Vatican City, 13 October 2014 (VIS) –
The “post-discussion report” of the Extraordinary Synod on the
family was presented this morning by the General Rapporteur of the
Assembly, Cardinal Peter Erdo. It summarises the Synod Fathers’
main reflections that have emerged during the General Congregations
during recent days, and forms the basis of the final documents of the
Synod.
The Report sets out three main
guidelines: listening to the socio-cultural context in which families
live today; discussing the pastoral perspectives to be taken, and
above all, looking to Christ and to His Gospel of the family.
The family, therefore, is “decisive
and valuable”, the “source of joys and trials, of deep affections
and relations, at times wounded”, a “school of humanity”, and
must first be listened to in its “complexity”. Exasperated
individualism, the “great test” of solitude, the “narcissistic
affectivity” linked to the “fragility” of sentiments, the
“nightmare” of precariousness in the workplace, along with war,
terrorism and migrations increasingly cause deterioration in family
situations. It is here, according to the Relatio, that the Church
must give “hope and meaning” to the life of modern humanity,
ensuring that “the doctrine of faith” is better known, but
proposing it “with mercy”.
Turning our gaze to Christ “reaffirms
the indissoluble union between a man and a woman”, but also allows
us to “interpret the nuptial covenant in terms of continuity and
novelty”. The principle, explains Cardinal Erdo, must be that of
“gradualness” for couples in failed marriages, with an “inclusive
perspective” for the “imperfect forms” of nuptial reality:
“Realizing the need, therefore, for spiritual discernment with
regard to cohabitation, civil marriages and divorced and remarried
persons, it is the task of the Church to recognise those seeds of the
Word that have spread beyond its visible and sacramental boundaries.
… The Church turns respectfully to those who participate in her
life in an incomplete and imperfect way, appreciating the positive
values they contain rather than their limitations and shortcomings”.
There is a need, therefore, for a “new
dimension of family pastoral” able to nurture seeds in the process
of maturation, such as civil marriages characterised by stability,
deep affection, and responsibility in relation to offspring, and
which may lead to a sacramental bond. Frequently cohabitation or de
facto unions are not dictated by a rejection of Christian values, but
rather by practical needs, such as waiting for a stable job. The
Church, a true “House of the Father”, a “torch carried among
the people”, continued the Cardinal, must accompany “her most
fragile sons and daughters, marked by wounded and lost love, with
attention and care”, restoring trust and hope to them.
In the third part, the “post-discussion
Report” goes on to face the “most urgent pastoral issues”, the
implementation of which is entrusted to the individual local
Churches, always in communion with the Pope. First, the “proclamation
of the Gospel of the family” is “not to condemn, but to cure
human fragility”. This proclamation also involves the faithful:
“Evangelising is the shared responsibility of all God’s people,
each according to his or her own ministry and charism. Without the
joyous testimony of spouses and families, the announcement, even if
correct, risks being misunderstood or submerged by the ocean of words
that is a characteristic of our society. Catholic families are
themselves called upon to be the active subjects of all the pastoral
of the family”.
The Gospel of the family is “joy”,
underlined Cardinal Erdo, and therefore requires “a missionary
conversion” so as not to stop at a proclamation that is “merely
theoretical and has nothing to do with people’s real problems”.
At the same time, it is also necessary to act in relation to
language: “Conversion has, above all, to be that of language so
that this might prove to be effectively meaningful. … This is not
merely about presenting a set of regulations but about putting
forward values, responding to those who find themselves in need today
even in the most secularised countries”.
Adequate preparation for Christian
marriage is also essential, as this is not merely a cultural
tradition or a social obligation, but rather a “vocational
decision”. Without “complicating the cycles of formation”, the
aim should be that of exploring the issue in depth, not limiting the
issue merely to “general orientations” but instead renewing also
“the formation of presbyters and other pastoral operators” on the
matter, with the involvement of families themselves, whose witness is
to be privileged. The accompaniment of the Church is also suggested
following marriage, a “vital and delicate” period in which
couples mature their understanding of the sacrament, its meaning and
the challenges that it poses.
In the same way, the Church, continues
the Report, must encourage and support laypersons occupied with
culture, politics and in society, to ensure that those factors that
impede authentic family life, leading to discrimination, poverty,
exclusion and violence, are denounced.
Moving on to the issue of separated
couples, divorced persons, including those subsequently remarried,
Cardinal Erdo underlined that “it is not wise to think of single
solutions or those inspired by a logic of ‘all or nothing’”;
dialogue must therefore continue in the local Churches, “with
respect and love” for every wounded family, thinking of those who
have unjustly suffered abandonment by their spouse, avoiding
discriminatory attitudes and protecting children: “It is
indispensable to assume in a faithful and constructive way the
consequences of separation or divorce on the children; they must not
become an 'object' to be fought over and the most suitable means need
to be sought so that they can get over the trauma of family break-up
and grow up in the most serene way possible”.
With regard to the streamlining of
procedures for the recognition of matrimonial nullity, the General
Rapporteur of the Synod reported the proposals made by the Assembly:
to abandon the need for the double conforming sentence, to establish
an administrative channel at diocesan level, and the introduction of
a summary process in the case of clear nullity, and the possibility
of “giving weight to the faith of those about to be married in
terms of the validity of the sacrament of marriage”. The Cardinal
emphasised that this all requires suitably prepared clergy and
laypersons and a greater responsibility on the part of local bishops.
With regard to access to the sacrament
of the Eucharist for divorced and remarried persons, the Report lists
the main suggestions that emerged from the Synod: maintaining the
current discipline; allowing greater openness in particular cases,
that may not be resolved without further injustice or suffering; or
rather, opting for a “penitential” approach: partaking of the
sacraments might occur were it preceded by a penitential path –
under the responsibility of the diocesan bishop –, and with a clear
undertaking in favour of the children. This would not be a general
possibility, but the fruit of a discernment applied on a case-by-case
basis, according to a law of gradualness, that takes into
consideration the distinction between state of sin, state of grace
and the attenuating circumstances.
The question of “spiritual
communion”, for which a greater theological examination was called
for, remains open; again, further reflection was required on mixed
marriages and “serious problems” linked to the different nuptial
discipline of Orthodox Churches.
With regard to homosexuals, it was
underlined that they have “gifts and qualities to offer the
Christian community”: the Church must therefore be, for them, a
“welcoming home”. The Church affirms that same-sex unions are not
“on the same footing” as marriage between a man and a woman and
stated that it was unacceptable for international bodies to place
pressure on pastors to make financial aid dependent on the
introduction of regulations inspired by gender ideology. However,
“without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions
it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the
point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the
partners. Furthermore, the Church pays special attention to the
children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasising that the
needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority”.
In the final part, the Report returns
to the theme of Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical “Humanae Vitae”, and
focuses on the question of openness to life, defining it as an
“instrinsic requirement of conjugal love”. This gives rise to the
need for a “realistic language” able to explain “the beauty and
truth” of opening oneself to the gift of a child, also thanks to
“appropriate teaching regarding natural methods of fertility
control” and a “harmonious and aware” communication between
spouses, in all its dimensions. Furthermore, the challenge of
education is central, in which the Church has a valuable role of
support for families, to support them in their choices and their
responsibilities.
Finally, Cardinal Erdo underlines that
the synodal dialogue took place “in great freedom and with a spirit
of reciprocal listening”, and recalls that the reflections proposed
so far do not represent decisions that have already been taken:
indeed, the itinerary will continue with the Ordinary General Synod,
again on the theme of the family, to be held in October 2015.
The full text of the Relatio post
disceptationem may be consulted at:
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2014/10/13/0751/03037.html
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