Vatican City, 9 October 2015 (VIS) –
This morning, during the fourth General Congregation, the various
Circuli Minori – thirteen in total – presented the results of
their reflections on the first part of the Instrumentum Laboris
examining the mission of the family in the Church and the
contemporary world.
In general the rapporteurs from the
various groups, which were divided according to language (English,
French,Spanish, German and Italian) considered that it was necessary
to offer, as Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, Australia,
writes, “a less negative reading of history, culture and the
situation of the family at this time. True, there are negative forces
at work at this time in history and in the various cultures of the
world; but that is far from the full story. If it were the full
story, all the Church could do would be to condemn. There are also
forces which are positive, even luminous, and these need to be
identified since they may well be the signs of God in history”.
“The Church does not inhabit a world
out of time, as Vatican Council II, 'the Council of history',
recognised”, notes the prelate. “Nor does the Church inhabit a
world outside human cultures; the Church shapes cultures and cultures
shape the Church. In considering marriage and the family here and
now, we were conscious of the need to address the facts of history
and the realities of cultures – with both the eyes of faith and the
heart of God. That is what it has meant for us to read the signs of
the times”.
Another view expressed in various
working groups is the need to make greater use of Scriptural
language, which “can be closer to the realities of the daily
experience of families and can become a bridge between faith and
life”, avoiding expressions deemed too “ecclesiastical”. This
“would help to understand the nature of God's dream that families
are called to make their own and to realise that in the difficulties
of life they can place their trust in a God who neither disappoints
nor abandons anyone”, explains Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. The
prelate also observes that “an analysis of the situation of the
family should recognise how, with the help of grace, families who are
far from perfect, living in an imperfect world, do actually realise
their vocation, even though they may fail along their journey. As
members of the group we shared a reflection, each of us on the
experience on our own family. What emerged was far from a stereotype
of an 'ideal family', but rather a collage of families different in
their social, ethnic, and religious background. Amid many
difficulties our families gave us the gift of love and the gift of
faith”.
Family men, men of faith and pastors:
according to this view, expressed by Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher
of Gatineau, Canada, priests and bishops must guide their pastoral
ministry. “We are all, first and foremost, family men”, he said.
“We have parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins. Therefore,
the families of which we speak are not alien to us, they form part of
our lives. This must be transparent in our language, in our texts, in
our care and compassion for the families of the world. There is a
danger of talking about the 'family' as if it were something external
to us. We are men of faith. We do not claim to be psychologists,
sociologists or economists, although some of us are educated in these
fields. We speak primarily as men of faith and this must be seen in
the first analytical part of the document. We are pastors. Our
concern is that the mission that Christ entrusted to His Church, the
mission that is the Church, is always fulfilled in our world today.
All the efforts of the Synod must be directed towards this objective.
All the documents that we draw up must conform to this fundamental
concern. In particular, we would like to help our families to answer
two questions: regarding vocation, who are you? And regarding the
mission: what are you doing?”.
“Our final document must give hope to
our families, showing the confidence we have in them, and must
inspire trust in us. We must avoid causing some people to feel
excluded from our care, because all families participate in the
mission of the Church. We must remember that the families in the
Bible are at times dysfunctional, and recall what the Word of God
realised in and for them. God can carry out the same miracles today”.
Some groups observe that the analysis
of the situation of the family in the Instrumentum Laboris does not
reflect a universal condition, but rather a principally Western and
in particular European perspective. “The historical contexts and
cultures are not the same”, writes Bishop Laurent Ulrich. “It
cannot be said that the number of marriages and baptisms is declining
throughout the world. And we cannot speak about the same form of the
Church's presence in our respective societies. The possibilities of
sharing faith in our countries are not all identical, and neither is
the public witness that can be given. Similarly, the very reasons
that make this difficult are not all the same: the freedom of action
in 'free' countries does not mean that it is truly recognised and may
lead to contradictory attitudes. Some choose a position of affirming
a strong identity, whereas others select a patient but not always
well-understood dialogue. In other countries religious or cultural
pressure on Christians does not mean that they are silenced, but
rather that after many centuries they must face a painful path”.
The theme of Christian families in the
Middle East is present in a significant number of the reports from
the Circuli Minores, who aside from offering their solidarity, also
warn that the flight of these families from the region would put an
end to a millennia-long Christian presence.
The diversity of socio-cultural
contexts and pastoral situations is also noted by the group whose
rapporteur is Msgr. Francois-Xavier Dumortier, S.J. He underlines
that this diversity requires an articulation of what is of a
universal order and of a particular order, a strong common word able
to respond to particular situations. In this respect the group
proposes that the episcopal conferences hold a determined power to
allow their pastors to be good Samaritans in their ecclesial service.
The Cardinal also asks the Synod to facilitate pathways “for the
family to live its vocation and its mission according to God's plan
and the teaching of the Church”, and to seek to provide “more
coherence to the grouping of theological and canonical texts, that
seem to be juxtaposed rather than linked together, so as to simplify
their expression”.
In the reports from all groups, mention
is made of the need for States to pay greater attention to the needs
of families and above all to their weakest members, such as the
elderly or disabled. Some express concern regarding so-called gender
theory which, as Archbishop Durocher writes, “has developed within
sociology and philosophy, in an attempt to analyse various human and
social phenomena, and may enrich our understanding of the world.
However, when these theories become an absolute … they lead to the
imposition of a point of view that denies the relationship between
sexual identity and the sexual beings we are in our bodies”.
In the Hispanic group, whose rapporteur
is the Panamanian Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan, notes among
other issues “the challenge of the renewal of our Church”. “We
have failed in 'Christian formation' and in 'education in faith', and
this leads to marriage with many gaps and omissions. This cannot be
said to be the family. And it is not simply a question of preparation
as there are many couples who, without preparation, have been
faithful and happy, and others who are well-prepared and have ended
up separating”. The cardinal also speaks about the rupture in the
unity between “love, sexuality and procreation”, and notes also a
separation from its educational dimension. “The relationship
between love, sexuality, marriage, family and the education of
children has broken down”.
The Italian Synod Fathers, like many
others, note their concern regarding the migratory phenomenon, which
affects many families fleeing from war and poverty, and increasingly
involves other families and the Church. The issue of bioethics is
also prominent, especially among couples who are unable to have
children. After reaffirming that the equal dignity of men and women
has its roots in the Gospel, the Italian group, whose rapporteur is
Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, highlights the need to condemn “the
exploitation of child labour, child soldiers and the female body (by,
for instance, prostitution, surrogacy, violence and murder, and rape
as an act of war)”.
Finally, he warns of the need to affirm
that the Church has a positive view of sexuality, as it is an
expression of the “symphonic tension between eros and agape”.
Posts
