Synod of Bishops: October 8 roundup

October 09, 2014

The fifth and sixth general congregations (sessions) of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family took place on October 8.

Preaching at Terce (Midmorning Prayer) during the fifth general congregation, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow lamented the pain caused by separation and divorce and said that the Church should work to reconcile separated and divorced spouses.

Acting as president-delegate (that is, as one presiding in the place of the Holy Father), Brazilian Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis said that the synod would now turn its attention to the crisis in family life and examine issues within the family, external pressures, and special situations such as wars.

Cardinal Assis introduced Jeannette Touré, who leads a Catholic women’s organization in Ivory Coast. Touré has been married to a Muslim for 52 years; with his consent, the children were baptized and raised as Catholics. Touré said that God’s plan for marriage is clear-- it is the union of a man and a woman-- and offered advice for successful marriages.

During the fifth general congregation, the synod fathers discussed mixed marriages between Catholics and Muslims and other challenges facing Christian families in the Middle East and North Africa.

According to the summary of the discussion published by the Holy See Press Office:

The question is not simply interreligious, but at times also ecumenical: there are cases in which a Catholic who has contracted a canonical marriage and is not able to obtain a declaration of nullity passes to another Christian confession, remarrying in a Church which permits this. In any case, without prejudice to the shared patrimony of faith, the need to follow the path of mercy in difficult situations was underlined.

With regard to the question of divorced and remarried persons, it was highlighted that the Synod must certainly take the issue into consideration, with the prudence required for important matters, but must also combine the objectivity of truth with mercy for the person and for his or her suffering. It is necessary to remember that many faithful find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own.

Numerous other topics were discussed (third link below), including poverty, unemployment, and grandparents. “Listening and believing in the laity, therefore, is shown to be essential, as it is in them and with them that the Church may find the answers to the problems of the family,” the press office stated.

As the sixth general congregation began later in the day, Cardinal Damasceno Assis said the discussion would turn to difficult family situations and same-sex unions. The discussion, he said, should focus on how to accompany people in these situations, which they experience as “profound wounds to their humanity.”

The prelate then introduced Stephen and Sandra Conway, two South Africans who lead Retrouvaille, a ministry to failing marriages, in Africa.

“Financial difficulties, infidelity and family of origin issues are common problems which result in what we call ‘the singles married lifestyle’-- couples married but two, doing things separately,” they said.

They added:

Our program looks at the four stages of marriage: romance, disillusionment, misery and joy. Most couples get stuck between the stages of disillusionment and misery. It is in the misery stage that many throw in the towel. It is our aim to equip couples with tools and techniques to get to the joy stage of marriage, where the emphasis is on US as opposed to the ME or I attitude found in the single married lifestyle. We explain that love is a decision, not a feeling; as is trust and forgiveness. We also encourage forgiveness, setting the hurt party free.

During the sixth general congregation, the synod fathers discussed the need for “patient accompaniment to all people”: the Church “must not show indifference in relation to weakness, as patience implies actively helping the weakest,” according to the summary of the discussion published by the Holy See Press Office.

“With regard to processes for the declaration of nullity of marriage, in general the need to streamline the procedures was observed by many (along with the need to integrate more competent laypersons in the ecclesiastical Tribunals), but the Assembly also noted the danger of superficiality and the need always to safeguard respect for the truth and the rights of the parties,” the summary continued, adding:

It was also remarked that the process is not contrary to pastoral charity … The hypothesis of recourse to administrative channels, not in lieu of the judicial process but rather as a complement to it, was considered. It was suggested that it would be the responsibility of the bishop to decide which requests for nullity could be dealt with through administrative channels. It was strongly emphasized that an attitude of respect must be adopted in relation to divorced and remarried persons, as they often live in situations of unease or social injustice, suffer in silence and in many cases seek a gradual path to fuller participation in ecclesial life. Pastoral care must not therefore be repressive, but full of mercy.

 

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Further information:

• Synod14 - 5ª Congregazione generale: "Le sfide pastorali sulla famiglia (II parte, cap. 2) (Holy See Press Office)
• Scottish prelate: Church should work to reconcile separated, divorced spouses (CWN, 10/8)
• Synod14 - 5a Congregazione generale: Sintesi non ufficiale del dibattito generale (Holy See Press Office)
• Synod14 - 6ª Congregazione generale: "Le situazioni pastorali difficili (II parte, cap. 3)" (Holy See Press Office)
• Synod14 - 6a Congregazione generale: Sintesi non ufficiale del dibattito generale (8 ottobre 2014, pomeriggio) (Holy See Press Office)