Posts Tagged synod
The makeup of Synod of Bishops on the Family is disappointing / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Future of the Church, Pope Francis, Vatican on September 10, 2014
The list of those attending the Synod of Bishops on the family is a disappointment to those hoping for reform of the Curia and for those who hope that the laity will be heard at the synod.
“The appointment of 25 curial officials to the synod on the family is a sign that Pope Francis still does not understand what real reform of the Roman Curia requires. It makes me fear that when all is said and done, he may close or merge some offices, rearrange some responsibilities, but not really shake things up.”
By Thomas Reese, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this article.
Bridgeport VOTF will take part in diocesan synod
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on July 17, 2014
Voice of the Faithful® in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in an extension of its contacts with Bishop Frank Caggiano, will send delegates to the diocesan synod to begin this fall and run through the diocese’s next fiscal year.
An article announcing the synod, which appeared in the July 15 Darien Times, said, “The process has already begun, with parishes and schools throughout Fairfield County that belong to the diocese choosing delegates to represent them during the spring … Caggiano said approximately 300 to 400 delegates have been chosen and there will also be a group of young people who will parallel the synod. Other groups represented will include immigrants, ethnic groups and Voice of the Faithful. Caggiano broke the Diocese of Bridgeport’s long-standing policy of rejecting Voice of the Faithful since its inception … Diocese communications director Brian Wallace told The Darien Times earlier this year that ‘one of the first things Bishop Caggiano did after arriving here was to reach out to the Voice of the Faithful, and in four months he has had several conversations with the VOTF leadership.'”
Click here to read the entire article in The Darien Times.
Vatican Document for Synod on Family Balances Mercy and Cultural Blame / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on June 26, 2014
Struggles faced by faithful around the world in following Catholic teachings stem mainly from ineffective education in those teachings and the pervasive effect of a relativistic culture, states the guiding document for an upcoming Synod of Bishops on the family.
“The document, anticipated by many Catholics as a barometer for what to expect from the synod, also strongly reinforces church teachings regarding the indissolubility of marriage, the restriction of marriage to heterosexual couples, and that partners must be open to having children.
“At the same time, the document states, the church must respond with mercy to the struggles of families to adhere to sometimes controversial teachings — like those prohibiting divorce and remarriage, contraception, cohabitation, and same-sex marriage — and ‘support her children on the path of reconciliation.’
“Released by the Vatican on Thursday, the document was prepared for an extraordinary Synod of Bishops to be held in October. Called by Pope Francis last year, the 2014 synod is the first of two back-to-back yearly meetings of the world’s Catholic bishops at the Vatican on the theme of ‘pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.’”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Bishops Talk Sex Abuse Complacency, Not Accountability at Annual Meeting / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Future of the Church, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on June 13, 2014
Urged not to get complacent on clergy sexual abuse of minors, the nation’s Catholic bishops spoke little of holding one another accountable for failures in protecting children at their annual spring meeting. The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Review Board, which advises the bishops on child protection policies, told those gathered Wednesday (June 11) in New Orleans that the church ‘continues to slowly make progress’ on the abuse issue and asked bishops present to ‘resist complacency’ and ‘remain committed’ to the work still ahead of them.”
By Brian Roewe, Joshua J. McElwee — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Other news concerning the U.S. bishops’ 2014 spring assembly, which is taking place in New Orleans:
U.S. Bishops Seek to Match Vatican in Shifting Tone
“Fifteen months into the pontificate of Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States find themselves unsettled in ways large and small, revisiting both how they live and what they talk about in light of the new pope’s emphasis on personal humility and economic justice. Over the last several days as the bishops gathered here for their semiannual meeting, they grappled with the substantive and stylistic implications of a still-new papacy.” By Michael Paulson, The New York Times
At Spring Assembly, U.S. Bishops Urged to Promote, Support Families
“The U.S. bishops, gathered in New Orleans for their spring general assembly June 11-13, were urged to promote and support Catholic families. At the close of the morning’s session June 11, the bishops were advised to pay close attention to the Vatican’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family Oct. 5-19 and to promote the World Meeting of Families September 2015 in Philadelphia.” By The Catholic Sun
U.S. Bishops Open Assembly by Voting to Stay the Course
“The nation’s Catholic bishops during their annual summer assembly voted to stay the course they have set for themselves over the last several years, focusing on issues of religious liberty, same-sex marriage, and participation in the U.S. political sphere. In one of only three public deliberations at the event, the prelates voted to renew their efforts in addressing concerns over religious liberty, granting another three-year term to a special bishops’ committee organized on the issue. The bishops are gathered in New Orleans until Friday (June 13) for their spring meeting, one of two annual plenary assemblies of the U.S. bishops’ conference.” By Brian Roewe and Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter
Studies Provide Insight on Synod Questions / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 13, 2013
Amid the scramble to gather new data ahead of next October’s synod on the family, a question arises: Will church officials incorporate the wealth of insights collected in recent decades by researchers inside and outside the U.S. church?
“In late October, the Vatican sent to national bishops’ conferences a preparatory document and questionnaire for the 2014 Synod of Bishops on the family with the directive to circulate them ‘as widely as possible.’ The questions ask about topics like knowledge and acceptance of church teachings, family transference of the faith, marital issues (including natural law, divorce/annulments, and same-sex unions), and contraception.
“Much attention has focused on how various bishops and dioceses would distribute the questionnaire, which NCR made public, and gather responses. While reform groups and lay organizations have joined the data collection push, valid research from social scientists already provides brushstrokes toward a portrait of the modern American Catholic family.” By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
Click here to read the rest of Roewe’s article.
Synod Questionnaire an Opportunity to Hear from the People / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on November 19, 2013
Did the Vatican originally intend that the questionnaire to gather input for the 2014 Extraordinary Synod on the Family be distributed to all Catholics? Did Pope Francis? Did the bishops? Do we discover something about where the Church might be going under Pope Francis by determining the answers. To help answer the questions, read the National Catholic Reporter editorial from which the following was taken:
Since the synod documents became public, ‘NCR’ has had conversations with a number of people with extensive contacts in the Vatican and who have observed quite a few synods over the years. The consensus among this group is that the process is different this time. While all synods and other Vatican-sponsored consultations use surveys and questionnaires and ask local bishops for input, this time the questions really seem to matter, they say. The questions matter because Francis wants to hear the answers, they say.”
Click here to read the entire editorial.
Lay Groups Launch Surveys to Answer Vatican Questionnaire / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on November 18, 2013
While U.S. bishops consider how best and how broad to collect information ahead of a 2014 global bishops’ meeting on family issues, several lay Catholic groups took the task into their own hands. In mid-November, a coalition of 15 church reform groups (including Voice of the Faithful) — primarily members of Catholic Organizations for Renewal — created an online survey for U.S. Catholics to offer their thoughts on the preparatory document to the 2014 Synod of Bishops, which will focus on the theme of ‘pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization.’” By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
Read the rest of Roewe’s report by clicking here.
Additional information on gathering input from the faithful in preparation for past synods can be found in NCR’s Joshua McElwee’s article “Experts: Wide-Range Listening for Synods a Massive Undertaking.” Click here to read the article.
Vatican Asks for Parish-Level Input on Synod Document / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on November 1, 2013
Will bishops in the United States truly poll local Catholics to seek input from the People of God in Vatican II’s spirit of collegiality? Here from National Catholic Reporter’s Joshua McElwee is an outline of what the Vatican has asked local bishops to do and differences between how U.S. and other countries might conduct the poll:
The Vatican has asked national bishops’ conferences around the world to conduct a wide-ranging poll of Catholics asking for their opinions on church teachings on contraception, same-sex marriage and divorce.
“Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops, asked the conferences to distribute the poll ‘immediately as widely as possible to deaneries and parishes so that input from local sources can be received.’
“The poll, which comes in a questionnaire sent to national bishops’ conferences globally in preparation for a Vatican synod on the family next October, is the first time the church’s central hierarchy has asked for such input from grass-roots Catholics since at least the establishment of the synod system following the Second Vatican Council.”
Added emphasis is ours. Read all of McElwee’s article by clicking here.
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