Vatican City, 20 February 2014 (VIS) –
The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi,
S.J., gave a briefing for journalists at midday today on the progress
of the extraordinary consistory for the family which opened this
morning in the New Synod Hall and in which around 150 cardinals
participated.
“After the Pope's address, the
cardinals sent an affectionate greeting to Archbishop Loris
Capovilla, one of the new cardinals to be created by the Holy Father
in next Saturday's consistory, who for reasons of age and health was
not able to travel to Rome, but who is present in the spirit of this
encounter”, he explained.
The introductory presentation by
Cardinal Kasper, which will not be published as it was intended for
use within the context of the meeting by participants only –
occupied almost the entire morning, with the exception of the last
ten minutes in which a few comments were made. However, this
afternoon and tomorrow morning will be dedicated to comment and
discussion.
The text of the president emeritus of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is “in
harmony” with the words spoken today by Pope Francis. The focus was
very coherent with that of the Holy Father: facing, with realism and
in depth, all that is beautiful about the family without eluding its
problems. However, the issue is approached from an extremely positive
point of view: rediscovering and proclaiming the Gospel of the family
according to God's plan, with all its beauty, as truth also convinces
through beauty. Another central point of Kasper's address was the
concept of the family as a small domestic church, and the idea
according to which in the family the Church encounters reality and
thus constitutes a path towards the future; the family can be a
privileged route to evangelisation. Cardinal Kasper spoke about this
“domestic church” in a broad sense, referring not only to the
nuclear family, but also by extension to communities, parish groups
etc.
From a formal point of view, Fr.
Lombardi mentioned that Cardinal Kasper's document does not claim to
address all themes related to the family, nor does it attempt to
anticipate the next Synod, but is rather a form of “opening”. Its
introduction was dedicated to the rediscovery of the Gospel of the
family, originating from the family in the order of creation, the
vision of the family in Genesis and in God's plan. The second part
focused on the structures of sin within the family: problems,
tensions between men and women, body and spirit, the alienation of
the suffering of women and mothers, etc. Finally, it explored the
issue of the family in the Christian order of redemption, referring
to texts from the Gospel and the New Testament relating to the
family, such as the Letter to the Ephesians. It also considered
marriage as a Sacrament, and its sanctifying grace.
The cardinal also referred to the
question of remarried divorcees, considering the theme in depth and
in a structured, nuanced fashion. He reiterated that in this area it
is necessary to bring together pastoral care with the inseparable duo
of faith and the words of Jesus, and an understanding of divine
mercy. The cardinal referred to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI's work on
this issue, when he asked if, beyond rigour and laxity, the Sacrament
of penance could perhaps offer the path to accommodating difficult
situations. He also recalled Pope Francis' address to the prelates of
the Roman Rota at the beginning of this year, in which he spoke about
the validity of marriage, when he affirmed that the legal and
pastoral dimensions are not in opposition.
Fr. Lombardi concluded by emphasising
that the Cardinal accorded great importance to the “law of
gradualness”, or rather the advancement towards new forms in
exploring in depth the mystery of redemption in Christ, and in
understanding the Gospel law of truth.
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