Focus

  • Five things the Synod just did

    Oct 24, 2014

    Essentially, the “relatio” (or report) published today, at the close of the Synod, will serve as a starting point for future discussion. It was also presented with great transparency, including even sections that did not win the necessary votes for complete approval.

  • Interreligious marriage: a look at the Synod from India’s perspective

    Oct 24, 2014

    While some countries face family issues such as divorce and polygamy, the synod’s Indian participants have voiced concern for interreligious marriages, which pose pastoral concerns across Asia.

  • The spirit of Vatican II is seen in the Synod

    Oct 24, 2014

    Philippines’ Cardinal Luis Tagle said: “In the free discussion, some of the Synod Fathers and participants said openly that they felt the spirit of Vatican II very much.”

  • The spirit of Vatican II is seen in the Synod

    Oct 24, 2014

    Philippines’ Cardinal Luis Tagle said: “In the free discussion, some of the Synod Fathers and participants said openly that they felt the spirit of Vatican II very much.”

  • Synod Fathers laud miracle of conjugal love in final message

    Oct 24, 2014

    In their message to the faithful, the synod fathers praised the life-giving love between a man and a woman, which despite many challenges, endures through the grace given by God in the sacrament of marriage.

  • Collegiality, decentralisation and subsidiarity: Francis' dramatic push

    Oct 17, 2014

    Much has been said and written about the new wave of inclusiveness being promoted by the Bishop of Rome, with the ongoing Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, currently underway in Rome, discussing some thorny issues regarding the family.

  • Being a parent in challenging times

    Oct 17, 2014

    In Genesis 1:28, God instructs Adam and Eve to be “fertile and multiply.” Unfortunately, God didn’t provide instructions for raising children, so Adam and Eve had to figure out how to parent on their own.

  • Food for thought

    Oct 17, 2014

    The working document for the Synod of Bishops on the family that meets Oct. 5-19 at the Vatican has much to say about passing the faith on to children.

  • How to pass on your faith

    Oct 17, 2014

    According to the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Christian Education, parents are to hold themselves accountable as an important and first educator to their children:

  • The Church of Indonesia looks at guidelines from the synod to better prepare couples

    Oct 17, 2014

    Catholic priests and leaders from 13 Indonesian dioceses met to discuss marriage, divorce, and the future of the family, which are some of the same issues currently being discussed at the Synod (5-19 October) in Rome between.