Archive for category Synod on the Family
Why Pope Francis’s fight in Rome is about more than sex and marriage / The Washington Post
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Future of the Church, Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 21, 2015
At Pope Francis’s closed-door meeting in Rome this month, top clergy are intensely debating whether the church should bend more to the messy realities of modern families. On the ground, however, it already has.
“Questions on the agenda at the rare, high-level meeting that ends this weekend include whether those who divorce and remarry outside the church can receive Communion, and whether there is a place in Catholic life for same-sex couples. Changing Catholicism’s stance towards such things could begin to unravel the unity of the world’s largest church, say opponents who see the debate in Rome as directly tied to the future of Catholicism. But in many parts of the world – the West in particular – the church has for years quietly been making changes to engage with Catholic families who are transforming in ways that mirror the rest of the society.”
By Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Pope’s family synod: No changes, but everything has changed
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 20, 2015
It’s now quite certain that Pope Francis’ big summit on family issues won’t endorse any changes to church doctrine on the church’s teaching about homosexuality or whether civilly remarried Catholics can receive Communion.
“And yet, it seems, everything has changed.
“From the crucial role African bishops have played in the debate, to calls to remove ‘intrinsically disordered’ from the church’s language on gays, to the freedom bishops now enjoy to speak their minds on once-taboo issues, Francis’ synod on the family has at the very least shaken up the church for years to come.
“And if Francis has his way, there’s more ahead.”
By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Questions remain about Synod of Bishops’ closing document / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 20, 2015
As the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops on the family nears its end, two features of the process seem especially striking. One is how much the bishops have left to do; the other is how much uncertainty still surrounds exactly what they’re doing.
“The final result is to be a document to be presented to Pope Francis. It’s designed to be based on a working document distributed before the synod, but there’s been enough dissatisfaction with that earlier text that it’s possible the 10-member drafting committee could essentially start from scratch.”
By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this article.
U.S. sister-auditor: Synod shows cultural divide between bishops, laypeople / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 20, 2015
The discussions at the ongoing Synod of Bishops have shown a clear difference in mindsets between the prelates considering issues of family life and ordinary Catholics looking to the gathering in hopes for changes in church pastoral practice, one of the non-voting participants in the event has said.
“U.S. Sacred Heart of Mary Sr. Maureen Kelleher — who is taking part in the Oct. 4-25 synod as one of 32 women serving in non-voting roles alongside the 270 prelate-members — said there is a clear cultural divide between bishops’ and laypersons’ points of view.”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Cardinal Pell rejects conservative call for a walkout at the Synod of Bishops / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 19, 2015
Despite an online petition calling on prelates ‘faithful to Christ’s teaching’ to abandon the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, due to perceptions of a ‘pre-determined outcome that is anything but orthodox,’ one of the summit’s most outspoken conservatives says ‘there’s no ground for anyone to walk out on anything.’
“Australian Cardinal George Pell, who heads the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, told Crux on Friday (Oct. 16) that by the midway point of the Oct. 4-25 synod, concerns about stacking the deck circulating in some quarters have ‘substantially been addressed.’”
By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Five reasons the synod is doomed to fail / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 16, 2015
The synod on the family has created a lot of interest in the church and spilled a lot of ink (or electrons) in the media, but there are five reasons that it was doomed to fail before the bishops even gathered in Rome Oct. 4. Perhaps Pope Francis can perform a miracle and save it, but the odds are against him.”
By Thomas Reese, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this commentary and here to read similar comments from David Gibson, “Are conservatives at high-stakes Vatican summit overplaying their hand,” at Religion News Service.
Synod small groups suggest much work remains in finding consensus / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 15, 2015
With the conclusion of the second round of small group discussions, consensus is emerging around a few key themes at the synod on the family: The working document needs a lot of work, the Church should speak more clearly and positively about Catholic marriage, and couples need catechetical resources, or ‘best practices’ as one group put it, to help them sustain their commitments.
“Dig a bit deeper into the reports released Wednesday (Oct. 14), however, and it becomes clear that bishops are still grappling with a variety of more difficult issues–cohabitation, domestic abuse, women’s leadership, and the growing reality that young people just aren’t that into marriage. These inquiries serve as something of a preview to next week’s discussion.”
By Michael O’Loughlin, Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.
‘Yes, we can!’ emerges as rallying cry at 2015 synod / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 14, 2015
Given the blindingly obvious fact that there are deep divisions at the 2015 Synod of Bishops, various ways of analyzing those fault lines have been proposed. Some see them in terms of the difference between a deductive and inductive approach, some between meeting the world halfway versus not being swallowed up by it, and so on.
“As the synod rolls into its second week (week of Oct. 12), yet another way of understanding the fundamental divide is coming into focus: The gap between those who believe the demands of classic Catholic teaching on sex, marriage, and the family may be unrealistic or inappropriate for some share of the contemporary population, and those convinced that it’s widely attainable in the here-and-now.
“Perhaps one could call the latter position the “Yes We Can!’ brigade at the 2015 synod.”
By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this commentary.
Synod bishops may punt the tough issues to the local level / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on October 9, 2015
As bishops wrap up the first week of deliberations about family life, hints are emerging that complex pastoral challenges could ultimately be addressed not with sweeping changes in Rome, but at the local level.
Could national bishops’ conferences come up with their own rules about annulments, Communion, and how to minister to gays and lesbians?
Maybe.
By Michael O’Loughlin, Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.
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