SUMMARY:
-
Francis to the Synod Fathers: “Speak clearly, listen with humility,
accept with an open heart”
-
Summary of the Relatio ante disceptationem
-
Nurturing “God's dream”, guided by the Holy Spirit
-
Angelus: “A Bible for every family, to read often”
-
Prayer vigil for the Synod: may the Synod Fathers be able to listen
to God and to the People
-
Francis to disabled athletes: your testimony is a great sign of hope
-
Christians in the Middle East: the Church cannot remain silent before
the persecution of her children
-
In brief
-
Audiences
-
Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
Francis
to the Synod Fathers: “Speak clearly, listen with humility, accept
with an open heart”
Vatican
City, 6 October 2014 (VIS) – This morning, in the presence of the
Holy Father, the First General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops
on “Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of new
evangelisation” took place in the Synod Hall. The Pope greeted the
Synod Fathers and all the collaborators in the Synod – the
relators, consultors, translators and all those “who have worked
with dedication, patience and competence, for long months, reading
and working on the themes, texts and the work of this Extraordinary
General Assembly”.
Today
I also thank you, dear cardinals, patriarchs, bishops, priests, men
and women religious and laypersons for your presence and your
participation that enriches the works and the spirit of collegiality
and synodality for the good of the Church and families. … You bring
the voice of the particular Churches, gathered at the level of the
local Churches through the Episcopal Conferences. The universal
Church and the particular Churches are of divine institution; the
local Churches, understood in this way, are of human institution. You
will bring this voice in synodality. It is a great responsibility:
bring the reality and problems of the Churches to help them to walk
the path of the Gospel of the family”.
“A
general basic condition is this: speak clearly. Let no one say, 'this
can't be said, they will think this or that about me'. Everything we
feel must be said, with parrhesia. After the last Consistory in
February 2014, which focused on the family, a Cardinal wrote to me
saying that it was a pity that some cardinals did not have the
courage to say certain things out of respect for the Pope, thinking
perhaps that the Pope thought differently. This is not good – it is
not synodality, because it is necessary to say everything that in the
Lord we feel must be said: without human respect, without timidness.
And, at the same time, we must listen with humility and accept with
an open heart all that our brothers say. With these two attitudes,
synodality is achieved”.
“Therefore,
I ask of you”, insisted Francis, “these two attitudes of brothers
in the Lord: speak with parrhesia and listen with humility. And do so
with great tranquillity and peace, because the Synod always takes
place 'cum Petro et sub Petro', and the presence of the Pope is a
guarantee for all and a protection of faith”.
At
the end the Holy Father's brief address and that of Cardinal Andre
Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France, presiding at the session,
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of
Bishops, gave a presentation of the various stages in the preparation
of this Extraordinary Assembly, the number of participants, the
novelties and the work of the Secretariat of the Synod following the
last Ordinary General Assembly held in October 2012 under the papacy
of Benedict XVI. He concluded by expressing the hope that this Synod
may be “a privileged space for this synodal collegiality, that
proclaims the Gospel while walking its path. May it be permeated by a
new openness to the Spirit, by a method and a style of life and
witness that guarantee unity in diversity, apostolicity in
Catholicity”. Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest
and relator general of the Synod, went on to read the “Relatio ante
disceptationem”, summarised in the following article.
Summary
of the Relatio ante disceptationem
Vatican
City, 6 October 2014 (VIS) – The “Report prior to discussion”
presented this morning by Cardinal Peter Erdo, relator general,
introduces the work of the Synod, emphasising the main points in
relation to which the discussion of the Assembly should develop. In
this sense, it is important to highlight a new element: the report of
this Synod Assembly already includes the Synod Fathers' written
discourses, sent in advance to the Secretariat General of the Synod,
with the aim of responding better to the collegial sense of the
Assembly.
First
and foremost, Cardinal Erdo's report encourages the family to be
regarded with hope and mercy, proclaiming its value and beauty as, in
spite of the many difficulties, it is not a “model off course”;
we live in a world of mere emotions, he continues, in which life “is
not a project, but rather a series of moments” and “stable
commitment appears formidable” for humanity rendered fragile by
individualism. But it is precisely here, faced with these “signs of
the times”, that the Gospel of the family offers itself as a
remedy, a “true medicine” that is to be proposed by “placing
oneself in the corner of those who find it more difficult to
recognise and live it”.
No,
therefore, to “doom and surrender” within the Church. “There
exists a clear and broadly shared heritage of faith”. For example,
ideological forms such as gender theory or the equality of homosexual
unions with marriage between a man and a woman do not find consensus
among the majority of Catholics, while marriage and the family are
still largely understood as a “patrimony” for humanity, to be
protected, promoted and defended. Certainly, among believers doctrine
is often little known or practised, but this does not mean that it is
under discussion”. This is particularly relevant in relation to the
indissolubility of marriage and its sacramental nature among baptised
persons. The indissolubility of marriage is not called into question;
on the other hand, it is uncontested and for the greater part
observed also in the pastoral practice of the Church with those whose
marriages have failed and who seek a new beginning. Therefore, not
doctrinal, but rather practical questions – inseparable from the
truths of faith – are in discussion in this Synod, of an
exquisitely pastoral nature”.
This
leads to the need for greater formation, above all for engaged
couples, so that they are clearly aware both of the sacramental
dignity of marriage, based on “uniqueness, fidelity and
fruitfulness”, and of its nature as “in institution in society”.
Although threatened by “disrupting factors” such as divorce,
abortion, violence, poverty, abuse, the “nightmare” of
precariousness and the imbalance caused by migration, explains
Cardinal Erdo, the family remains a “school of humanity”. “The
family is almost the last welcoming human reality in a world
determined near exclusively by finance and technology. A new culture
of the family can be the starting point for a renewed human
civilisation”.
Therefore,
continues the cardinal, the Church supports the family in a concrete
way, although this “does not exclude the need for active commitment
on the part of States” in the protection and promotion of the
common good, through suitable policies.
Turning
later to those who live in difficult marital conditions, Cardinal
Erdo highlights that the Church is a the “House of the Father”;
in relation to these people, a “renewed and adequate action of
family pastoral” is necessary, in particular to enable them to feel
loved by God and the ecclesial community, from a merciful perspective
that does not, however, cancel out “truth and justice”.
“Consequently, mercy does not take away the commitments which arise
from the demands of the marriage bond. They will continue to exist
even when human love is weakened or has ceased. This means that, in
the case of a (consummated) sacramental marriage, after a divorce, a
second marriage recognised by the Church is impossible, while the
first spouse is still alive”.
Considering
the diversity of situations – divorces, civil marriages,
cohabitation – Cardinal Erdo highlighted the need for “clear
guidelines” so that the pastors of local communities may offer
practical help to couples in difficulty, avoiding improvisation and
“do it yourself” pastoral care. With regard to divorced and
civilly remarried persons, he underlines that it would be misleading
to concentrate only on the question of receiving sacraments – it is
instead important to look at the broader context of preparation for
marriage and support – pastoral rather than bureaucratic – for
couples, to help them understand the reasons for the failure of their
first union and to identify the causes for nullity: “As regards the
divorced who are civilly married, many have said that the distinction
needs to be made between the one who is guilty for the break-up of
the marriage and the innocent party. The Church’s pastoral care
should extend to each of them in a particular way”.
Furthermore,
in view of the limited knowledge of the marriage sacrament and an
increasing “divorce mentality”, “it does not seem hazardous ...
to believe that many marriages celebrated in the Church may be
invalid”. This leads to the suggestion included in the Relatio to
recognise “in the first place the obligation for two appeals of
confirmation on the declaration of nullity of the marriage bond”
and in any case “to avoid any type of mechanics or impression of
granting a divorce” or “to avoid solutions which are unjust and
scandalous”. In this respect, it is necessary also to study the
practice of various Orthodox Churches which permit second or third
marriages of a penitential nature.
Finally,
in the last part of the document, Cardinal Erdo focuses on the Gospel
of life: existence is from conception to to natural death, he
remarks, and “openness to life is an essential part and intrinsic
need of conjugal love, while nowadays, especially in the West, there
are those who choose not to have children and those who would have
them at any cost; “in both cases, the possibility of procreating a
child is reduced to one’s ability of self-determination. …
Welcoming life, assuming responsibility in procreating life and the
care required are possible only if the family is not conceived as an
isolated unit but an active part in a network of relationships. ...
Increasing importance is being given to not leaving the family and
families on their own, but to accompanying and supporting them in
their everyday journey. ... Family tragedies are often the result of
desperation, loneliness and a painful cry which no one knew how to
discern”.
It
is therefore important to rediscover a sense of widespread and
concrete solidarity, to overcome any “privatisation of love”
which empties the family of meaning and entrusts it instead to
individual choice. It is necessary to create, on an institutional
level, the conditions favourable to welcoming a child and for the
care of the elderly as a social asset to be protected and promoted.
The Church should devote herself in a special way to education in
love and sexuality, explaining its value and avoiding banalisation
and superficiality.
In
conclusion, affirms Cardinal Erdo, the challenge for this Synod is to
try to bring to today’s world, beyond the circle of practicing
Catholics and considering the complex situation of society, “the
attractiveness of the Christian message” about marriage and the
family, giving answers that are true and full of charity”, because
“the world needs Christ”.
The
full text in English of the “Relatio ante disceptationem” can be
consulted at:
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2014/10/06/0712/03003.html
Nurturing
“God's dream”, guided by the Holy Spirit
Vatican
City, 5 October 2014 (VIS) – “Today the prophet Isaiah and the
Gospel employ the image of the Lord’s vineyard. The Lord’s
vineyard is his 'dream', the plan which he nurtures with all his
love, like a farmer who cares for his vineyard. Vines are plants
which need much care”, said the Holy Father in his homily during
the Holy Mass celebrated this morning in the Vatican Basilica to
inaugurate the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops on “Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of
evangelisation”.
“God’s
'dream' is his people”, continued Francis. “He planted it and
nurtured it with patient and faithful love, so that it can become a
holy people, a people which brings forth abundant fruits of justice.
But in both the ancient prophecy and in Jesus’ parable, God’s
dream is thwarted. … The temptation to greed is ever present. …
Greed for money and power. And to satisfy this greed, evil pastors
lay intolerable burdens on the shoulders of others, which they
themselves do not lift a finger to move. We too, in the Synod of
Bishops, are called to work for the Lord’s vineyard. Synod
Assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to
see who is more intelligent. They are meant to better nurture and
tend the Lord’s vineyard, to help realise his dream, his loving
plan for his people. In this case the Lord is asking us to care for
the family, which has been from the beginning an integral part of his
loving plan for humanity”.
“We
are all sinners and can also be tempted to 'take over' the vineyard,
because of that greed which is always present in us human beings.
God’s dream always clashes with the hypocrisy of some of his
servants. We can 'thwart' God’s dream if we fail to let ourselves
be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us that wisdom which
surpasses knowledge, and enables us to work generously with authentic
freedom and humble creativity”. The Holy Father concluded, “to do
a good job of nurturing and tending the vineyard, our hearts and our
minds must be kept in Jesus Christ by 'the peace of God which passes
all understanding'. In this way our thoughts and plans will
correspond to God’s dream: to form a holy people who are his own
and produce the fruits of the kingdom of God”.
Angelus:
“A Bible for every family, to read often”
Vatican
City, 5 October 2014 (VIS) – At midday, following the celebration
of the Holy Mass for the inauguration of the Synod, the Holy Father
appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace
to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
He thanked the Pauline brothers who distributed Bibles to mark the
centenary of their foundation. “With the inauguration of the Synod
on the Family, with the help of the Pauline brothers we can say, a
Bible in every family”, he said, remarking that “the Bible is not
to be kept on a shelf, but rather kept at hand to be read often,
every day, individually or together, husband and wife, parents and
children, perhaps in the evening, especially on Sunday. In this way
the family grows and goes forth, with the light and strength of the
Word of God”.
The
bishop of Rome invited all to “support the work of the Synod with
prayer, invoking the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary”. He
added, “In this moment we join spiritually with those who, in the
Shrine of Pompeii, elevate the traditional 'Supplication' to Our Lady
of the Rosary. May she obtain peace for families and for the entire
world”.
Prayer
vigil for the Synod: may the Synod Fathers be able to listen to God
and to the People
Vatican
City, 5 October 2014 (VIS) – At 6 p.m. yesterday, Saturday, in St.
Peter's Square, a prayer vigil was held for the Third Extraordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, organised by the Presidency
of the Italian Episcopal Conference. The Synod Fathers participated
in the event, which alternated moments of prayer with reflection and
testimonies of family life. At 7 p.m., the Holy Father joined the
families and the faithful to say, “This is the time at which we
willingly return home to find ourselves at the same table, surrounded
by affection, the good we have done and received, the encounters that
have warmed the heart or helped it grow, the good wine that offers us
a glimpse in our days of the feast without end. It is also the most
difficult time for those who find themselves face to face with their
own solitude, in the bitter twilight of shattered dreams and
unfulfilled plans: how many people pass their days in the blind alley
of resignation, neglect, even rancour; in how many homes is there a
lack of the good wine of joy and thus of the flavour, the very
knowledge, of life. This evening let us become the voice of prayer
for all; a prayer for all”.
Francis
went on to speak about “the communion of life assumed by married
couples, their openness to the gift of life, mutual care, the
encounter and the memory of generations, educational accompaniment,
the transmission of Christian faith to children … in all this, the
family continues to be an unequalled school in humanity, an
indispensable contribution to a just and caring society. And the
deeper its roots are, the further it is possible to go in life
without becoming lost or feeling like a stranger in any land. This
horizon helps us to grasp the importance of the Synod Assembly that
opens tomorrow”.
“To
seek what the Lord asks of His Church now, we must listen to the
heartbeat of our times and perceive the spirit of humanity today,
remaining impressed by their joys and hopes, their sadness and
anguish. At that point we will know how to propose credibly the good
news on the family”. Before concluding the Pope asked the Holy
Spirit to offer the Synod Fathers the gift of listening to God and
His people, invoking a sincere, open and fraternal encounter enabling
them to face with pastoral responsibility the questions that come
with changing times, yet always looking to Jesus Christ. He added,
“With the joy of the Gospel we will recover the traces of a
reconciled and merciful Church, poor and a friend to the poor; a
Church able, 'in patience and in love, to overcome its sorrows and
its challenges, both within itself and from without'”.
Francis
to disabled athletes: your testimony is a great sign of hope
Vatican
City, 4 October 2014 (VIS) – This morning, in the Vatican's Paul VI
Hall, the Pope received in audience seven thousand disabled athletes,
members of the Italian Paralympic Committee. In his address he
remarked that sport promotes contact and relations with people from
different cultures and environments, and helps us become accustomed
to accepting difference, transforming it into an opportunity for
mutual enrichment and discovery. “Above all”, he affirmed, “sport
becomes a valuable opportunity to recognise that we are brothers and
sisters walking side by side, to favour a culture of inclusion and to
reject throwaway culture”.
Francis
reiterated that this aspect of sport becomes even more evident in
relation to disabled athletes, because the physical disability they
experience, “through sport and healthy competition, is transformed
into a message of encouragement” for those who find themselves in
similar situations, and becomes “an invitation to devote all your
energies to doing good things together, overcoming barriers that we
may encounter around us, and above all, those inside us”.
“Your
witness, as athletes”, he exclaimed, “is a great sign of hope. It
is the proof that in every person there is potential that at times we
do not imagine, and that may develop with trust and solidarity. God
the Father is the first to know this! He knows us better than any
other, and He looks upon us with trust, He loves us as we are, but he
enables us to grow according to what we are able to become. In this
way, in your efforts for sport without barriers, for a world without
exclusion, you are never alone” God our Father is with you!”.
“May
sport therefore be for you a place where you are able to train every
day, in relation to yourselves and others, a gymnasium that offers
you the chance to get to know new people and environments and that
helps you to be an active part of society”.
Christians
in the Middle East: the Church cannot remain silent before the
persecution of her children
Vatican
City, 4 October 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Pauline Chapel
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin celebrated Holy Mass for
the papal representatives in the Middle East at the end of the
meeting convoked at the behest of the Holy Father, dedicated to the
situation faced by Christians in the region. Extensive extracts from
his homily are published below:
“Today
we celebrate this Holy Eucharist with concern for what is happening
in various countries in the Middle East. We are profoundly troubled
to see the growing threats to peace and disturbed by the conditions
in which Christian communities live in the territories from Syria to
Iraq, controlled by an entity that disregards rights and adopts
terrorist methods to increase its power”.
“Such
communities, which inhabit these lands since apostolic times,
therefore find themselves facing situations of grave danger and open
persecution, and are frequently forced to abandon everything and flee
from their homes and their country. It is sad to note how persistent
and active the forces of evil are, and how in some corrupt minds the
conviction has taken hold that violence and terror are methods that
can be used to impose one's will for power over others, under the
pretext of affirming a specific religious concept. It is clearly a
perversion of authentic religious meaning, with dramatic results and
to which it is necessary to respond. The Church cannot remain silent
before the persecution of her sons and daughters, and the
international community cannot remain neutral between victims and the
aggressor”.
“'Preserve
me, O God, for in you I take refuge'. Thus the psalmist prays. He,
who was no stranger to difficulty and violent adversaries,
confidently turns to the Lord. The wicked and their machinations do
not frighten him, because his life is in the Lord's hands. He knows
that his true strength and safety is the Lord Who gives him peace and
joy and Who prepares a definitive and joyful future. … It is the
joy of every faithful Christian who knows that History is led by
Providence and that the forces of evil shall not prevail”.
“This
certainty that we rejoice in, far from leaving us as idle or inert
spectators, encourages us as individuals and as a Christian
community, as Church, in constant and trusting prayer and urges us to
put into effect all those concrete initiatives that help influence
governments and public opinion. Nothing must be neglected that it may
be possible to do to alleviate the suffering of our brethren in need
and to stop the aggressors. Providence wishes also to make use of us,
of our freedom and our industriousness, our initiative and our daily
efforts”.
“Persecuted
Christians and all those who suffer unjustly must be able to
recognise that the Church is the institution that defends them, that
prays and acts for them, that is not afraid of stating the truth,
becoming the word for those without a voice, defence and support for
those who are abandoned, who seek refuge, who are discriminated
against. Indeed, everything depends on God and His Grace, but it is
necessary to act as if it all depended on us, on our prayer and our
solidarity”.
In
brief
Vatican
City, 4 October 2014 (VIS) – THE HOLY FATHER HAS SENT A VIDEO
MESSAGE to the International Centre of the Focolare Movement in
Loppiano, Italy, on the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation by
Chiara Lubich. The Pope remarked that Loppiano “inspired by the
Gospel of fraternity … lives in the service of the Church and the
world”, and offers a “living and effective witness of communion
among persons of different nations, cultures and vocations” and
maintaining, above all, mutual and continual charity in everyday
life.
NO
MORE WAR OR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, affirm the papal representatives
in the Middle East at the end of their meeting in the Vatican from 2
to 4 October, during which they discussed the situation faced by
Christians in the region. They expressed their serious concerns
regarding the actions of various extremist groups, in particular the
“Islamic State”, before whose violence and abuses it is
impossible to remain indifferent. The international community cannot
remain inert, they remarked, when faced with massacres carried out on
the pretext of religious belief or ethnic origin or the exodus of
thousands of people and the destruction of their places of worship.
The participants in the meeting emphasised that it is acceptable to
stop an unjust aggressor, always with respect for international law.
However, the problem cannot be entrusted solely to the usual military
response, but must be faced in more depth, starting from the root
causes that are exploited by fundamentalist ideology. An important
role can be played by religious leaders, Christian and Muslim,
collaborating to promote dialogue and education in mutual
understanding, and clearly denouncing the abuse of religion to
justify violence. Faced with the crisis of so many people forced to
leave their homes in a brutal fashion, the participants highlighted
the need to recognise the rights of Christians and other ethnic and
religious groups to be able to remain in their homelands and, should
it be necessary for them to leave, to return in suitable conditions
of safety, with the possibility of living and working in freedom and
with prospects for the future. In the current circumstances this
requires commitment on the part of the governments involved and the
international community as a whole. Finally, they stressed that we
cannot resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without
Christians, who for two thousand years have confessed the name of
Jesus Christ there.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 4 October 2014 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father received
the following in separate audiences:
-
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops;
-
Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz of Louisville, U.S.A., president of
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, with Cardinal
Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, deputy president,
Msgr. Ronny E. Jenkins, secretary general and J. Brian Bransfield,
adjunct secretary general;
-
Archbishop Wojciech Zaluski, apostolic nuncio in Burundi;
-
Msgr. Paolo Rudelli, special envoy and Holy See Permanent Observer at
the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 6 October 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
On
Saturday, 4 October the Holy Father:
-
accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of
Arundel and Brighton, England, presented by Bishop Kieran Conry, in
accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
-
appointed Fr. Stane Zore, O.F.M., as metropolitan archbishop of
Ljubljana (area 6,134, population 776,336, Catholics 554,417, priests
428, permanent deacons 221, religious 546), Slovenia. The
bishop-elect was born in Sel Pri Kamniku, Slovenia in 1958, gave his
solemn vows in 1984, and was ordained a priest in 1985. He has served
in a number of roles, including parish priest, rector of the national
Shrines of Brezje and Sveta Gora, guardian in various fraternities,
master of novices, and provincial minister of the province of the
Holy Cross in Slovenia. He is currently provincial minister of his
order and president of the Conference of Men and Women Religious in
Slovenia (KORUS).
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