Synod on the family open amid high expectations, doubts
The first major initiative of Pope Francis’ pontificate opens Oct. 5 in Rome, when Francis convenes the Synod of Bishops to discuss family life in contemporary society.
Oct 01, 2014

VATICAN: The first major initiative of Pope Francis’ pontificate opens Oct. 5 in Rome, when Francis convenes the Synod of Bishops to discuss family life in contemporary society.
The theme is The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization, and synod members will be called upon to find ways to improve the pastoral application of Church teachings, ways to explain it, and ways to help Catholics live it. It will run until Oct 15.
Pope Francis is expected to be actively involved as president of the synod. The topic is very much a Francis initiative. He raised it at his first meeting with the synod secretariat three months after his election and made it a key point in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) last November. The need for compassionate outreach to families in difficult circumstances is a frequent subject of his homilies, and addresses.
When Pope John Paul II attended synod assemblies, he was known to pray his breviary. Pope Benedict XVI was a quiet observer. Francis, on the other hand, at meetings likes to engage speakers with questions, jokes and comments.
This synod is not expected to draw any conclusions or make any proposals. It is meant to discuss the lived experiences of families today. Instead of an exhortation, this synod is expected to produce a report of the discussions that will be sent to dioceses around the world in preparation for another synod next year. Any changes to Church practices on marriage and family life will come not this year, but next.
While the list of participants is heavy with curial members and others reluctant to stray from traditional Church teaching on the family, longtime Vatican observer Robert Mickens points out that Francis has also appointed staunch allies for a fresher approach, most notably Archbishop Victor Emanuel Fernandez, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, and German Cardinal Walter Kasper.
Just ahead of the synod, five cardinals — including Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Raymond Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura — co-authored a book defending Church teaching on divorce and remarriage. Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church is to be published in the US by Ignatius Press. These cardinals will be at the synod. “This should make for a more dynamic gathering,” Mickens said.
Whether Francis can manage these discussions is yet to be seen. Mickens hopes people don’t rush to judgment. Francis has repeatedly said he wants to develop the Synod of Bishops as one of the major components for the governance of the Universal Church, but it is very much “a fledgling work in progress,” Mickens said. -- NCR
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