect forms.  For example, whether there are positive elements in irregular marriages.  The Synod Fathers make the point that when a civil marriage is stable, shows deep affection and care for children, then the Church should work to accompany it toward Sacramentality.

Card. Erdő  spoke of the need for a missionary conversion, that the Church cannot stop at an announcement that is merely theoretical, but must go beyond. Christian marriage has to be a vocational decision taken with the proper preparation in an itinerary of faith. This because the Gospel of the family is the response to the deepest expectations of a person.

In the report the Synod Fathers state that the Church is particularly called to recognize suffering of abandoned spouses and how children are the real victims of family breakups.

Many synod members expressed the need for reformed, simplified procedures for annulments .  Card. Erdő spoke of how this annulment reform will require diocesan bishops to take on new responsibilities and perhaps delegate a specially trained priest.

Regarding divorced and divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, the report speaks of the need for "courageous pastoral choices” and “new pastoral paths”. The report calls for case-by-case discernment according to law of graduality, particularly regarding access to the Sacraments. Card. Erdő said dialogue on this topic will continue in local Churches over the coming year and responses will be brought to next years Synod.

The report noted that the question of cohabitation might indicate commitment-phobia, but also a choice that is taken "while waiting for a secure existence” such as a steady job and income.

The question of homosexuality was then addressed, with a call to serious reflection.  The Synod Fathers noted that homosexual persons have gifts and talents to offer the Christian community and that pastoral outreach to them is an important educative challenge.

In the report, the Synod Fathers also reaffirm that same-sex unions cannot be considered equal to matrimony. And it is unacceptable that pressure be brought to bear on pastors or that international bodies make financial aid dependent on the introduction of regulations inspired by gender ideology.

Finally, stating that openness to new life is essential part of married love, the Synod Fathers affirm the message of Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae regarding the need to respect dignity of person in moral evaluation of methods of birth control.

Concluding his presentation of the mid-term report, Card. Erdő said that in  imitating Jesus' merciful gaze, the Church must accompany her most fragile sons and daughters marked by wounded and lost love.

Below please find the full text of the Midterm Report:
 
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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod14-full-text-of-relatio-post-disceptationem
Synod14: Full Text of Relatio Post Disceptationem
Vatican City,  October 13, 2014

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Regarding the writers of the midterm report (Relatio Post Disceptationem) and the final Relatio at the end of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops...

http://www.johnthavis.com/pope-francis-makes-an-important-move-at-the-synod#.VDwBcWd0zIV

Pope Francis makes an important move at the synod
Posted on Fri, October 10, 2014 by John Thavis

UPDATE: This post is amended to reflect the fact that the six papal nominees will be helping write the synod's final relatio, which will be handed to the pope at the end of the assembly.

The Vatican just announced that Pope Francis has named six additional prelates to help write the final relatio for the Synod of Bishops. At the risk of oversimplifying, they all seem to be on the pope’s wavelength when it comes to promoting pastoral mercy.

They will assist Cardinal Peter Erdo, the primary drafter of the relatio, and two other synod officials, in the task of summing up the spirited synod debate in a document that will form the basis for future discussion.
 
The papal appointees to the drafting group are:

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture.
 Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C.
 Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and one of the pope’s top theological advisors.
 Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico, president of CELAM, the Latin American bishops’ council.
 Archbishop Peter Kang U-Il of South Korea.
 Father Adolfo Nicolás Pachón of Spain, superior general of the Jesuit order.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/gradualness-a-solution-for-the-synod

Gradualness: A Solution for the Synod?
Rome,  October 13, 2014  (Zenit.org)  Father Dominic Legge OP

According to an official Vatican press briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the discussion at the Synod over proposals for communion for divorced and remarried persons has shifted to “gradualness.”  It seems that some are now arguing from the principle of gradualness that those who are not yet able to live according to the Church’s teachings could still receive Holy Communion as a step on the way towards a more perfect conversion.

For moral theologians, this is a case of déjà vu: the 1980 Synod on the Family already had this debate, and it was resolved by Pope John Paul II in his post-synodal exhortation, Familiaris Consortio.

In 1980, some voices had claimed that, in difficult cases, one could commit to “gradually” relinquishing a gravely sinful practice (like contracepting) and return immediately to the sacraments, even while intending to continue committing individual sinful acts in some (diminishing) measure.  John Paul II clearly rejected this argument.  Married couples, he wrote, “cannot . . . look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future: they must consider it as a command of Christ the Lord to overcome difficulties with constancy. ‘And so what is known as ‘the law of gradualness’ or step-by-step advance cannot be identified with ‘gradualness of the law,’ as if there were different degrees or forms of precept in God's law for different individuals and situations.”  (Familiaris Consortio no. 34.)

What John Paul called “the law of gradualness” does not refer to a “gradual” turning away from sin, but to the perennial Christian doctrine that we are not yet perfect in the first moment of our conversion.  When we receive a grace of conversion, we break definitively from evil and then gradually advance in holiness.  We may even fall back into grave sin, but, helped by grace, we repent and start anew.  Here, the sacrament of Penance has an important role to play: it calls us to renounce our sins definitively with a firm purpose of amendment.  In effect, he who will not yet repent, will not yet accept God’s mercy, and so is not forgiven.  (CCC no. 1451; DH 1676.)
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod14-pro-life-coalition-condemns-synod-mid-way-report

Synod14: Pro-Life Coalition Condemns Synod Mid-Way Report
Vatican City,  October 13, 2014

An international coalition of pro-life and pro-family organizations has strongly criticized the mid-way report on the Synod on the Family, calling it a “betrayal” of Catholic parents worldwide.

John Smeaton, co-founder of Voice of the Family, said those “controlling the Synod have betrayed Catholic parents worldwide.

"We believe that the Synod’s mid-way report is one of the worst official documents drafted in Church history," he said.

Earlier today, the synod published the report, called a relatio post disceptationem. It was presented to the assembly by the synod’s relator general, Cardinal Péter Erdő.

Smeaton said “thankfully the report is a preliminary report for discussion, rather than a definitive proposal.” But he added it is “essential” that the voices of those lay faithful who sincerely live out Catholic teaching are also taken into account.

“Catholic families are clinging to Christ’s teaching on marriage and chastity by their finger-tips,” he said.

Patrick Buckley, Voice of the Family’s Irish representative, said the report represents “an attack on marriage and the family,” and added that it “in effect gives a tacit approval of adulterous relationships, thereby contradicting the Sixth Commandment and the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the indissolubility of marriage.

“The report undermines the Church’s definitive teaching against contraception, by using the coded language of ‘underlin[ing] the need to respect the dignity of the person in the moral evaluation of the methods of birth control," he said.

He said such language “is the code of those who wish to reduce the Church’s doctrines to a mere guide, thus leaving couples free to choose contraception in so-called ‘conscience’.”

Buckley said the report "accepts wrongly" that there is a value in the homosexual orientation. He said this contradicts the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith’s 1986 Letter on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons which says:  “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”

Maria Madise, Voice of the Family’s coordinator, asked whether Catholics parents will now have to tell their children about contraception, cohabiting with partners or living homosexual lifestyles. “Will those parents now have to tell their children that the Vatican teaches that there are positive and constructive aspects to these mortal sins? This approach destroys grace in souls.”
 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/heres-why-church-teaching-on-gay-marriage-did-not-change-today-73167/

Here's why Church teaching on 'gay marriage' did not change today

Vatican City, Oct 13, 2014 / 04:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic blogosphere exploded Monday after the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops released a document summarizing last week’s discussion.

But while the relatio post disceptationem, which means “Report After Debate,” has been fodder for sensational headlines claiming a major shift in doctrine, the report is only a beginning, working document of the Church.

The relatio, as it’s called, simply takes the topics and comments made during the last week of the synod and attempts to summarize and organize them into categories. The official teaching document of the synod will not be released until well after the Ordinary Synod of Bishops, which is scheduled to take place next fall. Typically after an ordinary synod, the Pope will release an Apostolic Exhortation regarding his conclusions after the meeting of bishops. 

Still, although the relatio has “working document” status, it has received mixed reactions from several bishops present at the synod.

Some were quick to calm the storm of speculations that the Church is changing its teachings regarding homosexual marriage. Bishop Eugène Cyrille Houndekon of Abomey, Africa, said the language in the relatio simply refers to the Church’s openness to everyone, no matter where they are in their journey of faith.

“The Church open its doors to all people – their weaknesses, their defects – and try to help them, everybody, those who have stronger virtues to deepen that, and those who have weaknesses to try…to overcome that,” he told CNA.

The bishop was referring to the document’s position on persons with same-sex attraction and their role in the church, which Cardinal Peter Erdo quoted in his opening speech to the Synod Fathers Monday morning, saying:

“Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?”

Other bishops and cardinals are concerned with a lack of clarity in the document. In an interview with CNA, Cardinal Burke said the relatio as it stands uses “confused” and “even erroneous” language, and he hopes the final document from this synod is much clearer.

“There’s a confusion with the regard to the question of people who are living in de-facto unions, or people who are attracted to the same sex are living together, and an inadequate explanation of the relationship of the church to the person,” he said.

“I certainly hope that this document will be set aside completely, and there will be an effort made to present the church’s true teaching and pastoral practice, the two of which always go together in a new document.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.johnthavis.com/

A pastoral earthquake at the synod
October 13, 2014

In pastoral terms, the document published today by the Synod of Bishops represents an earthquake, the “big one” that hit after months of smaller tremors.

The relatio post disceptationem read aloud in the synod hall, while defending fundamental doctrine, calls for the church to build on positive values in unions that the church has always considered “irregular,” including cohabitating couples, second marriages undertaken without annulments and even homosexual unions.

Regarding homosexuals, it went so far as to pose the question whether the church could accept and value their sexual orientation without compromising Catholic doctrine.

(See UPDATE below, calls for clarification already coming from some synod participants.)
 
UPDATE: The relatio has already occasioned some pushback. Following its presentation in the synod hall, 41 bishops spoke about the content, and several pressed for clarifications on specific points:

-- Some asked whether, in the section on homosexuality, there shouldn’t be a mention of the teaching that “some unions are disordered,” a reference to the phrase the church has used to describe homosexual relations. That information came from Cardinal Peter Erdo, the primary author of the relatio, who spoke to reporters at a Vatican press conference.

-- Sources said other bishops questioned the analogy the relatio drew between the principle of finding “elements of sanctification and of truth outside” outside the visible structure of the church, expressed in the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, and the broader idea that positive elements can be found not only in sacramental marriage but also in irregular unions.

-- At least one bishop asked what happened to the concept of sin. The word “sin” appears only rarely in the 5,000-word relatio.

At the press conference, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines emphasized that this text was not the final version and said with a smile, “So the drama continues.”

A TRANSLATION ISSUE: Some people are taking issue with the English version of the relatio (a translation of the original Italian text that was put out by the Vatican press office but which is not “official”) and its treatment of the homosexuality issue. Specifically, this line: “Are our communities capable of providing that (a welcoming home for homosexuals), accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?”

The Italian text uses the verb valutare, which can mean a lot of things -- to value, appreciate, consider, evaluate or judge. The English translators decided on “valuing.” I think “appreciating” would also fit. Given the context of the sentence (“welcoming” and “accepting”), I don’t think translating the word as “evaluating” or "judging" would make much sense. In any case, the sentence has apparently already caused some fireworks in the synod hall, so it will be interesting to see if it survives the revision process.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-mass-a-faith-industrious-in-loving

Pope Francis at Mass: a faith industrious in loving
2014-10-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Mass on Tuesday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican. In remarks to the faithful following the readings of the day, the Holy Father focused on the need for authenticity in Christian living, saying that faith is not only a “cosmetic” matter, but one of active charity. Drawing from the Gospel reading of the day (Lk. 11:37-41), in which St. Luke recounts the story of Our Lord’s dinner visit to the house of a Pharisee and stuns his host when he omits the standard ritual ablutions, Pope Francis stressed Christ’s unsparing rejoinder:

“Jesus condemns this cosmetic spirituality, [which attempts to] look good, beautiful – but the truth inside is something else. Jesus condemns the people of good manners but of bad habits, those habits that are not seen, but practice in secret. Everything seems in place: these people who liked to walk in the streets, to be seen praying, to ‘make themselves with a little 'weakness when fasting. Is the Lord perhaps like this? You see that there are two  adjectives he uses here, [distinct], but related: greed and wickedness.”

Jesus will call these Pharisees “whitewashed sepulchres” in the Gospel according to Matthew. Here, he invites them rather to give alms, which in Biblical tradition – in both the Old Testament and the New – a touchstone and paragon of justice. Such works of charity are essential, he explained, for, howsoever important it might be, “the law on its own does not save”:
 

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The "Relatio post disceptationem" was read on Monday, October 13, 2014. 

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod14-summary-of-11th-general-congregation

Synod14: Summary of 11th General Congregation
Vatican City,  October 14, 2014

The eleventh general Congregation began with the presentation, in the Assembly Hall, of the "Relatio post disceptationem", read by the General Rapporteur, Cardinal Péter Erdő.

Immediately after, there followed a period of free discussion among the Synod Fathers. In general, the "Relatio post disceptationem" was appreciated for its capacity to photograph well the interventions that have been offered during this last week, capturing the spirit of the Assembly and highlighting acceptance and welcome as the principle theme of the works. The document, it was said, reveals the Church’s love for the family faithful to Christ, but also her capacity to be close to humanity in every moment of life, to understand that, behind the pastoral challenges, there are many people who suffer. The Synod, it was emphasised, should have the watchful gaze of the shepherd who devotes his life to his sheep, without a priori judgement.

Furthermore, to allow this Report to bring together various points of view to provide a basis for the work of the Small Groups, certain additional reflections were suggested: for example, while the Church must welcome those in difficulty, it would be useful to speak more widely about those families who remain faithful to the teachings of the Gospel, thanking them and encouraging them for the witness they offer. From the Synod it emerged more clearly that indissoluble, happy marriage, faithful for ever, is beautiful, possible and present in society, therefore avoiding a near-exclusive focus on imperfect family situations.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-of-family-begins-small-group-discussions-car

Synod of Family begins small-group discussions. Card. Tagle: "The Drama Continues"
2014-10-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Synod Fathers of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family on Monday afternoon began meeting in small working groups, called “circoli minori” or “minor circles”.  This second phase of the synod comes after the “post-discussion report” of the Synod was presented Monday morning by the General Rapporteur of the Assembly, Cardinal Péter Erdő.

Cardinal Erdő was joined Monday afternoon at the Holy See Press Office by Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, Philippines, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello of Santiago, Chile, and the Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Bruno Forte, to discuss the report, and the state of Synod.

Cardinal Erdő reiterated the report was a “working text”, and noted “there has been criticism and questions” from some of the Synod Fathers, especially about the term “graduality.”

Cardinal Ezzati stated the Synod is not taking a “scientific approach” but that of someone approaching the issues “with the heart of a Shepherd.” He also said he would like to see other issues discussed during the “circoli minori”.
 

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http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/sinodo-famiglia-36916/

10/13/2014
Mgr. Forte: Guaranteeing gay people’s rights is a matter of respect



“The Church does not believe that the term “family” can be used to refer both to a union between a man and a woman that is open to procreation and same-sex union. Having said this, it seems obvious to me that humans have different experiences have rights that must all be protected. The issue here therefore, is not equating the two in all senses, including in terminological terms. Naturally, this does not mean that we should rule out looking for a way to describe the rights of people living in same-sex unions. It is a question – I think – of being civilized and respecting people’s dignity.” This is according to Mgr. Bruno Forte, the Synod’s Special Secretary, who commented on the relatio post disceptationem, the summary of the Synod’s first week of discussions, presented today by Cardinal Peter Erdő. His comment was in response to a question on legislation that legally protects cohabiting gay couples and was made during the daily briefing with journalists.

The Hungarian cardinal who gave the floor to Mgr. Forte because, he said, “he who wrote the text must know what it is talking about,” added that “the subject came up in the free discussions too and some said it seems to have been missed out in these paragraphs, although at one point there is a clearer reference to the fact that there are also disordered forms of cohabitation” and the circuli minores – the language groups the bishops have been split into – “are to discuss the issue this week and “later on”. The groups will also be making amendments to the text presented today.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.lifesitenews.com/cached/breaking-cardinal-burke-says-statement-from-pope-francis-defending-catholic.html

Tue Oct 14, 2014 - 5:37 am EST
Breaking: Cardinal Burke says statement from Pope Francis defending Catholic teaching is ‘long overdue’

In a candid interview Monday, Cardinal Raymond Burke voiced the concerns of many of his brothers in the Synod hall and lay Catholic activists throughout the world that the public presentation of the Synod has been manipulated by the organizers in the General Secretariat.

He strongly criticized yesterday’s Relatio post disceptationem, or “report after the debate,” which the Catholic lay group Voice of the Family had called a “betrayal,” saying it proposes views that "faithful shepherds ... cannot accept," and betrays an approach that is "not of the Church." He called on Pope Francis to issue a statement defending Catholic teaching.

“In my judgment, such a statement is long overdue,” he told Catholic World Report’s Carl Olsen. “The debate on these questions has been going forward now for almost nine months, especially in the secular media but also through the speeches and interviews of Cardinal Walter Kasper and others who support his position.”

 “The faithful and their good shepherds are looking to the Vicar of Christ for the confirmation of the Catholic faith and practice regarding marriage which is the first cell of the life of the Church,” he added.

The relatio, he said, proposes views that many Synod fathers “cannot accept,” and that they “as faithful shepherds of the flock cannot accept.”

The document, among its most controversial propositions, asks whether “accepting and valuing [homosexuals’] sexual orientation” could align with Catholic doctrine; proposes allowing Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics on a “case-by-case basis”; and says pastors should emphasize the “positive aspects” of lifestyles the Church considers gravely sinful, including civil remarriage after divorce and premarital cohabitation.

“Clearly, the response to the document in the discussion which immediately followed its presentation manifested that a great number of the Synod Fathers found it objectionable,” Burke told Olsen.

“The document lacks a solid foundation in the Sacred Scriptures and the Magisterium. In a matter on which the Church has a very rich and clear teaching, it gives the impression of inventing a totally new, what one Synod Father called ‘revolutionary’, teaching on marriage and the family. It invokes repeatedly and in a confused manner principles which are not defined, for example, the law of graduality.”

Burke lamented that the bishops’ interventions are not published, while the General Secretariat chose to publish the controversial relatio, which was intended as a merely provisional summary of the first week that is under review by the fathers this week.

“All of the information regarding the Synod is controlled by the General Secretariat of the Synod which clearly has favored from the beginning the positions expressed in the Relatio post disceptationem of yesterday morning,” he said.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/synod14-press-briefing-oct-14

Synod14: Press Briefing Oct. 14
Vatican City,  October 14, 2014

At the briefing at the Holy See Press Office this afternoon, Father Federico Lombardi, South African Cardinal Wilfred Napier, and Father Thomas Rosica gave the following briefing on the latest synod discussions:

Cardinal Wilfred Napier started with the expression, “From Africa, there’s always something new.”

He noted that he wasn’t surprised to see so many people present, considering how, after the release of the Relatio Post Disceptionem (report after discussion) yesterday, it created quite a “stir.”

Analyzing the work, he said it has helped identify the issues they are facing, looking at their causes, and ways to go forward.

He stressed that the participants have surpassed the stage of “Listen, look, discuss,” but rather are operating with the mentality of “Look, analyze, take action.”

“We want action at the end of this,” he stressed, and “something positive.”

On how the synod participants are viewing their work, Cardinal Napier explained that one can make an analogy for the family: in the morning, things are happy and positive; at noon, there are the onset of difficulties; and in the evening, problems “really beset us” and we need to deal with them.

Continuing with the analogy, he said it can be seen like Creation, the appearance of sin, the Redemption, and the Resurrection.

“By the next phase” of the Synod in 2015, he said putting it back into concrete terms, “We’ll be building on positive, not just negatives, the positives we’ve developed.”

“We will have set the stage.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2014/10/polish-bishops-join-voices-of-concern-over-synod-midterm/

Polish bishops join voices of concern over synod midterm
October 14, 2014 by CNA Daily News

 
In an Oct. 14 interview with Vatican Radio, translated into English by Rorate Caeli, Polish bishops expressed concerns that the relatio departed from the teachings of their late countryman St. John Paul II, who played a role in forming the final documents of the Second Vatican Council. 

"Referring to the issues of marriage and family, certain criteria are being applied that raise doubt,” said Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan. “For example, the criterion of gradualism. Can you really treat cohabitation as gradual, on the path to holiness?”

An excerpt from the document, in sections 12-23, speaks of this gradualness: “In considering the principle of gradualness in the divine salvific plan, one asks what possibilities are given to married couples who experience the failure of their marriage, or rather how it is possible to offer them Christ’s help through the ministry of the Church.”

It continues: “Following the expansive gaze of Christ, whose light illuminates every man (cf. Jn 1,9; cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22) the Church turns respectfully to those who participate in her life in an incomplete and imperfect way, appreciating the positive values they contain rather than their limitations and shortcomings.”

The Polish bishops also questioned the synod’s approach to family issues, wondering why it seems to be focusing on “special cases” rather than the traditional family unit, which also needs support.

They also found the language in the document not clear enough to uphold the Church’s teachings on family and marriage, so much so that it commits the sin of omission, Archbishop Gadecki said.

“(It is written) as if the world's view prevailed and everything was imperfection which leads to perfection,” commented the president of the Polish bishops' conference. “(In a discussion on the document) attention was paid not so much to what this document says, but to what it does not say. Speak about the practical exceptions, but we also need to present the truth.”

The Polish bishops said the relentless focus on mercy is also problematic.

“It created an impression that the teaching of the Church has been merciless so far, as if the teaching of mercy were beginning only now," Archbishop Gadecki noted.

In an interview with CNA on Oct. 13, Cardinal Raymond Burke nearly echoed Archbishop Gadecki’s concern: “There is a continual evocation of mercy, as if the Church had never talked about mercy, but there’s no description of what this mercy is and what it means concretely in relationship to the truth and to just relationships.”

The relatio is a working document that will serve as a springboard for further discussion and reflection for the rest of the synod this year. No official teaching document will be released until well after the ordinary synod, scheduled for next autumn.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/vatican-clarifies-synod-document-released-monday

Vatican Clarifies Synod Document Released Monday
Vatican City,  October 14, 2014

After the summary document released Monday by the synod's general secretariat generated worldwide media attention and intense debate among the synod fathers, a Vatican press office statement today attempts to clarify the nature and purpose of the document.
 
The Vatican today announced: "The General Secretariat of the Synod, in response to reactions and discussions following the publication of the Relatio post disceptationem, and the fact that often a value has been attributed to the document that does not correspond to its nature, reiterates that it is a working document, which summarises the interventions and debate of the first week, and is now being offered for discussion by the members of the Synod gathered in the Small Groups, in accordance with the Regulations of the Synod.

"The work of the Small Groups will be presented to the Assembly in the General Congregation next Thursday morning."