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.
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