Vatican spokesman defends decision not to publish synod fathers’ speeches
October 23, 2014
In an interview with Vatican Radio, the director of the Holy See Press Office said that the recently concluded Synod of Bishops was “a truly special experience, and very different from that of preceding synods.”
By choosing to speak only at the beginning and end of the synod, the Pope “wanted to ensure full freedom, and this was very much appreciated,” said Father Federico Lombardi. Without the Pope’s final address, however, “the synod would have remained incomplete, and not been read with the key of faith that truly inspired and motivated it, according to the mind of the Pope.”
The publication of the synod fathers’ interventions (speeches), he added, would not have been “realistic.” During part of the synod, there were 70 interventions per day, and their publication would have been impossible unless the synod fathers had each prepared a “very precise synthesis” and in a manner ready for publication. The press briefings, he said, were “sufficiently balanced” in discussing what transpired during the synod.
On the other hand, media coverage of the synod, he said, tended to be a little “unbalanced” because it focused on just two topics: Communion for the remarried and homosexuality.
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Further information:
- Sinodo. P. Lombardi: Francesco sempre sereno, suo merito trasparenza e libertà (Vatican Radio)
- Lombardi: Synod is Church on a journey (Vatican Radio)
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Posted by: shrink -
Oct. 23, 2014 11:19 AM ET USA
The other aspect of the suppression is this: the level of opposition to the Kasper proposal may never be known. Leftist are masters at media. They rarely have the argument to carry the day, but they have a high level of control over the megaphone. Arguments, disputations, refutations no longer matter, only "the message." Suppress reasoning when you can't carry the day and simply speak louder, longer, and with the fist pounding the table; oh, and don't forget the children.
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Posted by: ElizabethD -
Oct. 23, 2014 10:37 AM ET USA
Every intervention had to be submitted in writing well in advance of the synod. In fact one of the accusations against the Relatio is that some thought it possible it was written even before the synod began. What was actually presented may not have been precisely what was submitted, but still there were those texts.
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Oct. 23, 2014 8:51 AM ET USA
A view from the peanut gallery: the synod was a confusing mess that sent out wrong signals in every direction. It did immense harm to the faithful around the world and the fault lies with those who organized and planned it, not with the media. It was amateurs' night at the Vatican.
