Synod on the Family: Press Briefing Day 9

On a rainy Wednesday morning the delegates to the Synod on the Family returned to a plenary meeting after two days of group work - REUTERS

14/10/2015 17:28SHARE:(Vatican Radio) 14 Oct. At the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family an African Cardinal said that polygamy was much more of a problem in Africa than divorce and remarriage. Spokesman for Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, was joined by Cardinals Vincent Nichols of Britain, Phillippe Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso and Rubén Salazar Gomez from Colombia.Click below to listen to the report by Fr. Russell Pollitt SJCardinal Ouedraogo told the media that in Europe divorce and remarriage was a real concern for Synod delegates but, in Africa, polygamy was a much more pressing problem. He said that the authors of the Instrumentum Laboris tended towards highlighting Western problems but that the African delegates have spoken about their problems assertively in the small working groups.The delegates assembled for a plenary session at the Synod on Wednesday morning. They listened to reports of the small group work that has taken place over the last two days. Interventions then began on the third part of the working document, Instrumentum Laboris.Many groups reported that they thought more Scripture should be used to help families understand their mission and vocation. A number of reports stated that the "indissolubility of marriage” needs to be framed in more positive language - it is not a burden but something that is hopeful and joyful. Some groups advocated for the development of catechetical and prayer resources for families.

Other topics reported on were the importance and role of women in family and the Church as well as the scourge of violence against women, the question of why young people today delay or are afraid to commit to each other in matrimony, and the tension between God's mercy and justice. One of the delegates said that it was God's mercy that opened up the way for salvation and this should not be forgotten. In the German-speaking group, Cardinal Nichols reported, there was unanimous agreement on the need to explore more deeply, holding both equally, the pastoral concepts of justice and mercy.One of the groups stated that the Church had a theology of marriage, which focussed heavily on morality, but that there was no integrated theology of the family.There were numerous requests from the working groups for a magisterial document after the Synod. It is not clear if there will be one. Pope Francis has not indicated his intention in this regard. Cardinal Nichols said that a document would be "an expression of collegiality and primacy." There will be a report presented to the Holy Father by the delegates at the Synod but whether the Pope will publish it immediately or amend it first is not clear.Cardinal Salazar said that the Synod was an extremely important moment for the Catholic Church because we are “trying to listen to the voices of families, in all their forms, especially broken families.” He went on to say that all the delegates wanted to “show forth the beauty of family” to the Church and the world. He added that many divergent opinions have been expressed freely in the small group work.Cardinal Nichols said that listening to the Church's experience in other parts of the world was very enriching and gave the Synod Fathers a much broader perspective. He said that a good example of this was how they learnt that marriage in Africa was not between two individuals but two families; this made it a a social event in which the local community is involved. “In the UK marriages tend to be private, personal affairs,” he remarked. Asked about the “ideological colonisation” by the West of places like Africa, Cardinal Nichols said that this theme was not as strong as it was in the Extraordinary Synod in 2014. He said that it made him reflect on how, even in the United Kingdom, ideological colonisation takes place. He gave the example of UK citizens who tried to bring a non-EU member spouse into the

UK and could not do so. “There are policies that are militant and against marriage in Britain too,” he said. The three Cardinals were asked if there was a “stale-mate” in the Synod because of the divergent views that emerged. They all replied “definitely not.” The said that there were divergent views but that there was also lots of debate. The agreed that it was moving along very well despite the fact that delegates were feeling tired because the daily order is very full.  Nichols added that the letter, which was widely reported on, written to the Pope by some prelates expressing concern over the process of the Synod, did “not have any effect on the Synod.”Fr. Lombardi told the briefing that the Synod delegates would continue to present interventions on the third part of Instrumentum Laboris on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.

Synod's small groups conclude second session on family vocationPrint

2015-10-14 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) At the Synod on the Family on Wednesday, bishops presented the results of their second round of small group work, dedicated to the second theme of ‘discerning the family vocation’. As Philippa Hitchen reports, the discussions ranged from theological and biblical reflections to practical ways of supporting family life today….

This second week of discussions on the vocation of the family is “the beating heart” of the whole three week Synod. That statement from one of the small group presenters explains why discussions have been intense and feelings have been running high in recent days, as Synod participants struggle to find “clear”, “meaningful” and “inviting” language in which to define the Church’s vision of marriage and family life.

All of the 13 groups felt that significant changes must be made to the Synod’s working document if it is to serve as an effective ‘compass’ for

families trying to live out their faith in their complex and often difficult daily circumstances. All groups agreed on the need to draw more deeply on Scripture, not just citing chapter and verse, but exploring both Old Testament sources – such as the exquisite love lyrics of the Canticle of Canticles – or the many stories of Jesus interaction with mothers, fathers, spouses and children contained in the New Testament.

Similarly, the bishops underlined the importance of encouraging parents to read the bible, to attend Mass and to pray together with their kids in both formal and informal ways. While families are seen as the “seedbed” in which Christian faith and values take root, bishops stressed the importance of Catholic schools as the place where those seeds can grow, deepen and come to fruition.

While it’s vital to support and encourage families who are living out their Christian vocation, the bishops also warned against over-simplifying the problems of people unable or unwilling to marry in Church. Economic or cultural pressures weigh heavy on many young people who decide to delay or reject marriage and family life. Domestic violence was also discussed by a number of the groups, with a call for greater sensitivity to women who’ve suffered abuse. “We need to be realistic about marital problems”, one bishop said, “rather than simply encouraging people to stay together”   

Overall, the bishops called for a more positive way of presenting marriage and family life, not as a burden or unrealistic ideal, but rather as a gift of self-giving, reflecting the love of God for his Church. Over the past ten days, there’s been much discussion of the seemingly opposing views of defending the doctrine of marriage or promoting mercy for the majority of people who fail to follow Church teaching in one way or another. Let’s not be closed into such false contradictions, one bishop appealed, as he urged pastors and theologians to work together to open up new horizons for all people seeking direction on their journey of faith.

Synod of bishops

Small Groups Give Reports on Their Discussions of Part 2 of Instrumentum LaborisSynod Fathers Say Conversations on This Section Were Easier By Staff ReporterVatican City, October 14, 2015 (ZENIT.org)During this morning's General Congregation the various small groups presented to the Synod Fathers the result of their reflections on the second part of the Instrumentum Laboris.Almost all the groups agreed on the need for the final document of the Synod to use the language of biblical theology and, as affirmed by the French group B, to be clear and simple, avoiding ambiguity and misunderstandings that may impair understanding of the mission and the vocation of the family in the Church and in the world. It will be necessary to take into account the fragility and the suffering of the family, without overstating the current situation, as these problems have always existed. The emphasis on this dimension leads the group to stress that the Church accompanies all her children, and must proclaim the Gospel and its call to conversion.The English group B comments that the final document should illustrate how divine pedagogy for marriage and the family has accompanied the entire history of salvation and continues right until our day. “We propose … [beginning] with Genesis, which already provide a definition of marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman, so total and intimate that because of it a man must leave his father and mother in order to be united with his wife. This account of the creation of marriage presents also the three basic characteristics of marriage, as it was in the beginning – monogamy, permanence, and equality of the sexes. … But the divine pedagogy of salvation history concerning marriage and the family reached its climax with the Son of God’s entry in human history”. The group acknowledges that “It is only through reflection on the divine pedagogy that we will understand our ministry as mirroring God’s patience and mercy. The divine plan continues even in our time. It is the divine pedagogy which provides content and tone for the teaching of the Church”. With regard to the difficult situations to be examined in the third part, the group emphasises that “we should always remember that God never gives up on his mercy. It is mercy which reveals God’s true face. God’s mercy reaches out to all of us, especially to those who suffer, those who are weak, and those who fail”.The French group, whose rapporteur is Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Lille, France, also speaks about divine pedagogy, and proposes “emphasising the many encounters between Jesus and families” throughout the Gospels, reaffirming that “divine pedagogy acts in all biblical revelation and must continue to be experienced by the Church, following families in their joys and sorrows”. Another observation of this group, that resonates widely, is that the Relatio should express a broader conceptual unity and not speak about indissolubility as if it were its only concern. “Fidelity and indissolubility should be referred to as a gift and call, rather than in the legal terms of duty; they should not be perceived as superimposed on commitment, but rather as deeply integrated into the language of love and within its theological dimension. Marriage should be considered as a call to love and communion”.The Spanish group recommends that emphasis be placed on gradualness and processuality in understanding the process by which God communicates the grace of the Covenant, educating by taking into account each person, progressively, in their community, correcting, accompanying and forgiving. As part of divine pedagogy, processuality is also present in Tradition and in the Aparecida document, notes the rapporteur Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan. “There are expressions that render marriage and the family absolute, while Jesus relativises them in the Kingdom of God. There are encounters between Jesus and specific persons in specific contexts, but it emphasis should be given to those that occur in the context of the family: Lazarus and his family, Peter and his famiyl … Jesus always opens doors. God's faithfulness is expressed in the sacrament of marriage, but in a human way:

'quidquid recipitur, ad modum recipientis recipitur'. The indissoluble fidelity of marriage is a mystery that includes fragility. We have a theology of the family and the marriage, but more closely linked to morality. The Magisterium should present the Gospel of the family in an organic and integrated from. Following the thesis of the 'semina Verbi', the many positive values in other types of families cannot be overlooked”.Several groups attribute great importance to the preparation of young couples for marriage and the need to support them on their journey. While the French group B notes a significant reduction in marriages in European capitals, the Latin American Cardinal Lacunza, who clarifies that “when talking about young people and marriage, it is done from the perspective of fear, which is not enough, it is an anthropological question: they live in the moment, 'for ever' does not fit in with their way of thinking”. Perhaps we could speak about informality: perhaps we have surrounded marriage with so many formalities that do not fit into the minds of young people who often identify formality with hypocrisy. Moreover, to say that they are afraid or do not dare would contradict the experience of many young people who accept the risk of volunteer work or risk for political or other struggles”.The French group B also reports that the members have voted unanimously in favour of the proposal that “the proclamation of the Gospel of the family today demands a magisterial intervention to simplify and render more coherent the current canonical theological doctrine on marriage”, and that it must support the definition of the family “as a subject of pastoral action”.In this regard, the French group, whose rapporteur is Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Canada, notes that “shared pastoral experiences lead us to see that in the Church, speaking about families means speaking about a human reality that is inscribed in time and in space. ... Every famliy has its genealogy that entrenches it in a history and a culture. ... This complexity is the place and the occasion for the manifestation of the mystery and the mercy of God. We wish to express our hope that the Synod will open up a period of patient seeking by theologians and pastors with the intention of establishing the correct directions for family pastoral ministry, translating the horizon of the family to a horizon of communion. We are less in need of adaptations of universal discipline than a solid basis for reflection and pastoral commitment”.The concept of family as mission is also recurrent. The Italian group C speaks about the “evangelising value of marriage and the family” and calls for a “new style of closeness to families on the part of the Church, a contagious closeness, a strong and demanding tenderness”. The members insist that “the Christian community should be a family of families, measuring its pastoral action according to the style of the family and transmitting in this way a humanising force to the life of the world, to overcome the tendency towards individualism”.“The Synod Fathers have found it very useful to refer to Pope Francis' catechesis on the need to harmonise an appreciation of the sacramentality of marriage and attention to its creaturely dimension”, write the members of the Italian group A, who also call for the text of the Instrumentum Laboris to be completed with the addition of the spiritual and pneumatological dimension, open to the sensibility of the Eastern tradition. Translated into a more concrete proposal, this makes more explicit the primacy of grace, the recognition of sin and the need to inspire conversion. Grace does not act only at the time of the celebration of the sacrament but rather throughout life, as it is a permanent sacrament like the Eucharist”.Cardinal Coleridge, of the English group C, comments on “the need to explore further the possibility of couples who are civilly married or cohabiting beginning a journey towards sacramental marriage and being encouraged and accompanied on that journey”, and in the English group D, a number of bishops emphasised that the document should explore further the role of women, recalling that many suffer abuse by their husbands. “We need to be realistic about marital problems rather than simply encouraging people to stay together”, the text affirms. In the same group, another prelate remarks that “exemplary families are sometimes difficult for people in painful circumstances to see as positive”. Some bishops

suggest that the text present the canonical reasons for separation of spouses and reasons for seeking an annulment.Another common concept is the vocation to family life and family spirituality, and therefore the English group A, whose rapporteur is Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, suggests a consideration of best practices, “which would show families how to more fully and faithfully live out their vocation”. These would include receiving the Word of God in the family, family catechesis and the explicit encouragement of the use of para-liturgical prayers and rituals within the family setting.Cardinal Coleridge's group also suggests that the final document present a series of clear initiatives or strategies to help families and to support those in difficulty, in harmony with the essentially practical nature of this second Synod on the family.The English group A notes that “in the past, the Holy Father often used the final approved texts as a basis for an Apostolic Exhortation and we spoke of the fruitfulness of this approach. However, we recognise the limitations of a document that will be approved at the conclusion of this Synod. Though every effort should be made to provide for streamlined, attractive language, a primary concern was the clarity of well-grounded explanations of Church teaching on marriage and the family”.Again considering the final document, the Spanish group B considers the approach of the Synod. “The doctrine is known”, its members write, “but the needs of reality and the new emphases of theological reflection must be taken into account in order to truly make a meaningful contribution. More explicit reference is suggested to texts from both the Old and New Testaments (God's nuptial love for His people), as well as the rich post-conciliar Magisterium on the family”.The Italian group B comments on the need for a magisterial document: “given that the Synod is not able to respond to the need to reorder in a complete and exhaustive document the complex and diversified doctrine on marriage and the family, it is necessary, on the one hand, to require a magisterial document that responds to this need, and on the other, to consider the pastoral aspects relevant to the issue. In this respect, the Fathers express the need to consider the mission specific to pastoral mediation in the transmission of doctrine”.

Synod15: Report From Small Circle English 'D'"The Instrumentum Laboris nowhere defines marriage. This is a serious defect. It causes ambiguity throughout the text. Most bishops agreed that the document should add the definition of marriage from Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes 48, as a correction"By Staff ReporterVatican City, October 14, 2015 (ZENIT.org)The Vatican today published the second set of reports completed by the small circles in the Synod of Bishops. The circles are divided by language groups, and there are four English-speaking circles. The circles are working their way through the Instrumentum Laboris.* * *Relatio – Circulus Anglicus “D” Moderator: Card. COLLINS Thomas Christopher Relator: S.E. Mons. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap. Charles Joseph Members of English circle D reviewed Section II far more quickly than Section I. The material was simpler. So was working together and offering commentary and modi .On the family and divine pedagogy, members thought the text’s reflections on the reading of Scripture should be strengthened. They stressed that as we listen to God’s word, we need to encounter it in the context of the Church, sacred tradition and the teaching authority of bishops. Many customs of reading Scripture already exist in the various cultures of our English-speaking group. Some should be incorporated into the text. Several group members promoted Lectio Divina , even when read within an inter-faith context. Others thought the Lectio Divina process too complex for people of today. Some bishops felt that we need to better understand the relationship between the newness of the Christian sacrament of matrimony and the natural structure of marriage built into God’s plan from the start. The

natural marriage of our original parents had its own order of grace.The Instrumentum Laboris nowhere defines marriage. This is a serious defect. It causes ambiguity throughout the text. Most bishops agreed that the document should add the definition of marriage from Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes 48, as a correction.(The intimate partnership of married life and love has been established by the Creator and qualified by His laws, and is rooted in the conjugal covenant of irrevocable personal consent. Hence by that human act whereby spouses mutually bestow and accept each other a relationship arises which by divine will and in the eyes of society too is a lasting one. For the good of the spouses and their off-springs as well as of society, the existence of the sacred bond no longer depends on human decisions alone. For, God Himself is the author of matrimony, endowed as it is with various benefits and purposes. All of these have a very decisive bearing on the continuation of the human race, on the personal development and eternal destiny of the individual members of a family, and on the dignity, stability, peace and prosperity of the family itself and of human society as a whole. By their very nature, the institution of matrimony itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their ultimate crown. Thus a man and a woman, who by their compact of conjugal love "are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matt. 19:ff), render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions. Through this union they experience the meaning of their oneness and attain to it with growing perfection day by day. As a mutual gift of two persons, this intimate union and the good of the children impose total fidelity on the spouses and argue for an unbreakable oneness between them.[GS 48])Taken as a whole, the text has many good insights on marriage. But the Catholic doctrine on marriage stretches over too many paragraphs. It needs to be brought together in a more concise, compelling way. One person felt the text’s grasp of Scripture could be improved by embracing newer scholarship. The person worried that many of us were reading Scripture in too fundamentalist a manner, and other ways of interpreting Scripture might be more fruitful. Others disagreed and thought that the understanding of Scripture in the text was adequate.Some said the text needs to frame the notion of “indissolubility” more positively, rather than treating it as a burden. Others saw a danger in referring to Catholic teaching as simply an “ideal” to be pursued and honored but not practical for the living of daily life. They described this as an approach that implies that only the “pure” can live the Gospel, but not ordinary people. Some stressed that we should always speak of virtues, not just values. They are not the same thing.In the material on family and God’s salvific plan, the text lacks grounding in the Book of Tobit and the Song of Songs, which is vital to the Scriptural presentation of marriage. Bishops voiced concern that the document seems to present Mosaic divorce as one of the stages of God’s plan, yet we know that divorce is never part of God’s will for humanity, but was a consequence of original sin.In several of the document’s confusing passages, a better translation of the Italian text led to clarity. Several bishops focused on the notion of “seeds of the Word” or “seeds of the Logos” in the world around us. In the tradition of the Church, this reflection – which dates back to Justin Martyr -- has always focused on cultural issues rather than on people’s personal lives. The text tends to treat irregular relationships as somehow also containing “seeds of the Word.” Some bishops felt this was inappropriate and misleading.Some discussion ensued about the meaning of arranged marriages, where this practice still commonly occurs. Such marriages are sometimes seen as lacking the agreement of the persons being married. But what the practice more typically means is that whole families get involved in the entire process of marriage and family life. Various cultures believe that “ families marry one another,” not just the individuals making marital promises. Some bishops saw this as a rich concept. It should be better appreciated.Various bishops questioned the use of the expression “The Gospel of Family.” What does it actually mean? The text offers no answers. The expression comes from St. Pope John Paul’s Letter to Families 1994, number 23.

Regarding No. 48 of the text, much discussion took place on the various forms of witness that families might give in living out their communion as a domestic church. Along with the ones listed in the document, the following were suggested:The witness of holiness in prayer. The witness of not being self-referential. The witness of being sensitive to environmental issues. The witness of simply living together in charity, in shared, everyday life. Bishops felt that these actions should be seen as the fruit of baptism and confirmation.Some in our group spoke about the need for the text to list devotions that both enhance and express family life and spirituality. The rosary was central to the discussion; so was the importance of parents reading Scripture to children, and siblings reading Scripture together. Bishops stressed the value of families attending Sunday Eucharist and other liturgical celebrations together, and were surprised the text didn’t focus on this in greater detail. Some suggested that various practices of popular piety be listed as concrete expressions of family devotions.Various bishops noted the importance of women in the life of the Church and the need to focus more attention on giving them appropriate leadership roles. Some felt the document should be more sensitive to women abused by their husbands or within their families, and who therefore carry extra burdens. One person felt that exemplary families are sometimes difficult for people in painful circumstances to see as positive. Exemplary families may intimidate them rather than helping them to see the possibility of living that way themselves.Bishops said the text should present the canonical reasons for separation of spouses and reasons for seeking an annulment. We need to be realistic about marital problems rather than simply encouraging people to stay together. Again, violence against women was a key part of the discussion.One of the bishops emphasized that priests are not trained to be marriage counselors. If they present themselves as such, they risk legal problems for their local Churches. Priests should move away from marriage counseling and do clearly defined spiritual guidance instead.On the question of why young people fear to marry, many bishops observed that young people are afraid to fail in any area of life. Youth ministry in parishes and dioceses should help young couples understand the value of marriage. We need to focus on Pope John Paul’s exhortation not to be afraid and also to be aware that in the Gospel, Jesus took care of a young married couple whose marriage celebration was about to run out of wine. The Lord will always take care of young couples who trust in him in the way.Circle D accepted this report unanimously. Our group is marked by great diversity and many different perspectives – 29 persons, 21 of them bishops, coming from 20 countries. Bishops made many suggestions for changes in the text. They will bring these forward in the various modi .[Original text: English]Read it online | Forward to a Friend | Comment onlineGo to top

Synod15: Report From Small Circle English 'C'"There are certainly points of convergence, arising from our shared sense of God’s plan which is inscribed in creation and which comes to its fullness in Christ crucified and risen, as proclaimed by the Church. But the different ways in which that mystery takes flesh in different parts of the world make it challenging to balance the local and the universal"By Staff ReporterRome, October 14, 2015 (ZENIT.org)The Vatican today published the second set of reports completed by the small circles in the Synod of Bishops. The circles are divided by language groups, and there are four English-speaking circles. The circles are working their way through the Instrumentum Laboris.

* * *Relatio – Circulus Anglicus “C” Moderator: S.E. Mons. MARTIN Eamon Relator: S.E. Mons. COLERIDGE Mark Benedict After the travails of the first week, we decided to adopt a different approach to Part II of the Instrumentum Laboris and moved through it more briskly than we did through Part I. As our sense of the task has clarified, our modus procedendi has matured, and this is encouraging as we begin work on the long and complex Part III.I now present the issues from Part II which were central to the group's discussion:1) The need to speak a heartfelt word of appreciation and encouragement to couples who, by God’s grace, are living their Christian marriage as a genuine vocation, since this is a unique service to the Church and the world.2) The need to develop for couples and families catechetical programmes that are attuned to different cultures, to revise them periodically and to adapt National Catechetical Directories in the light of these where applicable.3) The need to develop resources in the vital area of family prayer, understood in both formal and less formal ways, both liturgically and devotionally. These resources would again have to be culturally sensitive.4) The need to explore further the possibility of couples who are civilly married or cohabiting beginning a journey towards sacramental marriage and being encouraged and accompanied on that journey.5) The need to present the indissolubility of marriage as a gift from God rather than a burden and to find a more positive way of speaking about it, so that people can fully appreciate the gift. This relates to the larger question of language, as the Synod looks to shape a language which, in the words of the Instrumentum Laboris , is "symbolic", "experiential", "meaningful", "clear", "inviting", "open", "joyful", "optimistic" and "hopeful".6) There is a need to draw more deeply and richly from the Scripture, not just in citing biblical texts but in presenting the Bible as a matrix for Christian married and family life. As at Vatican II, the Bible would be a prime resource for the shaping of a new language to speak of marriage and the family; and the Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini could serve as a resource for practical suggestions.7) In speaking of the joy of marriage and family life, there is a need to speak also of the life of sacrifice and even the suffering which this involves and so to set joy within its proper context of the Paschal Mystery.8) The need to see more clearly how the Church through the ages has come to a deeper understanding and surer presentation of the teaching on marriage and the family which has its roots in Christ himself. The teaching has been constant, but the articulation of it and the practice based upon that articulation have not been.9) The need for a more nuanced understanding of why young people these days decide not to marry or to delay marriage, often for a long time. The Instrumentum Laboris presents fear as the dominant motive. But it is also true that young people at times do not see the point of marriage or regard it as a purely personal or private matter which makes a public ceremony irrelevant to them. They are also affected in many ways by a culture of options which baulks at closing doors, and they prefer to test a relationship before making any final commitment. Powerful economic factors can also have their effect. We need to beware of a too simplistic reading of a complex phenomenon.10) One thing which the Synod might consider producing is a list of practical initiatives or strategies to support families and to help those that are in trouble. This would be something concrete and would be in keeping with the essentially practical character of this second Synod on marriage and the family.On many of these points there was consensus, on others there was wide if not universal agreement, and on a few there was significant disagreement.A great richness and challenge of our discussions continues to be the different modulations of marriage and the family in the various cultures represented in the group. There are certainly points of convergence, arising from our shared sense of God’s plan which is

inscribed in creation and which comes to its fullness in Christ crucified and risen, as proclaimed by the Church. But the different ways in which that mystery takes flesh in different parts of the world make it challenging to balance the local and the universal. That remains an overarching task of this Synod.

Synod15: Report From Small Circle English 'B'"A renewed and deeper reflection on the theology of marriage should be one of the fruits of the Synod"By Staff ReporterVatican City, October 14, 2015 (ZENIT.org)The Vatican today published the second set of reports completed by the small circles in the Synod of Bishops. The circles are divided by language groups, and there are four English-speaking circles. The circles are working their way through the Instrumentum Laboris.* * *Relatio – Circulus Anglicus “B” Moderator: Card. NICHOLS Vincent Gerard Relator: S.E. Mons. MARTIN Diarmuid The group took an innovative approach in its examination of Part II. We recognize the centrality of this part to the entire reflection of the Synod. In addition to examining the Instrumentum Laboris paragraph by paragraph, the group sought first to identify a number of the basic themes of the Church’s wisdom on marriage and the family which we feel ought to be given prominence in the final document. A renewed and deeper reflection on the theology of marriage should be one of the fruits of the Synod.These themes included: The Divine Pedagogy, the Word of God in the Family, Indissolubility and Faithfulness, The Family and the Church, Mercy and Brokenness. The group proposed individual modi to some paragraphs, but above all it sought to reorder the succession of paragraphs in order to restore the natural flow of the paragraphs of the Relatio Synodi .The group strongly recommends that the entire Part II should be introduced by a much more detailed reflection on the Family and Divine Pedagogy. This reflection would constitute a new paragraph 37.The reflection should illustrate how the Divine Pedagogy for marriage and the family has accompanied the entire history of salvation and continues right until our day. We propose that the paragraph begin with Genesis, which already provide a definition of marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman, so total and intimate that because of it a man must leave his father and mother in order to be united with his wife. This account of the creation of marriage presents also the three basic characteristics of marriage, as it was in the beginning – monogamy, permanence, and equality of the sexes.However, as sin entered the history of humanity it brought with it the reversal of these basic characteristics. Polygamy, divorce, and submission of the wife to her husband became not just common place, but were even institutionalized in sectors of Jewish society. Through the prophets God constantly called for a change from this situation of sin and for the re-establishment of the original dignity of marriage, which was to come with Jesus Christ. The prophet Hosea found union and love between husband and wife as an appropriate paradigm to illustrate God’s love for his people. The Song of Songs gave a unique reflection on human love as a dialogue between two lovers praising each other, yearning for each other, and rejoicing in sexual intimacy.But the Divine pedagogy of salvation history concerning marriage and the family reached its climax with the Son of God’s entry in human history, as Jesus Christ was born into a human family. It was considered inappropriate for a Rabbi to speak with a woman yet Jesus dared to speak to a woman, who was a Samaritan – an “excommunicated” and a renowned sinner – something even more scandalous. To a woman who was brought before him prior to her being stoned for the fact that she had committed adultery, he said: “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.” He dirtied his hands through work, but not with stones to throw at others.The group presents this elaborated text recognizing that it is lengthy and new, and may not

seem in line with the Synod methodology. Why do we do this? It is only through reflection on the Divine Pedagogy that we will understand our ministry as mirroring God’s patience and mercy. The Divine Plan continues even in our time. It is the Divine Pedagogy which provides content and tone for the teaching of the Church. It is the Divine Pedagogy which today continues the constant call of conversion, healing, and mercy to families as they struggle to realize their God-given vocation.The group set out, then, to apply such a pedagogy into our search for a language accessible to the men and women of our times. We propose alongside the term “indissolubility” to use a language which is less legal, and which shows better the mystery of God’s love speaking of marriage as a grace, a blessing, and a lifelong covenant of love.We recalled the testimony of couples who live a fully Christian marriage as a lifelong covenant of love, its permanence unto death being a sign of God’s faithfulness to his people. Indeed we can say that God recognizes the image of Himself in the faithfulness of his spouses and confirms with his blessing this fruit of his grace.The deepest meaning of the indissolubility of marriage, is then, the affirmation and protection of these beautiful and positive qualities that sustain marriage and family life, most especially in times of turbulence and conflict. The Church, therefore, looks to married couples as the heart of the entire family, which, in turn, looks to Jesus especially to his faithful love in the darkness of the cross.A stress on the divine pedagogy would also focus on the centrality of the Word of God in the theology of marriage, in the pastoral care of the family, and in family piety. The Christian community welcomes the Word of God especially when proclaimed at the Sunday Liturgy. Thus a goal for every couple and family would be to worship together faithfully at Mass every Sunday.Married couples and families also encounter the Word of God in the array of devotions and celebrations that are part of our Catholic heritage. Such piety includes approaching together the sacrament of reconciliation, common prayer and reading of the Scriptures, and other encounters with God’s word in catechesis and prayer. It was stressed that Catholic schools are an extension of parish and family catechesis. The Synod should encourage parents to seek out these schools as a uniquely compelling way to enhance and deepen the religious education which begins in the family.All of us need God’s mercy. In many societies today there is a sense of self-sufficiency, whereby people feel that they have no need of mercy and no awareness of their own sinfulness. At times this is due to an inadequate catechesis on sin, not recognizing sin as a wounding of our relationship with God and with each other, a wound which can be healed only through the saving power of God’s mercy.On the other hand there can be a tendency for us to put human limits on God’s mercy.The group felt a strong need for a deeper reflection on the relationship between mercy and justice, particularly as it is presented in Misericordiae Vultus .As we move on towards our reflection on the difficult situations to be examined in Part III, we should always remember that God never gives up on his mercy. It is mercy which reveals God’s true face. God’s mercy reaches out to all of us, especially to those who suffer, those who are weak, and those who fail. “How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I hand you over, O Israel… My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender.” (Hs 11:8-9) As Pope Francis stresses in Misericordiae Vultus , God’s anger lasts for a moment, but his mercy lasts forever.

Synod15: Report From Small Circle English 'A'"While the sense of the word 'vocation' is clear when applied to the priesthood, more clarity is needed when we talk about the phrase 'vocation to the married life.' We must recognize that the family itself also has a vocation"By Staff ReporterVatican City, October 14, 2015 (ZENIT.org)

The Vatican today published the second set of reports completed by the small circles in the Synod of Bishops. The circles are divided by language groups, and there are four English-speaking circles. The circles are working their way through the Instrumentum Laboris.* * *Relatio – Circulus Anglicus “A” Moderator: Card. PELL George Relator: S.E. Mons. KURTZ Joseph Edward In Jesus, the fulfilment of God’s revelation, the family uncovers its calling within the universal call to holiness. For the disciple of Jesus, every vocation calls the person and the community in two distinct and complementary dimensions. We are called to communion and we are called for mission. We see this in the call of the 12 Apostles. They are called to be friends of Jesus and sent out to preach. The same is true of those disciples who are called to family life. Our group reflected on this gift and vocation, and on prayer and discernment as means to foster it.While the sense of the word “vocation” is clear when applied to the priesthood, more clarity is needed when we talk about the phrase “vocation to the married life.” We must recognize that the family itself also has a vocation.Seen through the lens of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the text would benefit from a more abundant use of Sacred Scripture, notably Luke Chapters 1 and 2, as well as examples from the Old Testament. So many Old Testament couples, such as those from the Book of Tobit, responded beautifully to the vocation to marriage and family life.The Church’s vision of the vocation of the family captures the beauty of God’s self-giving love. Considerable attention was given to locating a firm theological base for the Divine Pedagogy, flowing from the outpouring of love from the Trinity. At the core of the family is the original act of creation, the redemption by Jesus Christ and the orientation to eternal life.The priority of listening to the Word of God and following Jesus opens up the good news for the family, which leads to a life of joy as well as an ever-deepening conversion from selfishness and sin.The baptismal identity of every Christian matures in the seedbed of the family, which is often the first and primary evangelizer in which one discerns a vocation to a particular state in life. In this Year of Consecrated Life, we give special thanks for the gift of men and women in religious life and their families.The final document would benefit from a consideration of “best practices,” which would show families how to more fully and faithfully live out their vocation. At the heart of such “best practices” is the receiving of the Word of God in the family. We make special mention of the great strides within the Church over the past 50 years in which study and reflection on Sacred Scripture has been integrated into the lives of families. While much remains to be done, such progress needs to be acknowledged.These “best practices” should also address proper catechesis and prayer and worship, including prayer within each family. Such a call would wisely andexplicitly encourage the use of para-liturgical prayers and rituals within the setting of the family.We also addressed questions related to methodology. In the past, the Holy Father often used the final approved texts as a basis for an Apostolic Exhortation and we spoke of the fruitfulness of this approach. However, we recognize the limitations of a document that will be approved at the conclusion of this Synod. Though every effort should be made to provide for streamlined, attractive language, a primary concern was the clarity of well-grounded explanations of Church teaching on marriage and the family.With our eyes fixed on Jesus, we give thanks for the vocation of the family – a call to communion with Him and with each other and a call for mission in the world.

Cardinal Nichols Says No Stalemate at SynodAt Synod Briefing, Says We Are a Family With Some Differences of Opinion, But No NegativityBy Deborah Castellano LubovVatican City State, October 14, 2015 (ZENIT.org)

Cardinal Vincent Nichols says there is no negativity at the synod and that even if there are occasional differences of opinion, that's normal in a family. The archbishop of Westminster expressed this while speaking at today's synod briefing in the Vatican press office, with the director of the press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi,  along with Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez of Bogota, Columbia, and Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.The Oct. 4-25 synod is being held on the topic, "The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World," and the bishops continue to be divided into small groups for discussions on the Instrumentum Laboris, or working document.For me, Cardinal Nichols said, this synodal experience has some similarities and differences from others. What is similar, he said, is, "It’s very hard work and we get very tired," noting that according to his count, they have listened to over 200 individual contributions.One of the differences this time, he highlighted, is the interplay between the plenary sessions and the small groups, which he said has given the process more energy and creativity."The group of which I am a member," he shared, "is moving rapidly toward friendship between us actually, not just working colleagues, but a growing appreciation and friendship."The archbishop of Westminster also noted how this morning, reports from the 13 small discussion groups are available. "It strikes me that they are creative," he said, "that there are some common lines."He pointed out that the Instrumentum Laboris has complicated the process by combing two sources into one document. "So it is, in part, the document from the end of the Extraordinary Synod, which had its own logic and flow of thought. And then into that, there has been inserted contributions which came in from the consultations between the two synods.""And that combination of two sources has led most groups today to say that the Instrumentum Laboris, in this part two especially, needs some restructuring and it needs a much stronger theological theme to guide the unfolding of the whole of this part two," he continued.In these reports, just made available this morning, he said, "I believe are some very creative suggestions about what that theological framework may be, not one but maybe four or five, and each rich in their own way."During the question session, Cardinal Nichols stated, "There is no negativity in the synod." He said, "There is no sense of a stalemate, but rather a real willingness to explore, in depth, these difficult issues, and that will continue."He said that there is lots of energy because, as one cardinal stated, we are a familiy and in a family, it is normal to have some differences of opinion.

Added News….

Card. Toppo: Hindu group fabricating conversion controversy

2015-10-14 Vatican Radio(Vatican Radio) An Indian News agency, Indo-Asian News Service(IANS) first reported on Monday that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), literally, world Hindu council, alleged that driven by poverty, over 100 families or 300 members of the primitive Asur tribe belonging to Ghaghra and Visunpur blocks in the villages of Jharkhand's Gumla district, were converted to Christianity.Asur, one of the nine primitive tribes of Jharkhand, is facing a population decline.The converted villagers reportedly said they took the decision to ensure education for their children. The villages lack basic facilities — roads, electricity, school and health centres.The Gumla authorities said they would probe the issue. “Some conversions in the district have been reported last week and some cases of conversions are old. We will probe both; all the reported conversions to find out the truth,” Dinesh Chandra Mishra, deputy commissioner of Gumla district reportedly told IANS over phone. “People converted by their will or they have been allured will be ascertained only after probe,” he said.Condemning the religious conversion of the primitive tribes people, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) sought a probe into the Christian missionaries’ role.“The role of Christian missionaries should be probed. The primitive tribes whose population is declining in the state has been converted into Christianity under a design,” Pramod Mishra, the VHP’s Bihar and Jharkhand Dharam Prsar head, told IANS.

“Non-tribal people living in the same area. But why did they not convert on the same reason? The primitives tribes have been allured and converted. The funding of missionaries activities should also be probed,” he added."The media reports are not true," Cardinal Toppo told ucanews.com on Wednesday, adding that members of these tribes were Christian for decades

and that there was no sudden increase of these indigenous people becoming Christian.This was corroborated by Neha Arora, the subdivisional officer who has judicial and administrative powers in Gumla. "There is no official confirmation ... If any such report comes up, I will let you know," she told ucanews.com.Cardinal Toppo, the first tribal cardinal from Asia, said the story of the conversion of indigenous people was fabricated to call for an anti-conversion law in Jharkhand, the eastern Indian state ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is considered the political arm of Hindu groups working to make India a Hindu nation.The neighboring states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, also ruled by that party, have anti-conversion laws. Seven of India's 29 states have such laws that criminalize conversion if done without permission from government authorities. Fines and jail terms are stipulated for those involved in "fraudulent" and "forced" conversion and for "alluring" people to change their religion.Christians have been opposing such laws on the grounds that they violate religious freedom as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. As well, church humanitarian services such as education and health care could easily be misinterpreted as enticing people to convert, they said.Cardinal Toppo said the demand for an anti-conversion law "is against the constitution," adding that "the church does not compel anyone to become Christian. It also does not block anyone from going away."Deepak Tirkey, an official from the National Christian Forum working in Gumla, told ucanews.com that district government officials and state welfare schemes almost never reach remote villages.But Christian missioners provided villagers with facilities for education and medicine, and hundreds embraced the religion, he said.The church's mission to indigenous people in Jharkhand began in the villages in the second half of the 19th century and was spearheaded by Jesuit missionaries.Jharkhand, with a population of 33 million people, now has some 1.4 million Christians, most of whom are indigenous people or those belonging to the dalit or former untouchable castes.

The state's 4.5 percent Christian population is almost double that of the national average, and much higher than several neighboring states where Christians are less than 1 percent of the population.In Gumla district, where the alleged conversion took place, some 20 percent of its 1 million people are Christians, according to government data.(Source: IANS, UCANews.com)