The Synod has started....

Best Princess ever! Bet I'd say that for all the others too. She's definitely the best one for this weekend. Looking fwd to seeing you all.

 

Pope Francis's closing remarks to the synod (part one)

Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters,

With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past days, with the light of the Holy Spirit.

From the heart I thank Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, Bishop Fabio Fabene, under-secretary, and with them I thank the Relators, Cardinal Peter Erdo, who has worked so much in these days of family mourning, and the Special Secretary Bishop Bruno Forte, the three President delegates, the transcribers, the consultors, the translators and the unknown workers, all those who have worked with true fidelity and total dedication behind the scenes and without rest. Thank you so much from the heart.

I thank all of you as well, dear Synod fathers, Fraternal Delegates, Auditors, and Assessors, for your active and fruitful participation. I will keep you in prayer asking the Lord to reward you with the abundance of His gifts of grace!

I can happily say that – with a spirit of collegiality and of synodality – we have truly lived the experience of “Synod,” a path of solidarity, a “journey together.”

And it has been “a journey” – and like every journey there were moments of running fast, as if wanting to conquer time and reach the goal as soon as possible; other moments of fatigue, as if wanting to say “enough”; other moments of enthusiasm and ardour. There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and the tears of their faithful people. Moments of consolation and grace and comfort hearing the testimonies of the families who have participated in the Synod and have shared with us the beauty and the joy of their married life. A journey where the stronger feel compelled to help the less strong, where the more experienced are led to serve others, even through confrontations. And since it is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned:

– One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (the spirit); within the law, within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve. From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called – today – “traditionalists” and also of the intellectuals.

– The temptation to a destructive tendency to goodness [it. buonismo], that in the name of a deceptive mercy binds the wounds without first curing them and treating them; that treats the symptoms and not the causes and the roots. It is the temptation of the “do-gooders,” of the fearful, and also of the so-called “progressives and liberals.”

– The temptation to transform stones into bread to break the long, heavy, and painful fast (cf. Lk 4:1-4); and also to transform the bread into a stone and cast it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick (cf Jn 8:7), that is, to transform it into unbearable burdens (Lk 11:46).

– The temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bending it to the Spirit of God.

– The temptation to neglect the “depositum fidei” [the deposit of faith], not thinking of themselves as guardians but as owners or masters [of it]; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect reality, making use of meticulous language and a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing! They call them “byzantinisms,” I think, these things…

Dear brothers and sisters, the temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us, because no disciple is greater than his master; so if Jesus Himself was tempted – and even called Beelzebul (cf. Mt 12:24) – His disciples should not expect better treatment.

Personally I would be very worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions; this movement of the spirits, as St Ignatius called it (Spiritual Exercises, 6), if all were in a state of agreement, or silent in a false and quietist peace. Instead, I have seen and I have heard – with joy and appreciation – speeches and interventions full of faith, of pastoral and doctrinal zeal, of wisdom, of frankness and of courage: and of parresia. And I have felt that what was set before our eyes was the good of the Church, of families, and the “supreme law,” the “good of souls” (cf. Can. 1752). And this always – we have said it here, in the Hall – without ever putting into question the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of marriage: the indissolubility, the unity, the faithfulness, the fruitfulness, that openness to life (cf. Cann. 1055, 1056; and Gaudium et spes, 48).

And this is the Church, the vineyard of the Lord, the fertile Mother and the caring Teacher, who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves to pour oil and wine on people’s wound; who doesn’t see humanity as a house of glass to judge or categorize people. This is the Church, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and composed of sinners, needful of God’s mercy. This is the Church, the true bride of Christ, who seeks to be faithful to her spouse and to her doctrine. It is the Church that is not afraid to eat and drink with prostitutes and publicans. The Church that has the doors wide open to receive the needy, the penitent, and not only the just or those who believe they are perfect! The Church that is not ashamed of the fallen brother and pretends not to see him, but on the contrary feels involved and almost obliged to lift him up and to encourage him to take up the journey again and accompany him toward a definitive encounter with her Spouse, in the heavenly Jerusalem.

 

Part two

The is the Church, our Mother! And when the Church, in the variety of her charisms, expresses herself in communion, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith which is bestowed by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life. And this should never be seen as a source of confusion and discord.

Many commentators, or people who talk, have imagined that they see a disputatious Church where one part is against the other, doubting even the Holy Spirit, the true promoter and guarantor of the unity and harmony of the Church – the Holy Spirit who throughout history has always guided the barque, through her Ministers, even when the sea was rough and choppy, and the ministers unfaithful and sinners.

And, as I have dared to tell you , [as] I told you from the beginning of the Synod, it was necessary to live through all this with tranquillity, and with interior peace, so that the Synod would take place cum Petro and sub Petro (with Peter and under Peter), and the presence of the Pope is the guarantee of it all.

We will speak a little bit about the Pope, now, in relation to the Bishops [laughing]. So, the duty of the Pope is that of guaranteeing the unity of the Church; it is that of reminding the faithful of their duty to faithfully follow the Gospel of Christ; it is that of reminding the pastors that their first duty is to nourish the flock – to nourish the flock – that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek to welcome – with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears – the lost sheep. I made a mistake here. I said welcome: [rather] to go out and find them.

His duty is to remind everyone that authority in the Church is a service, as Pope Benedict XVI clearly explained, with words I cite verbatim: “The Church is called and commits herself to exercise this kind of authority which is service and exercises it not in her own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ… through the Pastors of the Church, in fact: it is he who guides, protects and corrects them, because he loves them deeply. But the Lord Jesus, the supreme Shepherd of our souls, has willed that the Apostolic College, today the Bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter… to participate in his mission of taking care of God’s People, of educating them in the faith and of guiding, inspiring and sustaining the Christian community, or, as the Council puts it, ‘to see to it… that each member of the faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit to the full development of his own vocation in accordance with Gospel preaching, and to sincere and active charity’ and to exercise that liberty with which Christ has set us free (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6)… and it is through us,” Pope Benedict continues, “that the Lord reaches souls, instructs, guards and guides them. St Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of St John, says: ‘let it therefore be a commitment of love to feed the flock of the Lord’ (cf. 123, 5); this is the supreme rule of conduct for the ministers of God, an unconditional love, like that of the Good Shepherd, full of joy, given to all, attentive to those close to us and solicitous for those who are distant (cf. St Augustine, Discourse 340, 1; Discourse 46, 15), gentle towards the weakest, the little ones, the simple, the sinners, to manifest the infinite mercy of God with the reassuring words of hope (cf. ibid., Epistle, 95, 1).”

So, the Church is Christ’s – she is His bride – and all the bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter, have the task and the duty of guarding her and serving her, not as masters but as servants. The Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but rather the supreme servant – the “servant of the servants of God”; the guarantor of the obedience and the conformity of the Church to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ, and to the Tradition of the Church, putting aside every personal whim, despite being – by the will of Christ Himself – the “supreme Pastor and Teacher of all the faithful” (Can. 749) and despite enjoying “supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church” (cf. Cann. 331-334).

Dear brothers and sisters, now we still have one year to mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas and to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate families.

One year to work on the “Synodal Relatio” which is the faithful and clear summary of everything that has been said and discussed in this hall and in the small groups. It is presented to the Episcopal Conferences as “lineamenta” [guidelines].

May the Lord accompany us, and guide us in this journey for the glory of His Name, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint Joseph. And please, do not forget to pray for me! Thank you!

 

I love the Pope...the best line is we get to wait a year for final document. Lol...its not our time but Gods time. Mog will get to keep the debate going for another year.

By the way His speech has so many layers...i will need to read it all week. One part says the Synod Fathers are very human. Another part says He knew there was division between traditional and progressive Cardinals. But in the end, throughout the Synod the Holy Spirt was guiding.

Lots of good stuff

 

Yes I think it is a good speech. He is a good Pope and it was a good synod with many passionate speeches, which is all to the good.

 

Synod puts finishing touches to concluding text ahead of tomorrow’s vote



In today’s addresses in the Synod Hall, participants presented their final requests for modifications. Many Synod Fathers spoke about the “relationship between conscience and moral law”. Turkson assured that the text will not be watered down

Iacopo Scaramuzzi Vatican City

The concluding text of the Synod on the Family will be completed between today and tomorrow and will be voted on tomorrow afternoon but it has already been broadly drafted and Synod Fathers are “satisfied” by it. Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi confirmed this at the daily Synod press briefing in the Vatican.

The assembly on the family began on 4 October and is now nearing conclusion. The final report is put together by an ad hoc commission, on the basis of 1355 amendments (modi) made to the working document (Instrumentum laboris) produced during the course of the three weeks of meetings by the language-based discussion groups (circuli minores). Ahead of tomorrow’s vote, a first draft of the document was presented yesterday to the Synod Fathers who discussed the text and proposed further amendments this morning. This did not happen at last year’s Extraordinary Synod. The Commission must now “integrate as far as possible”, the latest “observations” made, said Fr. Lombardi. “It’s just small details” that are being modified, the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, explained at today’s daily press briefing “I believe the bulk of the work has already been done”. It’s just “fine-tuning” the text. Responding to a one of the journalists’ questions, Turkson said that whoever expects the “commission” to produce a “watered down” report in order to secure a broad consensus, is mistaken: the final document “respects all the different points of view” but it also touches on “strong points” without forgetting the “collegiality” of bishops from around the world, who have been gathering in the Vatican for the past few weeks. But the Ghanaian cardinal clarified that he didn’t get the impression there were “two opposing blocks” at last year’s extraordinary Synod either. This morning, Fr. Lombardi said, the Synod Fathers gave 51 “brief” speeches and “all of them expressed their warm thanks and admiration for the work done by the commission, because the text is far more ordered and satisfying, as the Fathers put it, than the Instrumentum laboris which was more disjointed and not as organised or coherent. “Nonetheless,” Fr. Lombardi added, “the aim of the speeches was to introduce further improvements”. “I was a Synod rapporteur in the past,” Turkson said “and so I know about the work my confreres” from the commission “are doing” and I have “great admiration” for them. “This afternoon they will have time to incorporate new contributions and tomorrow they will present a text we can all agree on.”

The Vatican press briefing did not give many details on the text because each paragraph is to be voted on and the entire text published tomorrow. At the end of last year’s Extraordinary Synod, the Pope decided to publish both the final report and the outcome and the voting results. He could decide to do this again this year. This morning’s speeches, Lombardi said, were “very broad-ranging”, with “biblical references and references to migrants, formation, pastoral care, accompaniment, education, spirituality and the suffering of the Cross experienced by families”. “A number of speeches also focused on the complex relationship between conscience and moral law,” Fr. Lombardi said, without specifying whether certain other questions were discussed, such as the recourse to the “internal forum” to deal with the issue of communion for remarried divorcees, a proposal put forward by the German-speaking discussion group. The Bishop of Gand (Belgium), Mgr. Lucas Van Looy, on his part, underlined that “the document definitely tries to give due attention to the situations of a variety of countries, nations and cultures and the conscience of people in these contexts. While it is true that conscience is a grace from the Lord, this conscience needs to be educated and the itinerary for the education of the conscience will obviously be different depending on people’s background. Your starting point will be different depending on whether your cultural background is Asian, African or European.” We many not all agree on everything, but the Holy Father has heard the contents of all speeches”. As far as the family is concerned, “those which face the greatest difficulties attract the greatest attention. The same thing happens at school, where pupils who struggle more, get more attention. Perhaps this is why at the Synod there has been a greater focus on families that find it hard to be faithful in all the ways that they can,” the Belgian bishop said, quoting three episodes from the Gospel that sprang to mind over these three weeks: “the adulteress who meets Jesus, the prodigal son who is embraced by his father, the Samaritan who helps the man along the road.” The Archbishop of Québec (Canada), Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix, who also spoke at the briefing, reminded those present that “the document we are preparing is not a legislative text, it will draw together everything we discussed. There may not be unanimity, that isn’t a problem, we are presenting our reflections to the Successor of Peter and he will help us to proceed. If everyone thinks the same, then no one thinks. At the Synod, he always tries to work out what the best path to take is and this is a sign of good health”.

At the end of the briefing, Cardinal Turkson answered a question about a speech in the Synod Hall that dealt with homosexuality in a particularly aggressive manner. “If you think that this subject is taboo in Africa, pay a visit to Russia first,” he said. “When I was studying theology in the ‘70s, all psychology books presented homosexuality as an anomaly. Now, the perception has changed to such an extent that it is no longer considered such. It should be accepted that [African] countries find it difficult to grow in their understanding of this experience. Just because the West sees things in a certain way, doesn’t mean the rest of the world should too. You need to allow other countries to grow. We encourage our people not to criminalise this phenomenon but we encourage others (countries) not to pick on those who still have problems with this.”

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/sinodo-famiglia-44182/

 

???????????
je ne comprend pas

 

Is that report for real.

I went to a seminar in London about 30 years ago. I think they called it 'Faith of our fathers' and learned the most interesting thing about our faith.

When I was a kid, we were taught the Holy Faith by INSTRUCTION. It was called religious instruction. Informing us of the Truth of our Faith.

Since the 60's children have been taught religious education. As we all know this includes every belief system that comes down the pipeline.
Where is the certainty in that ? The truth needs Instruction, the maybe's can be opined. Is that what the Faith has come to. Is the Truth a matter of opinion in our modern world. That maybe ok coming from the world; but not from the Church. God help us.

I hope Holy Father will save the day. Or we are stuffed.

 

If people choose to follow the synod via websites like this one, then they are simply not going to understand the nature of what has been going on in Rome.

 

Pope Francis: Synod was about affirming family, indissoluble marriage
Vatican City, Oct 24, 2015 / 02:10 pm (EWTN News/CNA)

At the conclusion of the 2015 Synod on the Family, Pope Francis emphasized that the gathering had been about recognizing that society is founded on the family and marriage as the permanent union of one man and one woman.

The synod, the Pope said in his closing message, “was about urging everyone to appreciate the importance of the institution of the family and of marriage between a man and a woman, based on unity and indissolubility, and valuing it as the fundamental basis of society and human life.”

http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=12825

 

Heres a link to EWTN coverage on the Synod that aired 1pm Eastern(nite in Rome)

Todays show isn't posted yet but they did say all paragraphs passed by the required 2/3rds majority of Bishops ...was breaking news during todays show.

http://www.ewtn.com/synod/family/media.asp#television

 

I agree...the last word on all of this will come from the pope.

 

This site was forwarded to me by a trusted friend. Is there a problem with it that I'm unaware of? I've never been on it before and I am unfamiliar with it.....it sounded valid to me....but I could be wrong.

 

Cardinal Turkson seems to believe that Truth, rather than being Absolute and Eternal, is merely a function of space and time. He infers that it can be one thing in or before the seventies, another in the present; perhaps it will be something completely different next year. That it can be one thing in Africa, but another in Europe. This is incomprehensible and defies both Christ and the magisterium on the one hand, and the principle of non-contradiction on the other. It is to your credit that you don't understand!

 

If one reads its "Statement of Purpose", it appears to be quite sound. Very traditional, but for myself, I would be quite sympathetic with that viewpoint. The article you refer to appears to be taking the worst possible interpretation of what might happen. It is too early to call things and we must hold our nerve.

 

I agree...more time for everything to be evaluated in the "light of day".
God bless.

 

Garabandal,

I believe Parts I and II were from Pope Francis' closing speech at the end of last year's Synod (2014). I included some of it in an essay I wrote at the beginning of this month. Still worth a look even now.

Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!

 

October 24, 2015, Saturday — Three Less Unanimous Paragraphs (with Vote Total



"While insisting on God’s love for homosexual persons and the obligation to respect their dignity, the report also insisted homosexual unions could not be recognized as marriages and denounced as 'totally unacceptable' governments or international organizations making recognition of 'marriage’ between persons of the same gender a condition for financial assistance." —American Vaticanist Cindy Wooden, of Catholic News Service, in one of the first reports on the Synod document


The text of the final Synod document has been published in Italian at this link: Link.)



As soon as the text is out on English, I will send a note with a link to it.



The three paragraphs which received the lowest vote totals were Paragraphs 84, 85, and 86.



These paragraphs, on "Discernment and Integration," deal with "the baptized who are divorced and civilly remarried."



Paragraph 84 received 187 "yes" votes and 72 "no" votes.



Paragraph 85 received 178 "yes" votes and 80 "no" votes. (Since 177 votes were needed for a two-thirds majority, this also passed, but it was close; though in this particular case, 173 votes were enough for a two-thirds majority of the 258 votes that were cast, as seven Fathers abstained; this paragraph received the lowest percentage of votes given to any paragraph.)



Paragraph 86 received 190 "yes" votes and 64 "no" votes.



Here are the paragraphs in question, in my own English translation (the official English translation is not yet available).



The Three Less Unanimous Paragraphs



Discernment and integration


84. The baptized who are divorced and civilly remarried need to be more integrated in the Christian communities in the different ways possible, avoiding any occasion of scandal.

The logic of integration is the key to their pastoral accompaniment, in order that they know not only that they belong to the Body of Christ which is the Church, but can have a joyful and fruitful experience of it.

They are baptized, they are brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit pours out into them gifts and charisms for the good of all. Their participation can be expressed in different ecclesial services: it is therefore necessary to discern which of the various forms of exclusion currently practiced in the liturgical, pastoral, educational and institutional realms can be overcome.

They not only should not feel themselves excommunicated, but can live and mature as living members of the Church, feeling her to be a mother who welcomes them always, who takes care of them with affection and who encourages them in the path of life and of the Gospel.

This integration is also needed for the care and Christian education of their children, who must be considered the most important.

For the Christian community, taking care of these people is not a weakening of their faith and testimony about the indissolubility of marriage: rather, the Church expresses in this very care her charity.

85. St. John Paul II offered a comprehensive criterion, which remains the basis for the evaluation of these situations: "Pastors must know that, for the sake of truth, they are obliged to discern situations carefully. There is indeed a difference between those who have sincerely tried to save their first marriage and have been unjustly abandoned, and those who through their own grave fault have destroyed a canonically valid marriage. Finally, there are those who have contracted a second marriage for the sake of the children, and are sometimes subjectively certain in conscience that their previous marriage, irreparably broken, had never been valid" (FC, 84).

It is therefore the duty of priests to accompany the people concerned on the way of discernment according to the teaching of the Church and the guidelines of the Bishop. In this process, it will be useful to make an examination of conscience, by means of moments of reflection and penance.

The divorced and remarried should ask themselves how they have behaved towards their children when the conjugal union has entered into crisis; if there have been attempts at reconciliation; what is the situation of the partner who has been abandoned; what effect has the new relationship on the rest of the family and on the community of the faithful; what example it offers to young people who are preparing for marriage. A sincere reflection can strengthen trust in the mercy of God that is not denied to anyone.

Moreover, one can not deny that in some circumstances "imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or nullified" (CCC, 1735) due to various conditions. Accordingly, the judgment of an objective situation should not lead to a judgment on the "subjective culpability" (Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Declaration of June 24, 2000, 2a).

Under certain circumstances people find it very difficult to act otherwise than they do. Therefore, while maintaining a general rule, it must be recognized that the responsibility with respect to certain actions or decisions is not the same in all cases. Pastoral discernment, while taking account of a properly formed conscience of the people, must take these situations into consideration. The consequences of acts taken are not necessarily the same in all cases.

86. The process of accompaniment and discernment orients these faithful to an examination of conscience regarding their situation before God. The interview with the priest, in the internal forum ("foro interno"), contributes to the formation of a correct judgment on what hinders the possibility of a fuller participation in the life of the Church and on the steps that can foster it and make it grow. Given that in the law itself there is no graduality (cf. FC 34), this discernment will never be able to prescind from the needs of the truth and the charity of the Gospel proposed by the Church. In order for this to happen, the necessary conditions of humility, confidence, and love for the Church and its teaching, must be guaranteed, in the sincere search for God's will and the desire to achieve a more perfect answer to it.



Here are the vote totals for all of the 94 paragraphs:




Synod Fathers present: 265



Two thirds of 265 = 177.



So 177 votes were needed to give any paragraph a two-thirds majority.



The abstensions (often four or five or more Fathers did not vote either "yes" or "no,") are not listed.



Paragraph

Yes

No

1

260

0

2

257

0

3

255

1

4

256

2

5

256

3

6

249

9

7

248

9

8

245

9

9

254

4

10

253

7

11

256

1

12

253

5

13

255

5

14

256

5

15

255

5

16

254

8

17

259

1

18

258

1

19

255

5

20

257

3

21

256

4

22

252

4

23

253

4

24

255

5

25

242

15

26

256

2

27

251

9

28

257

4

29

249

8

30

250

7

31

253

7

32

249

6

33

246

12

34

245

11

35

259

2

36

256

3

37

252

6

38

251

5

39

255

3

40

255

6

41

253

7

42

257

2

43

254

6

44

247

11

45

249

6

46

254

5

47

246

11

48

253

6

49

253

5

50

252

6

51

250

11

52

252

5

53

244

15

54

236

21

55

243

14

56

248

10

57

257

2

58

247

14

59

258

3

60

259

1

61

254

7

62

259

0

63

237

21

64

247

11

65

252

7

66

258

0

67

259

0

68

253

3

69

236

21

70

213

47

71

218

42

72

229

29

73

236

24

74

223

36

75

205

52

76

221

37

77

247

11

78

250

8

79

246

14

80

253

6

81

253

7

82

244

16

83

248

12

84

187

72

85

178

80

86

190

64

87

255

3

88

252

4

89

257

2

90

255

5

91

248

12

92

256

4

93

255

2

94

253

5



=================================

 

Overview by Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service, the News Service of the US Bishops' Conference



"Synod Report Urges "Accompaniment" Tailored to Family Situations



Posted on October 24, 2015



By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service (link)



VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While not specifically mentioning the controversial proposal of a path toward full reconciliation and Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, members of the Synod of Bishops on the family handed Pope Francis a report emphasizing an obligation to recognize that not all Catholics in such a situation bear the same amount of blame.



The 94-paragraph report approved Oct. 24, the last working day of the three-week synod, highlighted the role of pastors in helping couples understand church teaching, grow in faith and take responsibility for sharing the Gospel. It also emphasized how “pastoral accompaniment” involves discerning, on a case-by-case basis, the moral culpability of people not fully living up to the Catholic ideal.



Bishops and other full members of the synod voted separately on each paragraph and the Vatican published those votes. The paragraph dealing specifically with leading divorced and remarried Catholics on a path of discernment passed with only one vote beyond the necessary two-thirds.



Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna told reporters Oct. 24 that the key word in the document’s discussion of ministry to divorced and civilly remarried people is “‘discernment.’ I invite you all to remember there is no black or white, no simple yes or no.” The situation of each couple “must be discerned,” which is what was called for by St. John Paul II in his 1981 exhortation on the family, he said.



The cardinal told Vatican Insider, a news site, that although St. John Paul called for discernment in those cases, “he didn’t mention all that comes after discernment.” The synod’s final report, he said, proposes priests help divorced and remarried couples undergoing conversion and repentance so that they recognize whether or not they are worthy to receive the Eucharist. Such an examination of conscience, he said, is required of every Catholic each time they prepare to approach the altar.



As Pope Francis said at the beginning of the synod, Church doctrine on the meaning of marriage as a lifelong bond between one man and one woman open to having children was not up for debate. The final report strongly affirmed that teaching as God’s plan for humanity, as a blessing for the church and a benefit to society.



While insisting on God’s love for homosexual persons and the obligation to respect their dignity, the report also insisted homosexual unions could not be recognized as marriages and denounced as “totally unacceptable” governments or international organizations making recognition of “‘marriage’ between persons of the same gender” a condition for financial assistance.



The report also spoke specifically of: the changing role of women in families, the Church and society; single people and their contributions to the family and the Church; the heroic witness of parents who love and care for children with disabilities; the family as a sanctuary protecting the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death; and the particular strain on family life caused by poverty and by migration.



The Catholic Church recognizes a “natural” value in marriage corresponding to the good of the husband and wife, their unity, fidelity and desire for children.



But the sacrament of marriage adds another dimension, the report said. “The irrevocable fidelity of God to his covenant is the foundation of the indissolubility of marriage. The complete and profound love of the spouses is not based only on their human capabilities: God sustains this covenant with the strength of his Spirit.”



But human beings are subject to sin and failure, which is why synod members recommend the need for “accompaniment” by family members, pastors and other couples. “Being close to the family as a traveling companion means, for the Church, assuming wisely differentiated attitudes: sometimes it is necessary to stay by their side and listen in silence; other times it must indicate the path to follow; and at still other times, it is opportune to follow, support and encourage.”



A draft of the report was presented to synod members Oct. 22, and 51 bishops spoke the next morning about changes they would like to see in the final draft. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters that several bishops mentioned specifically a need to improve the text’s references to “the relationship between conscience and the moral law.”



The text refers to conscience in sections dealing with procreation and with marital situations the church considers irregular, particularly the situation of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.



First, though, synod members promised greater efforts to be with couples in crisis and praised divorced Catholics who, “even in difficult situations, do not undertake a new union, remaining faithful to the sacramental bond.” Such Catholics, they noted, can and should “find in the Eucharist the nourishment that sustains them.”



Those who have remarried without an annulment of their sacramental marriage must be welcomed and included in the parish community in every way possible, the report said. “They are baptized, they are brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit gives them gifts and charisms for the good of all.”



Quoting from St. John Paul’s exhortation on the family, the report insists that pastors, “for the sake of truth,” are called to careful discernment when assisting and counseling people who divorced and remarried. They must distinguish, for instance, between those who “have been unjustly abandoned, and those who through their own grave fault have destroyed a canonically valid marriage,” in the words of St. John Paul.



Priests must “accompany interested people on the path of discernment in accordance with the teaching of the church and the guidance of the bishop,” the report said.



While the report makes no explicit mention of absolution and the return to Communion, it seems to leave some possibility for such a solution by quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s affirmation that “imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified” because of different conditions.



Just as the degree of guilt will differ, the report said, “also the consequences of the acts are not necessarily the same in all cases.”



In several places the text praises the teaching of Humanae Vitae, the document of Blessed Paul VI on married love and the transmission of life. “Conjugal love between a man and a woman and the transmission of life are ordered one to the other,” the report said.



“Responsible parenthood presupposes the formation of the conscience, which is ‘the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths,'” said the report, quoting from the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. “The more spouses try to listen to God and his commandments in their consciences, the freer their decision will be” from external pressures, the report said.



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What is the glory of God?



"The glory of God is man alive; but the life of man is the vision of God." —St. Irenaeus of Lyons, in the territory of France, in his great work Against All Heresies, written c. 180 A.D.