Synod briefing: prelates agree Western perspective does not dominate discussion
October 08, 2015
At a briefing for reporters in Rome on October 8, three prelates agreed that the Synod of Bishops is not exclusively preoccupied with the concerns of the Western world.
Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckley of Accra, Ghana, said that it is wrong to think that the Synod is ignoring Africa, or that African prelates are standing in the way of changes that European bishops want. He said that the universal Church should listen to the thoughts of the African faithful. “Give countries time to deal with issues from our own cultural perspectives,” he said.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckley said that African participants at the Synod are anxious to make their own contributions. Referring to the opening statement made by Cardinal Peter Erdo as relator general of the Synod—a statement that presented a conservative perspective on the working document-- the archbishop from Ghana said: “The African delegates respect that Cardinal Erdo did and presented to us.”
A second prelate speaking at the October 8 briefing, Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Younan of Antioch, pointed out that Catholics in the Middle East have their own special perspective on the pastoral needs of the family. In that region, he said, the greatest problem is the exodus of Christians—especially young Christians—who want to “get out of hell” by moving abroad. He lamented the inability of Church leaders in the Middle East to persuade Christians to remain, and denounced the failure of Christians in the West to recognize the suffering of their fellow Christians, particularly in Syria and Iraq, under outright persecution.
The third prelate chosen by the press office for the Thursday briefing, Archbishop Edoardo Menchelli from Ancona-Osimo, Italy, said that the Synod needs to address questions about homosexuality and the role of women in the Church. However he seemed to pour cold water on a discussion of the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate, saying that question would need further study, since it raises theological issues separate from the questions of family life.
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