SUMMARY:
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Programme of the Pope's visit to the European Parliament and the
Council of Europe
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The Pope to visit France in 2015
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Second General Congregation
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Third General Congregation
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Other Pontifical Acts
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Programme
of the Pope's visit to the European Parliament and the Council of
Europe
Vatican
City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) – The programme of the Holy Father
Francis' visit to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe,
scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 25 November, was published today.
The
Pope will leave from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 7.55 a.m., arriving
in Strasbourg at 10 a.m., where he will be received privately. At
10.35 he will address the European Parliament and at 12.05 p.m. will
speak before the Council of Europe. At 1.50 p.m. he will depart for
Rome, where he will arrive at Ciampino airport at 3.50 p.m.
The
Pope to visit France in 2015
Vatican
City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., today announced the Holy Father's
intention to make an apostolic trip to France during 2015.
Second
General Congregation
Vatican
City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) – The second general Congregation, held
yesterday afternoon, opened the discussions of the Extraordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The theme, according to the
agenda set forth in the Instrumentum Laboris, was: “God’s Plan
for Marriage and the Family” (Part I, Chapter 1), and “The
Knowledge and Acceptance of the Teachings on Marriage and the Family
from Sacred Scripture and Church Documents” (Part I, Chapter 2).
Based
on the premise that the family is the basic unit of human society,
the cradle of gratuitous love, and that taking about the family and
marriage implies education in fidelity, it was reiterated that the
family constitutes the future of humanity and must be protected.
From
many quarters, however, there has emerged the need to adapt the
language of the Church, so that doctrine on the family, life and
sexuality is understood correctly: it is necessary to enter into
dialogue with the world, looking to the example offered by the
Vatican Council, or rather with a critical but sincere openness. If
the Church does not listen to the world, the world will not listen to
the Church. And dialogue may be based on important themes, such as
the equal dignity of men and women and the rejection of violence.
The
Gospel must not be explained, but rather shown – it was said in the
Assembly – and above all, the lay faithful must be involved in the
proclamation of the Good News, demonstrating the missionary charism.
Evangelisation must not be a depersonalised theory, but must instead
ensure that families themselves give concrete witness to the beauty
and truth of the Gospel. The challenge, it was said, is that of
passing from a defensive situation to an active, proactive one, or
rather, reviving the capacity for proposing the heritage of faith
with a new language, with hope, ardour and enthusiasm, offering
convincing testimonies and creating a bridge between the language of
the Church and that of society.
In
this sense, the use of a “biblical” rather than a
“theological-speculative” catechesis was called for, since, in
spite of appearances to the contrary, people are no longer satisfied
by selfishness and instead seek ideals. Humanity desires happiness
and the Christian knows that happiness is Christ, but no longer
succeeds in finding the suitable language to communicate this to the
world. The Church, instead, must be “magnetic”; it must work by
attraction, with an attitude of friendship towards the world.
With
regard to couples in difficulty, it was emphasised that the Church
needs to be close to them with understanding, forgiveness and mercy:
mercy, it was said, is God’s first prerogative, but it must be seen
in the context of justice, as only in this way will the whole of
God’s plan be respected.
Marriage
is and remains an indissoluble sacrament; however, since the truth is
Christ, a Person, and not a series of rules, it is important to
maintain the principles while changing the concrete forms of their
implementation. In short, as Benedict XVI said, novelty in
continuity: the Synod does not call Doctrine into question, but
reflects on the Pastoral, or rather spiritual discernment for the
application of such Doctrine in response to the challenges faced by
contemporary families. In this sense, mercy does not eliminate the
commandments, but it provides the hermeneutic key to them.
Furthermore,
it was underlined that even imperfect situations must be considered
with respect: for instance, de facto unions in which couples live
together with fidelity and love present elements of sanctification
and truth. It is therefore essential to look first and foremost at
the positive elements, so that the Synod may infuse with courage and
hope even imperfect forms of family, so that their value may be
recognised, according to the principle of graduality. It is necessary
to truly love families in difficulty.
In
the context of a society in which there prevails a sort of
“ego-latry”, leading to defamiliarisation, it is important to
acknowledge the loss of a sense of the covenant between a man ( and a
woman) and God. The proclamation of the beauty of the family,
therefore, must not be simply aesthetic, the presentation of a mere
ideal to imitate, but must instead present the importance of
definitive commitment based on the covenant between married couples
and God.
Another
essential point is the rejection of clericalism: at times the Church
seems more concerned with power than with service, and for this
reason she does not inspire the hearts of men and women. It is
therefore necessary to return to the imitation of Christ, and to
rediscover humility: the reform of the Church must begin with the
reform of the clergy. If the faithful see pastors who imitate Christ
they will therefore draw close to the Church once more, enabling her
to proceed from the act of evangelising to being inherently
evangelical.
The
theme of the essential value of sexuality within marriage was also
considered: sexuality outside marriage is discussed so critically
that married sexuality can appear almost as a concession to
imperfection. The Synod indicated, more briefly, the need for a
greater formation of priests in relation to policies in favour of the
family and the re-launching of the transmission of faith within the
family.
During
the hour of free discussion, from 6 to 7 p.m., two suggestions
emerged: that the Synod send a message of encouragement and
appreciation to families in Iraq, threatened by extermination
perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists and forced to flee so as not
to renounce their faith. The suggestion was subject to vote and
approved by a majority.
Another
call was the need to reflect on the married clergy of the oriental
Churches, as they too often live through “family crises”, which
may extend to the question of divorce.
Third
General Congregation
Vatican
City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) – The general debate continued
throughout today’s third general Congregation. The theme according
to the order of the Instrumentum Laboris was: “The Gospel of the
Family and the Natural Law” (Part I, Chapter 3) and “The Family
and Vocation of the Person in Christ” (Part I, Chapter 4).
At
the opening of the Congregation, it was announced that the Ordinary
Consistory, convoked by the Holy Father for Monday 20 October, will
be devoted to the situation in the Middle East, on the basis of the
results of the meeting of various Papal Representatives and Superiors
of the competent Dicasteries, held in the Vatican from 2 to 4
October. The theme of the Consistory will be presented by Cardinal
Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. The meeting will also be attended
by six Oriental Patriarchs and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His
Beatitude Fouad Twal.
The
general debate then continued in relation to the issues stated above.
It was agreed that greater preparation for marriage is necessary, so
that it is not only valid but also fruitful. The suggestion was to
look not only towards remedies for failure of the conjugal union, but
also to focus on the conditions that render it valid and fruitful. It
is necessary to transmit a vision of marriage that does not regard it
as a destination, but rather as a path to a higher end, a road
towards the growth of the person and of the couple, a source of
strength and energy. The decision to marry is a true vocation and as
such requires fidelity and coherence in order to become a true locus
for the growth and the protection of the human being.
For
this reason, married couples must be accompanied throughout their
path in life, by means of intense and vigorous family pastoral care.
The path of preparation for the marriage sacrament, must therefore be
long, personalised and also severe, without the fear of eventually
leading to a reduction in the number of weddings celebrated in
Church. Otherwise, there is the risk of filling the Tribunals with
marriage cases.
A
further point that emerged during the discussion was the influence of
the mass media, at times intrusive, in presenting ideologies contrary
to the doctrine of the Church in relation to family and marriage. In
this respect, it was said, Catholics must be protected but must also
be better prepared: the Church must offer her teaching in a more
incisive manner, presenting doctrine not merely as a list of
prohibitions, but also by drawing closer to the faithful, as Jesus
did. In this way, acting with empathy and tenderness, it will be
possible to reduce the gap between doctrine and practice, between the
teachings of the Church and the daily life of families. What is
needed is not a choice between doctrine and mercy, but rather the
beginning of an enlightened pastoral care to encourage above all
those families in difficulty, who are often aware of a sense of not
belonging to the Church.
Today’s
debate then turned again to couples in difficulty and divorced and
civilly remarried persons, for whom, it was said, that the Church
should offer not judgement but truth, with a gaze of understanding,
because people follow the truth, and will follow the Church if she
speaks the truth. The “medicine” of mercy offers acceptance, care
and support. Also because – it was shown – suffering families do
not seek rapid pastoral solutions, and they do not wish to be a mere
statistical figure, but rather feel the need to be inspired, to feel
that they are welcomed and loved. More space must be allowed for a
sacramental rather than a juridical form of logic.
With
regard to the approach to the Eucharist by the divorced and
remarried, it was emphasised that it is not the sacrament of the
perfect, but rather of those who are on the way.
Like
yesterday afternoon, the debate focused on the need to renew the
language of the proclamation of the Gospel and the transmission of
doctrine: the Church must be more open to dialogue, and must listen
more frequently (and not only in exceptional cases) to the
experiences of married couples, because their struggles and their
failures cannot be ignored; on the other hand, they can be the basis
of a real and true theology. Again, in relation to language, some
perplexity was expressed at the suggestion – included in the
Instrumentum Laboris – to deepen the concept, of biblical
inspiration, of the “order of creation” as a possibility of
rereading “natural law” more meaningfully: it was added that it
is not enough to change the vocabulary if a bridge to effective
dialogue with the faithful is not then created. In this sense, the
much foretold and widespread need for change may be understood, it
was said, as pastoral conversion, to make the proclamation of the
Gospel more effective.
In
the Assembly, three specific dimensions of the family were presented:
the vocation to life, the missionary aspect understood as witnessing
Christ through the family unity, and acceptance of the other, as the
family is the first school of otherness, the place in which it is
possible to learn patience and slowness, in contrast to the frenzy of
the contemporary world. A further dimension of the family unit is
shown also in holiness, as the family educated in holiness is the
icon of the Trinity, the domestic Church in the service of
evangelisation, the future of humanity.
Other
points indicated during the third general Congregation related to the
importance of catechesis for families, especially for children, and
prayer between domestic walls, so that it may give rise to a true
generation of faith, enabling its transmission from parents to
children. Finally, the need for a more thorough formation for priests
and catechists was underlined.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Krakow, Poland, presented by Archbishop Jan Zajac upon reaching the
age limit.
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