Pope Francis, The Synod of Bishops, and Family Life St Andrew’s, Bearsden Thursday 29 October
I have been asked to talk to you about Pope Francis, Family Life and Evangelisation. You want me to talk about What is the purpose of the 2015 Synod on the family, What is a Synod, and What are the Church's hopes for this Synod? No easy task but lets see.
As you will know, the Pope did not just call one synod but two but both were connected. The first, an extraordinary one in 2014, was called to think about the Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelisation and to define the
status quaestionis, gathering together the bishops’ experiences of family life as it is actually lived by Catholics around the world and to think of proposals for proclaiming and living the Gospel of the Family in a credible manner. The second ordinary synod, just completed, thought about the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Modern World and set itself to identify working guidelines for the Church’s future pastoral care of the family.
The Preparatory Document for Synod14
The Preparatory Document for the first synod set the scene concerning the Family and Evangelisation with this introduction.
The social and spiritual crisis, so evident in today’s world, is becoming a pastoral challenge in the Church’s evangelizing mission concerning the family, the vital building-block of society and the ecclesial community. Never before has proclaiming the Gospel on the Family in this context been more urgent and necessary. Concerns which were unheard of until a few years ago have arisen today as a result of different situations. (Yet) Corresponding in a particular manner to this reality today is the wide acceptance of the teaching on divine mercy and concern towards people who suffer on the periphery of societies. The importance of the subject is reflected in the fact that the Holy Father has decided to call for a Synod of Bishops. Vast expectations exist concerning the decisions which are to be made pastorally regarding the family. A reflection on these issues by the Synod of Bishops ….is an expression of charity towards those entrusted to the Bishops’ care and the entire human family.
The Working Document for 2014 The working document was made up of three parts:
Part one on Communicating the Gospel of the Family in Today’s World recognised that marriage, as manifest in the Church teaching is God’ plan but that the people have difficulties in accepting how it is expressed in the Scriptures and Tradition of the Church. A related problem was the language of Natural Law which, though technically clear, can often seem cold, forbidding and offensive to the ordinary person.
Part Two, that sought for a Pastoral Program for the Family in Light of New Challenges, while recognising good programmes already running, focused on both the
current crisis of faith in the world as well as the growing
tensions within homes and behind family doors and the
external pressures on family life. Then there were the difficult situations of broken families and same-sex attraction.
Part Three, which dealt with Openness to Life and Parental Responsibility in Upbringing of Children, also pointed frankly to the non-reception of Church teaching on the meaning of intercourse and openness to life and also looked at all the problems associated with raising children in today’s society.
So everything concerning marriage, family life and relationships was thrown in, either from the perspective of the Church, or of society or of ordinary Catholics living family life of the ground. The assessment was balanced and frank and was ready to admit that not everything in the garden was rosy regarding the Church’s pastoral care of its people or their sense of being cared for, for that matter.
Pope Francis’ Opening Address Synod14 So Pope Francis had laid down a hard task for the bishops as they gathered in synod but in his opening remarks he gave them some fatherly advice as to how to proceed.
(In) synodality’, he said, ‘it is necessary to say all that, in the Lord, one feels the need to say: without polite deference, without hesitation. And, at the same time, one must listen with humility and welcome, with an open heart, what your brothers say. Synodality is exercised with these two approaches: speak with parrhesiaand listen humbly’.
Parrhesia is a favourite word of the Pope. It means to speak candidly. It is the root of the notion of "free speech" and is the means whereby "one speaks the truth". Literally it means "to say everything" without holding back and by extension" to speak with "boldness." It implies not only freedom of speech but also the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk.
Synod 14
The bishops did their best but the first week was marked by tensions which broke out after their dissatisfaction at the publication of the interim report. This was supposed simply to reflect what they had said on the floor or in language groups. Many felt that it had ignored what had been said in favour of a pre-written report with its own agenda. Especial issues of contention were that the interim report was seeming to positively affirm relationships which were irregular, namely divorce and remarriage and homosexual union, in their own terms and without any call to conversion. The report was re-written but still caused contention and some of its proposals, regarding officially recognising second marriages, allowing holy Communion to divorced-remarried and accepting good in homosexual unions did not get the required votes.
Pope Francis Concluding Address Synod14
In his concluding address Pope Francis issued some passing comments by way of a verdict on how the bishops had done. His verdict was mixed but, in the end positive. He said:
Since a synod is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned:- One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (by the spirit); within the law, (and remaining) within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve, the so-called “traditionalists”.-Secondly, the temptation to a destructive tendency to goodness, that in the name of a false mercy treats the symptoms and not the causes. It is the temptation of the “do-gooders,” and also of the so-called “progressives and liberals.”- - Third, a temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bending it to the Spirit of God.- Finally the temptation to neglect the deposit of faith, not thinking of ourselves as guardians but as owners or masters of it; or, the temptation to use a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing!
However he was happy on the whole and preferred a fractious synod to a quiescent one:
These temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us. Personally I would be very worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions.
Pope Francis sent the bishops home for a year of maturation and to come back having reflected on all that had happened so as to return ready to engage the following synod and think of the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Modern World.
The Working Document Synod15
The Working Document for this synod reminded the bishops of where they had been and what was their new context and task.
In the first synod the Bishops had turned their thoughts to all the families of the world, each with its joys, difficulties and hopes.
In the intervening time they had now gathered the results of their reflections and discussions again into three parts which would guide the synod ahead. A first part was to be that of
listening, so as to look at the reality of the family today in all its complexities, both lights and shadows. A second part would involve
looking with their gaze fixed on Christ to ponder, with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revelation, transmitted in the Church’s faith, would tell them about the beauty, the role and the dignity of the family. And, finally, a third part would involve
confronting the present situation, with an eye on the Lord Jesus, to discern the ways in which the Church and society could renew their commitment to the family founded upon the marriage between a man and a woman.
The next step was to take the challenges of the family and consider them in light of the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world.
The introduction noted how the family, in addition to being called upon to respond to today's challenges, is, above all, called by God to an ever-increasing awareness of its missionary identity as a domestic Church, even to the point of "going outside itself". In a world often marked by loneliness and sadness, the "Gospel of the Family" was indeed good news.
Again there were three parts for consideration. Part I
considered the challenges of the family, both external from new social and individualistic economics and internal challenges concerned with the exclusion of certain family members as well as problems of affectivity between spouses or wider family members. Part II was about discernment of the vocation of the family in the life of the Church. Part III looked at the
Mission of the Family Today and concluded that if it is going to be an instrument of evangelisation it needs formation to grow and where it is broken, it needs pastoral accompaniment in its journey towards healing.
Pope Francis Opening Address Synod15 Once again the Pope set out their parameters.
The Synod is not a parliament in which to reach a consensus or common accord by taking recourse to negotiation, to deal-making, or to compromise: indeed, the only method of the Synod is to open oneself up to the Holy Spirit with apostolic courage, with evangelical humility and confident, trusting prayer, in order that he guide us, enlighten us and make us keep before our eyes, not our personal opinions, but with faith in God, fidelity to the Magisterium, the good of the Church and the salus animarum.
Syond15 During the synod there was more solid resistance to the previous synod’s tendencies regarding seeing irregularities as good as such, and against Communion for divorced-remarried but the final document more or less followed the plan of the working document. Except that they focussed emphasis on affirming faithful families and added in the teachings of Paul VI, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They also showed the strong connection between marriage, creation and sacramental fullness as the basis of the indissolubility of marriage.
While around ninety percent of the document was agreed by all, the sticking point came down to pastoral care of the divorced-remarried.
The working document of the first synod had called for more discernment, respect and care with language when approaching them and avoidance of impressions of discrimination or exclusion. Actively including them in Church life would not weaken our faith but strengthen us in love. Some divorced-remarried were little, if at all to blame, for the breakup of their first union, were committed to their new family and children and were mature and committed to their faith. Any perception by their children that the church excludes them has a negative effect on the formation and integration of those children into the faith.
The same working document then became more specific and controverted when it raised the question of the admission of some though not all, to Confession and Communion. It recognised divided opinion. Some were against because of the effect on the sacramental sign. Marriage is a sign of Christ’s married commitment to His Spouse, the Church. Jesus married the Church on Calvary and stayed with their union even though She was unfaithful to Him and had abandoned Him. For divorced-remarried to continue life in a flesh union with another clashed with Christ’s ‘stay put’ love for the Church. No moral judgement was meant against them by this. It was more a matter of allowing the uniqueness Christ’s love to stay radiant in the Church. Others saw room for manoeuvre, taking things on a case by case basis. Then, with the approval of the bishop, Confession would pave the way for recognising the new, albeit imperfect or penitential union, and allowing full participation in Holy Communion.
The final report of Synod 2015 The final report of Synod 2015 took off the table the idea of accepting new penitential marriages of the divorced-remarried as valid and restricted itself to whether or not they might receive Holy Communion. Here it is probably as accurate as anything to say the bishops did not allow the door to be opened on it but the closed door has been unlocked.
This is what they said in summary in articles 84-86
84. The baptized who are divorced and civilly remarried should be more integrated into Christian communities in the various ways possible, avoiding every occasion of scandal. Integration is the key to their pastoral accompaniment, so that they know not only that they belong to the Body of Christ which is the Church, but that they may have a joyous and fruitful experience of this. They are baptized, they are brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit pours into them gifts and charisms for the good of everyone. Their participation can be expressed in various ecclesial services: it is therefore necessary that various forms of exclusion currently practiced in the liturgical, pastoral, educational and institutional areas can be overcome. They must not only not feel excommunicated, but they can live and mature as living members of the Church, feeling that she is a mother who always welcomes them, takes care of them with affection and encourages them in the walk of the life of the Gospel. This integration is also necessary for the care of Christian formation of their children, who must be considered the most important. For the Christian community, taking care of these people is not a weakening of its own faith and witness regarding the indissolubility of marriage: indeed, the Church expresses her charity precisely in this care. 85. St. John Paul II offered overall criteria which remain the basis for the evaluation of these situations: “Pastors must exercise careful discernment of situations. There is in fact a difference between those who have sincerely tried to save their first marriage and have been unjustly abandoned, and those who through their own grave fault have destroyed a canonically valid marriage. Finally, there are those who have entered into a second union for the sake of the children’s upbringing, and who are sometimes subjectively certain in conscience that their previous and irreparably destroyed marriage had never been valid.” (Familiaris Consortio, 84). It is therefore the task of pastors to accompany interested persons on the way of discernment in keeping with the teaching of the Church and the guidance of bishops. In this process it will be useful to make an examination of conscience through times of reflection and penitence. The divorced and remarried should ask themselves how they behaved toward their children when the conjugal union entered into crisis; if there were attempts at reconciliation; how is the situation with the abandoned partner; what consequences the new relationship has on the rest of the family and the community of the faithful; what example it offers to young people who must prepare for marriage. A sincere reflection can strengthen the trust in the mercy of God which is never denied to anyone. Furthermore, it cannot be denied that in some circumstances “imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments and other psychological or social factors” (CCC, 1735) for reasons of various conditions. Consequently, the judgment of an objective situation should not lead to a judgment about the “subjective guilt”. In specific circumstances people find great difficulty in acting a different way. Therefore, while upholding a general norm, it is necessary to recognize that the responsibility regarding certain actions or decisions is not the same in all cases. Pastoral discernment, while taking account of the rightly formed conscience of persons, must take responsibility for these situations. Even the consequences of the acts carried out are not necessarily the same in all cases. 86. The process of accompaniment and discernment directs these faithful to an awareness of their situation before God. Conversation with the priest, in the internal forum, contributes to the formation of a correct judgment on what hinders the possibility of a fuller participation in the life of the Church and the steps that can foster it and make it grow. Given that for the same law there is no graduality (cf.FC, 34), this discernment can never prescind from the demands of truth and charity of the Gospel proposed by the Church. For this to happen, humility, confidence, love for the Church and her teaching, in the sincere search for God’s will and the desire to achieve a more perfect response to it, must be secured.
Conclusion The final report of Synod15 is the basis for a very good post-synodal apostolic exhortation when Pope Francis gets around to writing it.
It shows a Church doing its best to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep, and move away from the logic of the Pharisees. It was a synod trying to learn how not to lay heavy burdens on men’s backs but, rather, to find ways of ‘getting the finger out’ to help them,
Even if it were all a bit messy. But Francis prefers mess. Did he not say this in his first encyclical,
Evbangelii Gaudium, I prefer a Church that is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets rather one which is unhealthy from trying to cling to its own security. Too many of our brothers are living without the strength, light and consolation that comes from friendship with Christ or a community of faith, without meaning or a goal in life. At our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: Give them something to eat.
Certainly this was a new experience for most, if not all, the synod fathers who were grappling with the Pope’s particular idea of synodality. It was a learning experience of how to hold in creative tension the demands of truth with the concessions of mercy, the conservation of doctrine with the renewal of approaches, the teachings of Christ with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the concerns of the North with the anguish of persecution in the East and poverty in the South. It was an experience that included the chaff of posturing and alliances but eventually there emerged the good wheat of
parrhesia. The question of the divorced-remarried remains to be digested and fructified but I have a plea that we focus widely on the whole of the post-synodal exhortation when it comes out. I am sure it will provide us with a unique, if not unprecedented, plan for our pastoral care of families going forward.
Above all it may prove the most decisive missionary document we have had in our hands in modern times. ‘Back to the beginning of this whole enterprise. Pope Francis is an evangelist who wants to reform the Catholic Church into the true, global evangelical Church. His concrete, realistic vision is that we can be this only in and through a newly galvanised laity whom we need to reach, accompany, convince, commit and send out. But where are they? They live in families in a world in crisis. Therefore the need to think about Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelisation. And so his very opening words:
The social and spiritual crisis, so evident in today’s world, is becoming a pastoral challenge in the Church’s evangelizing mission concerning the family, the vital building-block of society and the ecclesial community. Never before has proclaiming the Gospel on the Family in this context been more urgent and necessary. But imagine if that same laity were suddenly to see the Church with new eyes, a Church of bishops and priests really reaching out to them and their problems to be with them, a Church first of all missionary to them! Would they not be surprised, impressed and, above all, appreciative of the effort and would they not at last understand the true face of the Church of Christ. Then, in gratitude, they would want to be missionary to others. As Paul had once said, ‘
Caritas Christi urget nos’, they would find themselves saying, ‘
Caritas ecclesiae urget nos’ and, in their turn, go out to the problems of the world with a help0ing hand.
So there is no need to fear and every reason for great anticipation and excitement. The Pope cannot and will not lead us into error. The truth we believe in is not first truth in a book but truth, embodied in the face of a Person, Our Lord Jesus Christ. And to safeguard that His truth would always be heart as well as head, parent as well as teacher, He left it not to a book but a person, Peter. And, just like that most ordinary saving truth of all, the truth ministered by parents for the wellbeing of their children -a truth that goes by twists and turns, sometimes hard, sometimes lenient- but always keeping in view the horizon of life and that to the full, so the truth of Christ, in Francis and the Synod, is a truth learning again to be among us in a way that leads the Church and world to light.
It is the kind of truth entrusted to people, in the person of Pope and bishops, that heals many and may bring a multitude of conversions.
III EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PASTORAL CHALLENGES TO THE FAMILY IN THE CONTEXT OF EVANGELIZATION Preparatory Document 2013
I. Synod: Family and Evangelization The social and spiritual crisis, so evident in today’s world, is becoming a pastoral challenge in the Church’s evangelizing mission concerning the family, the vital building-block of society and the ecclesial community. Never before has proclaiming the Gospel on the Family in this context been more urgent and necessary.
Concerns which were unheard of until a few years ago have arisen today as a result of different situations. Corresponding in a particular manner to this reality today is the wide acceptance of the teaching on divine mercy and concern towards people who suffer on the periphery of societies.
The importance of the subject is reflected in the fact that the Holy Father has decided to call for a Synod of Bishops, which is to have a two-staged itinerary: firstly, an Extraordinary General Assembly in 2014, intended to
define the “status quaestionis” and to collect the bishops’ experiences and proposals in proclaiming and living the Gospel of the Family in a credible manner; and secondly, an Ordinary General Assembly in 2015 to seek
working guidelines in the pastoral care of the person and the family.
Vast expectations exist concerning the decisions which are to be made pastorally regarding the family. A reflection on these issues by the Synod of Bishops, in addition to it being much needed and urgent, is a dutiful expression of charity towards those entrusted to the Bishops’ care and the entire human family.
INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS, 2014
Part.I Communicating the Gospel of the Family in Today’s World Chapter.I God’s Plan for Marriage and the Family: The Biblical Teaching on the Family (1-3)
, The Family in the Documents of the Church (4-7)
Chapter.II The Knowledge and Acceptance of the Teachings on Marriage and the Family from Sacred Scripture and Church Documents (8).
The Knowledge of the Bible on the Family (9-10)
, The Knowledge of the Documents of the Magisterium (11)
, The Necessity of Properly Prepared Clergy and Ministers (12)
, A Diversified Acceptance of Church Teaching (13-14)
, Some Reasons for the Difficulty in Acceptance (15-16)
, Fostering a Greater Knowledge of the Magisterium (17-19)
Chapter.III The Gospel of the Family and the Natural Law The Relation of the Gospel of the Family to the Natural Law (20)
, Present-Day Problems Related to the Natural Law (21-26)
, Practical Objections to the Natural Law concerning the Union between a Man and a Woman (27-29)
, A Call for a Renewal in Terms of Language (30)
Chapter.IV The Family and Vocation of the Person in Christ, The Family, the Person and Society (31-34)
, In the Image of Trinitarian Life (35)
, The Holy Family of Nazareth and Learning to Love (36-38)
, The Differences, Reciprocity and Manner of Living as a Family (39-42)
, The Family and the Integral Development of a Person (43-44)
Guidance in the Renewed Desire to Marry and Form a Family and the Related Crises (45-48)
, Ongoing Formation (49)
Part..II The Pastoral Program for the Family in Light of New Challenges Chapter I The Pastoral Program for the Family: Various Proposals Underway,
The Responsibility of Bishops and the Clergy and the Charismatic Gifts in the Pastoral, Care of the Family (50)
, Marriage Preparation (51-56)
, Popular Piety and a Familial Spirituality (57)
, Support for a Familial Spirituality (58)
, Testimony on Behalf of the Beauty of the Family (59-60)
Chapter II The Pastoral Challenges of the Family (61)
a) The Crisis of Faith and Family Life,
Pastoral Action in the Crisis of Faith (62-63),
b) Critical Situations within the Family,
Difficulty in Relationships / Communication (64)
, The Break-Up and Breakdown of Families (65)
, Violence and Abuse (66-67)
, Dependence, the Media and the Social Network (68-69),
c) External Pressures on the Family,
The Impact of Work on the Family (70-71)
, Migration and the Family (72)
, Poverty and the Struggle for Subsistence (73)
, Consumerism and Individualism (74)
, Counter-Witness in the Church (75)
d) Special Situations,
The Weight of Societal Expectations on the Individual (76)
, The Impact of Wars (77)
, Disparity of Cult (78)
, Other Critical Situations (79)
Chapter III Difficult Pastoral Situationsa) Situations in Families (80),
Cohabitation (81-82), De facto
unions (83-85)
, Persons Separated, Divorced and Divorced and Remarried (86)
, Children and Those Who Are Alone (87)
, Teen Mothers (88)
, Situations of Canonical Irregularity (89-92)
, Concerning the Reception of the Sacraments (93-95)
, Other Requests (96)
, Concerning Separated and Divorced Persons (97)
, Streamlining the Processing of Marriage Cases (98-102)
, Pastoral Care in Difficult Situations (103-104)
, The Request for Marriage by Non-Practicing Catholics and Unbelievers (105-109),
b) Concerning Unions of Persons of the Same Sex,
Civil Recognition (110-112)
, An Evaluation of the Particular Churches (113-115)
, Some Pastoral Guidelines (116-119)
, The Transmission of the Faith to Children in Same Sex Unions (120)
Part III An Openness to Life and Parental Responsibility in Upbringing Chapter I The Pastoral Challenges concerning an Openness to Life (121-122),
Knowledge and Acceptance of the Magisterium concerning a Mentality of an Openness to Life (123-125)
, Some Causes of Difficulty in Acceptance (126-127)
, Pastoral Recommendations (128)
, Concerning Sacramental Practice (129)
, Promoting a Mentality of an Openness to Life (130-131)
Chapter II The Church and the Family in the Challenge of Upbringing,
a) The Challenge of Upbringing in General,
The Challenge of Upbringing and the Family Today (132)
, The Transmission of the Faith and Christian Initiation (133-134)
, Some Specific Difficulties (135-137),
b) Christian Education in Difficult Family Situations (138) ,
An Overview of the Situation of Upbringing (139-140)
, Requests Addressed to the Church (141-145)
, The Response of the Particular Churches (146-150)
, The Time and Manner of the Christian Initiation of Children (151-152)
, Some Specific Difficulties (153)
, Some Pastoral Guidelines (154-157)
GREETING DURING THE FIRST GENERAL CONGREGATION Monday, 6 October 2014 (In) synodality it is necessary to say all that, in the Lord, one feels the need to say: without polite deference, without hesitation. And, at the same time, one must listen with humility and welcome, with an open heart, what your brothers say.
Synodality is exercised with these two approaches: speak with
parrhesia[2]and listen
ADDRESS FOR THE CONCLUSION And since a synod is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned:-
One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (the spirit); within the law, within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve. From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called – today – “traditionalists” and also of the intellectuals.
- The temptation to a destructive tendency to goodness [it. buonismo], that in the name of a deceptive mercy binds the wounds without first curing them and treating them; that treats the symptoms and not the causes and the roots. It is the temptation of the “do-gooders,” of the fearful, and also of the so-called “progressives and liberals.”- -
The temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bending it to the Spirit of God.-
The temptation to neglect the “depositum fidei” [the deposit of faith], not thinking of themselves as guardians but as owners or masters [of it]; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect reality, making use of meticulous language and a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing! Dear brothers and sisters, the temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us. Personally I would be very worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions
XIV ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Instrumentum Laboris
THE VOCATION AND MISSION OF THE FAMILY IN THE CHURCH AND CONTEMPORARY WORLD Introduction The Synod of Bishops, gathered around the Holy Father, turned its thoughts to all the families of the world, each with its joys, difficulties and hopes: "Evening falls on our assembly. It is the hour at which one willingly returns home to meet at the same table, in the depth of affection, of the good that has been done and received, of the encounters which warm the heart and make it grow, good wine which anticipates the unending feast in the days of man. It is also the weightiest hour for one who finds himself face to face with his own loneliness, in the bitter twilight of shattered dreams and broken plans; how many people trudge through the day in the blind alley of resignation, of abandonment, even resentment: in how many homes the wine of joy has been less plentiful, and therefore, also the zest — the very wisdom — for life […]. Let us make our prayer heard for one another this evening, a prayer for all." With these words in mind, we have gathered together the results of our reflections and our discussions in the following three parts:listening, so as to look at the reality of the family today in all its complexities, both lights and shadows; looking, our gaze is fixed on Christ to ponder, with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revelation, transmitted in the Church’s faith, tells us about the beauty, the role and the dignity of the family; and confronting the situation, with an eye on the Lord Jesus, to discern the ways in which the Church and society can renew their commitment to the family founded upon the marriage between a man and a woman. The next step is to take the challenges of the family and consider them in light of the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world. The family, in addition to being called upon to respond to today's challenges, is, above all, called by God to an ever-increasing awareness of its missionary identity as a domestic Church, even to the point of "going outside itself". In a world often marked by loneliness and sadness, the "Gospel of the Family" is indeed good news.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Dear brothers, as I have said, the Synod is not a parliament in which to reach a consensus or a common accord by taking recourse to negotiation, to deal-making, or to compromise: indeed, the only method of the Synod is to open oneself up to the Holy Spirit with apostolic courage, with evangelical humility and confident, trusting prayer, in order that he guide us, enlighten us and make us keep before our eyes, not our personal opinions, but with faith in God, fidelity to the Magisterium, the good of the Church and the
salus animarum.
Closing Remarks The Synod was about: Urging everyone to appreciate the importance of the institution of the family and of marriage between a man and a woman, based on unity and indissolubility, and valuing it as the fundamental basis of society and human life.
Listening to and making heard the voices of the families and the Church’s pastors, who came to Rome bearing on their shoulders the burdens and the hopes, the riches and the challenges of families throughout the world.
Showing the vitality of the Catholic Church, which is not afraid to stir dulled consciences or to soil her hands with lively and frank discussions about the family.
Trying to view and interpret realities, today’s realities, through God’s eyes, so as to kindle the flame of faith and enlighten people’s hearts in times marked by discouragement, social, economic and moral crisis, and growing pessimism.
Bearing witness to everyone that, for the Church, the Gospel continues to be a vital source of eternal newness, against all those who would “indoctrinate” it in dead stones to be hurled at others.
Baring closed hearts which frequently hide even behind the Church’s teachings or good intentions, in order to sit in the chair of Moses and judge, sometimes with superiority and superficiality, difficult cases and wounded families.
Making clear that the Church is a Church of the poor in spirit and of sinners seeking forgiveness, not simply of the righteous and the holy, but rather of those who are righteous and holy precisely when they feel themselves poor sinners.
Trying to open up broader horizons, rising above conspiracy theories and blinkered viewpoints, so as to defend and spread the freedom of the children of God, and to transmit the beauty of Christian Newness, at times encrusted in a language which is archaic or simply incomprehensible.
We have also seen that what seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange and almost scandalous – almost! – for a bishop from another; what is considered a violation of a right in one society is an evident and inviolable rule in another; what for some is freedom of conscience is for others simply confusion.
The Synod experience also made us better realize that the true defenders of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit; not ideas but people; not formulae but the gratuitousness of God’s love and forgiveness
Synod15 - Relazione Finale del Sinodo dei Vescovi al Santo Padre Francesco (24 ottobre 2015), 24.10.2015
I
PARTE. LA CHIESA IN ASCOLTO DELLA FAMIGLIA Capitolo I, La famiglia e il contesto antropologico-culturale, Il contesto socio-culturale, Il contesto religioso, Il cambiamento antropologico, Le contraddizioni culturali, Conflitti e tensioni, Fragilità e forza della famiglia
Capitolo II, La famiglia e il contesto socio-economico, La famiglia insostituibile risorsa della società, Politiche in favore della famiglia, Solitudine e precarietà, Economia ed equità, Povertà ed esclusione, Ecologia e famiglia
Capitolo III, Famiglia, inclusione e società, La terza età, La vedovanza
L’ultima stagione della vita e il lutto in famiglia, Persone con bisogni speciali, Le persone non sposate, Migranti, profughi, perseguitati, Alcune sfide peculiari, I bambini, La donna, L’uomo, I giovani
Capitolo IV, Famiglia, affettività e vita, La rilevanza della vita affettiva, La formazione al dono di sé, Fragilità e immaturità, Tecnica e procreazione umana, La sfida per la pastorale
II PARTE, LA FAMIGLIA NEL PIANO DI DIO Capitolo I, La famiglia nella storia della salvezza, La pedagogia divina, L’icona della Trinità nella famiglia, La famiglia nella Sacra Scrittura, Gesù e la famiglia
Capitolo II, La famiglia nel Magistero della Chiesa, L’insegnamento del Concilio, Vaticano II, Paolo VI, Giovanni Paolo II, Benedetto XVI, Francesco
Capitolo III, La famiglia nella dottrina Cristiana, Matrimonio nell’ordine della creazione e pienezza sacramentale, Indissolubilità e fecondità dell’unione sponsale, I beni della famiglia, Verità e bellezza della famiglia
Capitolo IV, Verso la pienezza ecclesiale della famiglia, L’intimo legame tra Chiesa e famiglia, La grazia della conversione e del compimento, La misericordia nel cuore della rivelazione
III PARTE, LA MISSIONE DELLA FAMIGLIA Capitolo I, La formazione della famiglia, La preparazione al matrimonio, La celebrazione nuziale, I primi anni della vita familiar, La formazione dei presbiteri e di altri operatori pastorali
Capitolo II, Famiglia, generatività, educazione, La trasmissione della vita, La responsabilità generative, Il valore della vita in tutte le sue fasi, Adozione e affido, L’educazione dei figli
Capitolo III, Famiglia e accompagnamento pastorale, Situazioni complesse, Accompagnamento in diverse situazioni, Discernimento e integrazione
Capitolo IV, Famiglia ed evangelizzazione, La spiritualità familiar, La famiglia soggetto della pastorale, Il rapporto con le culture e con le istituzioni, L’apertura alla missione
CONCLUSIONE
The Integration of Divorced and Civilly Remarried Persons in the Christian Community Instrumentum Laboris 120. (51) Likewise, those who are divorced and remarried require careful discernment and an accompaniment of great respect. Language or behaviour that might make them feel an object of discrimination should be avoided, all the while encouraging them to participate in the life of the community. The Christian community’s care of such persons is not to be considered a weakening of its faith and testimony to the indissolubility of marriage, but, precisely in this way, the community is seen to express its charity. 121. Many parties request that the attention to and the accompaniment of persons who are divorced and civilly remarried take into account the diversity of situations and be geared towards a greater integration of them into the life of the Christian community. Without prejudice to the recommendations made in
Familiaris Consortio 84, some suggest that the forms of exclusion currently followed in liturgical and pastoral practice be re-examined as well as those in education and charitable activity. Since these persons are still part of the Church, the aim is to reflect on the opportunity to eliminate these forms of exclusion. Furthermore, to promote a greater integration of these persons into the Christian community, specific attention needs to given to the best interest of their children, given the irreplaceable role parents have in raising their children.
Before integrating persons who are divorced and civilly remarried into pastoral life, some recommend that: pastors duly discern the impossibility of abandoning their situation and the life of faith of the couple in the new relationship; the process be accompanied by raising the sensitivity of the Christian community to receive these persons; and this work be done according to the law of gradualness (cf.
FC, 34), while respecting the maturation of consciences.
A Way of Penance 122. (52) The synod fathers also considered the possibility of giving the divorced and remarried access to the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. Various synod fathers insisted on maintaining the present discipline, because of the constitutive relationship between participation in the Eucharist and communion with the Church as well as her teaching on the indissoluble character of marriage. Others proposed a more individualized approach, permitting access in certain situations and with certain well-defined conditions, primarily in irreversible situations and those involving moral obligations towards children who would have to endure unjust suffering. Access to the sacraments might take place if preceded by a penitential practice, determined by the diocesan bishop. The subject needs to be thoroughly examined, bearing in mind the distinction between an objective sinful situation and extenuating circumstances, given that "imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors" (CCC
, 1735). 123. Concerning the aforementioned subject, a great number agree that a journey of reconciliation or penance, under the auspices of the local bishop, might be undertaken by those who are divorced and civilly remarried, who find themselves in irreversible situations. In reference to
Familiaris Consortio, 84, the suggestion was made to follow a process which includes: becoming aware of why the marriage failed and the wounds it caused; due repentance; verification of the possible nullity of the first marriage; a commitment to spiritual communion; and a decision to live in continence.
Others refer to a way of penance, meaning a process of clarifying matters after experiencing a failure and a reorientation which is to be accompanied by a priest who is appointed for this purpose. This process ought to lead the party concerned to an honest judgment of his/her situation. At the same time, the priest himself might come to a sufficient evaluation as to be able to suitably apply the power of binding and loosing to the situation.
In order to examine thoroughly the objective situation of sin and the moral culpability of the parties, some suggest considering
The Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the Reception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (4 September 1994) and
The Declaration concerning the Admission to Holy Communion of the Faithful who are Divorced and Remarried of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts (24 June 2000).
Spiritual Participation in Church Communion 124. (53) Some synod fathers maintained that divorced and remarried persons or those living together can have fruitful recourse to a spiritual communion. Others raised the question as to why, then, they cannot have access to sacramental Communion. As a result, the synod fathers requested that further theological study in the matter with a view to making clear the distinctive features of the two forms and their connection with the theology of marriage. 125. The Church’s work of incorporating her members in Christ, begun in Baptism — even in the case of those who are divorced and civilly remarried — takes place in stages through a continual conversion. In this process people are invited in different ways to conform their lives to the Lord Jesus, who, with his grace, sustains them in ecclesial communion. In reference again to
Familiaris Consortio, 84, the recommended forms of participation are: listening to the Word of God, participation in the celebration of the Eucharist, perseverance in prayer, works of charity, initiatives in the community fostering justice, the formation of children in the faith and a spirit of penance, all of which are supported by the Church’s prayer and kindhearted witness. The fruit of this participation is the communion of believers with the whole community, which is an expression of being incorporated into the Church as the Body of Christ. It is important to remember that spiritual communion, which presupposes conversion and the state of grace, is connected to sacramental communion.
Synod of Bishops Relatio Finale
Discernimento e integrazione 84. I battezzati che sono divorziati e risposati civilmente devono essere più integrati nelle comunità cristiane nei diversi modi possibili, evitando ogni occasione di scandalo. La logica dell’integrazione è la chiave del loro accompagnamento pastorale, perché non soltanto sappiano che appartengono al Corpo di Cristo che è la Chiesa, ma ne possano avere una gioiosa e feconda esperienza. Sono battezzati, sono fratelli e sorelle, lo Spirito Santo riversa in loro doni e carismi per il bene di tutti. La loro partecipazione può esprimersi in diversi servizi ecclesiali: occorre perciò discernere quali delle diverse forme di esclusione attualmente praticate in ambito liturgico, pastorale, educativo e istituzionale possano essere superate. Essi non solo non devono sentirsi scomunicati, ma possono vivere e maturare come membra vive della Chiesa, sentendola come una madre che li accoglie sempre, si prende cura di loro con affetto e li incoraggia nel cammino della vita e del Vangelo. Quest’integrazione è necessaria pure per la cura e l’educazione cristiana dei loro figli, che debbono essere considerati i più importanti. Per la comunità cristiana, prendersi cura di queste persone non è un indebolimento della propria fede e della testimonianza circa l’indissolubilità matrimoniale: anzi, la Chiesa esprime proprio in questa cura la sua carità.
85. San Giovanni Paolo II ha offerto un criterio complessivo, che rimane la base per la valutazione di queste situazioni: «Sappiano i pastori che, per amore della verità, sono obbligati a ben discernere le situazioni. C’è infatti differenza tra quanti sinceramente si sono sforzati di salvare il primo matrimonio e sono stati abbandonati del tutto ingiustamente, e quanti per loro grave colpa hanno distrutto un matrimonio canonicamente valido. Ci sono infine coloro che hanno contratto una seconda unione in vista dell’educazione dei figli, e talvolta sono soggettivamente certi in coscienza che il precedente matrimonio, irreparabilmente distrutto, non era mai stato valido» (
FC, 84). È quindi compito dei presbiteri accompagnare le persone interessate sulla via del discernimento secondo l’insegnamento della Chiesa e gli orientamenti del Vescovo. In questo processo sarà utile fare un esame di coscienza, tramite momenti di riflessione e di pentimento. I divorziati risposati dovrebbero chiedersi come si sono comportati verso i loro figli quando l’unione coniugale è entrata in crisi; se ci sono stati tentativi di riconciliazione; come è la situazione del partner abbandonato; quali conseguenze ha la nuova relazione sul resto della famiglia e la comunità dei fedeli; quale esempio essa offre ai giovani che si devono preparare al matrimonio. Una sincera riflessione può rafforzare la fiducia nella misericordia di Dio che non viene negata a nessuno.
Inoltre, non si può negare che in alcune circostanze «l’imputabilità e la responsabilità di un’azione possono essere sminuite o annullate» (
CCC, 1735) a causa di diversi condizionamenti. Di conseguenza, il giudizio su una situazione oggettiva non deve portare ad un giudizio sulla «imputabilità soggettiva» (Pontificio Consiglio per i testi legislativi, Dichiarazione del 24 giugno 2000, 2a). In determinate circostanze le persone trovano grandi difficoltà ad agire in modo diverso. Perciò, pur sostenendo una norma generale, è necessario riconoscere che la responsabilità rispetto a determinate azioni o decisioni non è la medesima in tutti i casi. Il discernimento pastorale, pure tenendo conto della coscienza rettamente formata delle persone, deve farsi carico di queste situazioni. Anche le conseguenze degli atti compiuti non sono necessariamente le stesse in tutti i casi.
86. Il percorso di accompagnamento e discernimento orienta questi fedeli alla presa di coscienza della loro situazione davanti a Dio. Il colloquio col sacerdote, in foro interno, concorre alla formazione di un giudizio corretto su ciò che ostacola la possibilità di una più piena partecipazione alla vita della Chiesa e sui passi che possono favorirla e farla crescere. Dato che nella stessa legge non c’è gradualità (cf.
FC, 34), questo discernimento non potrà mai prescindere dalle esigenze di verità e di carità del Vangelo proposte dalla Chiesa. Perché questo avvenga, vanno garantite le necessarie condizioni di umiltà, riservatezza, amore alla Chiesa e al suo insegnamento, nella ricerca sincera della volontà di Dio e nel desiderio di giungere ad una risposta più perfetta ad essa.
[1]to speak candidly, "free speech". "one who speaks the truth". literally "to speak everything" and by extension "to speak freely," "to speak boldly," or "boldness." It implies not only freedom of speech, but the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk.
[2]to speak candidly, "free speech". "one who speaks the truth". literally "to speak everything" and by extension "to speak freely," "to speak boldly," or "boldness." It implies not only freedom of speech, but the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk.