USCCB president reflects on synod
November 11, 2014
In an address to the US bishops, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, reflected on the recent Synod of Bishops on the family.
“My prayer for the Synod was that we would witness to the beauty of Church teachings on marriage; that we would deepen the way we accompany those struggling with the many challenges families face today; and that we would encourage-- even inspire-- married couples to have confidence in their ability to faithfully live the Gospel of the Family,” said the Louisville prelate.
“We took some positive steps at the Synod to advance those efforts, particularly in the hands-on work of the small groups,” he continued. “Looking ahead, we'll benefit by approaching these issues through the lens of Scripture and Sacred Tradition, informed by the experiences of those we serve as pastors.”
He added:
We also know that children are gifts. We know that lifelong, faithful, fruitful marriages are well within reach and lead to an abundant life; we see it every day among the families we serve. Their joyful witness serves as a strength to all around them. We also see a consistent link between religious practice and strong marriages; a couple who prays together tends to stay together.
We can restore hope in marriage by calling forth such witnesses to help one another, and to help us accompany and encourage families with practical, on-the-ground support. We can work to better convey St. John Paul II's remarkable vision of marriage and family life as developed in his theology of the body.
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Posted by: 4unborn3790 -
Nov. 11, 2014 11:07 AM ET USA
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz said that the Synod will benefit from approaching issues "through the lens of Scripture and Sacred Tradition." Scripture teaches us that homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity. The final Synod Relatio included what came before and came after the above teaching, but not that homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity. The Catechism teaches us that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.
