That movement toward inclusion and moderation, which at times has also been reflected in Pope Francis’ messages, is not, however, expected to be carried to Rome by US clergy.
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During last year’s big bishop meeting on family life, synod organizers issued a draft report mid-way through extending a revolutionary welcome to gays.
The three-week meeting of bishops from the around the world, known as a synod, will discuss ways to defend the traditional family and make life-long marriage more appealing to young people while seeking common ground with disaffected Catholics such as homosexuals and those divorced.
More information about Bishop Kemme, as well as Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, and their harsh comments about LGBT people, can be found in the HRC Foundation document, Who Are My Brothers?
He also appealed for the participants to have an evangelical humility whereby they empty themselves of their “own conventions and prejudices”, listen to one another, without judgments, finger pointing, or a sense of superiority.
The Pope asked the bishops to work with “apostolic courage, which refuses to be intimidated in the face of the temptations of the world”.
“The change seems to be more among people who don’t offer an opinion”, Pew researcher Jessica Martinez said.
Find the source. Soundbites and headlines often fail to catch what was actually said. I appreciate the residents of Philadelphia and surrounding counties who managed disruptions in their daily lives for a weekend of events that showcased the beauty and uniqueness of the region to the world.
The meeting is the final follow-up to a similar meeting held a year ago. It could be said that the “family spirit” is a constitutional charter for the Church.
The immediate run-up has been dominated by gay issues.
Attention on the more central points of the Synod was momentarily sidelined when a Polish priest working in the Vatican “came out” as gay the day before the Synod began, presenting his Catalonian boyfriend in a press conference and issuing a series of demands.
The Catholic Church considers them still married to their first partner and therefore in an adulterous relationship with their new one.
But Erdo, in a keynote speech addressing the main themes for the synod, made clear that Communion for civilly remarried Catholics is effectively impossible unless they abstain from sex – as the church’s teaching now states.
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He considers them, and, if he chooses, can then write an official statement changing church practice. Progressive prelates led by German Cardinal Walter Kasper have called for a process by which a bishop could accompany these remarried Catholics on a path of penance that, over time and on a case-by-case basis, could lead to them receiving the sacraments.
