Every Catholic Church in the country will hire two buses to ferry Catholic faithful to attended a mass which Pope Francis will lead in Nairobi, a mass expected to have a congregation of over 1.5 million Catholic faithfuls. Catholic bishops were voting Saturday on a final document to better minister to families following a contentious, three-week summit at the Vatican that exposed deep divisions among prelates over Pope Francis’ call for a more merciful and less judgmental church.
Advertisement
Nine cardinals, patriarchs and bishops representing the Catholic Church across five continents signed a document, presented at the Vatican on Monday (Oct. 26) by clergy from Belgium, Colombia, India and Papua New Guinea.
“The challenges created by the consumeristic culture for the institution of family are tremendous”.
Bishop Kurt R. Burnette of the Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic, N.J., leaves the final session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican October 24.
The 10-point policy proposal calls for “complete decarbonization” by 2050, prioritizing “people-driven solutions rather than profits” and for negotiators to take into consideration “particularly the ethical and moral dimensions” of climate change.
Under current Church doctrine they can not receive communion unless they abstain from sex with their new partner, because their first marriage is still valid in the eyes of the Church and they are seen to be living in an adulterous state of sin.
“The Synod on the Family – despite highly misleading reports to the contrary regarding nonexistent changes to sacramental access for divorced and remarried Catholics – has, after two years of deliberations and consultations, come up with nothing that is pastorally fresh or even interesting”. He called the document a “historic step”.
“It’s not a different message, it’s a different emphasis, he said”. I think that’s another takeaway from this synod. The exhortation will set out a vision of why the gospel of Jesus and Christ’s vision of family is “good news” for people and families today.
At the conclusion of the most recent synod, Pope Francis encouraged bishops assembled to continue their journey. Marx said he hoped that Francis would issue it during his upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy, which starts December 8.
Though no major shift in Catholic teaching is imminently expected, exploring past comments and actions by Pope Francis on the LGBT issue may give Catholics a clearer idea on where their church could be headed.
“Church teaching has not been touched at its heart, and it won’t be, but that doesn’t mean to say it’s all or nothing”.
“The involuntary and obligatory nature of their migration demands of us a spontaneous response of charity built on a foundation of justice”, the letter says.
The Relation therefore gathers together suggestions for strengthening preparation for marriage, especially for the young who appear intimidated by it. They are in need, says the Synod, of an adequate emotional formation, following the virtues of chastity and self-giving.
The Pope also mentioned the Catholic Church’s esteem for Muslims, as expressed in Nostra Aetate in 1965.
The bishops took his direction, finding “positive elements” in couples who live together even though they are not married.
Pope Francis said the situation in the Middle East “clearly undermines the vital Christian presence in that land”.
On gays, the synod document repeats church teaching that gays should be respected and loved and, in a novelty, says families with gay members require particular pastoral care.
Q: The final document achieved consensus but did not provide many specifics about how bishops and priests will be able to proceed in “accompanying” people. That has implications for how bishops at home will deal with pastoral issues, listening to their flock more and perhaps being more creative in their ministry than merely reciting doctrine.
Advertisement
Mary Lowe, a Utah Catholic who works as a spiritual director for people of all faiths, shares Fitzgerald’s concerns about the divorced believers.
