The tremendous difference between the two documents illustrates just how fruitful a path the Synod walked over three sometimes-challenging weeks.
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The Final Report, as it now stands, contains a few strong spiritual reflections, drawing on the sacred Scriptures and the traditions of the Church.
Inside the Vatican City, a contentious bishops meeting has come to a close. As per the prelates, it is necessary for governments to set limits on global temperature increases.
“Until recently, we lived in a social context where the similarities between the civil institution of marriage and the Christian sacrament were considerable and shared”.
The final document certainly doesn’t, but people need to read it. It’s a consensus document and there is no consensus for Communion for the divorced and remarried. No endorsement has been given for it, and if priests or people are to use their conscience, they have to have an informed conscience based on the teachings of the Church.
The Polish prelates encourage Catholics attached to such irregular unions to discuss their situation “with their pastor who will assist them to examine their situation through the eyes of Christ the Lord, according to the unchangeable teaching of the Church”.
The working document was also ambiguous in its description of “family”. “As we continue to wrestle with how to honour our roles as guardians of the Church’s faith and discipline and signs of unity both locally and universally, we hope to gain greater clarity and conviction about how most faithfully to provide leadership in our dioceses and the Anglican Church of Canada”.
A few paragraphs in the final text, – which received the highest number of negative votes, push far into “discernment” of individual circumstances and invoke the “internal forum”, which is to say private direction by a priest or bishop.
It’s now quite certain that Pope Francis’ big summit on family issues won’t endorse any changes to church doctrine on the church’s teaching about homosexuality or whether civilly remarried Catholics can receive Communion.
POGGIOLI: In his closing speech, Pope Francis took a swipe at conservatives, saying the true defenders of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit.
The first of these problems might be called one of theological and pastoral digestion. Worse, a few parts of the western European Church seem to regard any reference to such material as hopelessly old hat, even though it’s only thirty-some years old. The image of Mary has always been one that the church embraces as a symbol of her true identity.
This is a Pope whose message of mercy has proved wildly popular with the faithful, as has his clear reiteration within this Synod that he wants a compassionate Church that understands more and condemns less – and “journeys with” its flock, getting its hands dirty in the stuff of real lives in the modern world. Each bishops’ conference around the world is being asked to debate and suggest three topics for the next synod. But that interpretation is already contested by conservatives. He called the document a “historic step”. We’ll see, shortly, how it is with the bishops and the embrace of the faithful and the faith-seekers.
Those who have remarried without an annulment of their sacramental marriage must be welcomed and included in the parish community in every way possible, the report said. Here, then, is another issue that needs serious examination in the post-Synod-2015 Church.
“There is such a thing as objective evil and objective good”.
Martin explained that discernment – a key concept in Francis’ Jesuit spirituality – “relies on the idea that God can deal directly with us, through our inner lives”.
The document was the culmination of a two-year process launched by Francis to put in practice his call for a church that is more a “field hospital for wounded souls” than an exclusive club for the ideal.
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A Church turned inward is not the Church of the New Evangelization.
