At noon today, in the John Paul II Hall at the Holy See's Press Centre, there was a Press Conference held to present the working document for the XIV General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will be held at the Vatican from October 4-25, 2015. The theme of this Assembly will be: The Vocation and the Mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world.
Participants at this morning's Press Conference included: His Eminence, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops; His Eminence, Cardinal Péter Erdõ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary), Relator General of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops; and His Excellency, Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy), Special Secretary of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
In his comments at the conclusion of the III Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops last October, Pope Francis challenged us to: mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas and to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate families, and he also added that there will be a year to work on the Relatio Synodi whch is the faithful and clear summary of all that has been said and discussed in this hall and in the working groups. It will be presented to the Episcopal Conferences as Lineamenta (Concluding speech, October 18, 2014).
The Secretary General of the Synod immediately went to work, following the mandate of the Pope, convoking the members of the Secretariat Council, which met on November 18 and 19, 2014 in the presence of the Holy Father. During that meeting, a draft of the Lineamenta was presented, composed of the text of the Relatio Synodi and a series of 46 questions for the reception and the development of the synodal document. The text of the Lineamenta was then sent to the Synods of the sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches, to the Episcopal Conferences, the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and to other entitled persons, with an invitation to respond by April 15, 2015.
Despite the tight timeframe, the considerable number of responses received by the Secretary General confirms the extraordinary interest and active participation of all the People of God. In this way, the inter-synodal period proved to be an invaluable occasion of auditus Ecclesiae (to listen to the Church) or more exactly, for listening to what the Spirit says to the Church (Rev 2:17) in its many components.
To date, the General Secretariat has received 99 responses from entitled organizations. To these, 359 other observations have also been added, sent freely by dioceses and parishes, ecclesial associations and spontaneous groups of the faithful, movements and civil organizations, numerous families and single believers. At the same time, universities, academic institutions, research centres and individual scholars are enriching and deepening the synod theme with their contributions - through symposia, conferences and publications - which often highlight new aspects, following the request of the prior questionnaire in preparation for the Lineamenta. In the meanwhile, the Secretariat has been able to avail itself of the help of new consultors who were appointed on March 14 of this year, and on the advice of other experts.
During the meeting of the Secretariat Council, which was presided over by the Holy Father on May 25 and 26, 2015, an elaborated synthesis presented by the General Secretariat was examined. This document led to the Instrumentum Laboris which is being published today. As you can see, the document faithfully reflects the observations and the expectations of the entire Church on the crucial theme of the family, including the results of the preceding Assembly which were contained in the Relatio Synodi.
The XIV Ordinary General Assembly, which we are currently preparing, will reflect on the vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world, thus continuing the work of the III Extraordinary General Assembly held in the Autumn of 2014, which examined the theme of the pastoral challenges facing the family in the context of evangelization. The intimate connection between these two synodal events are such that the Relatio Synodi represents a solid point of departure for the coming journey; together with its reception and the deepening which has occurred during this inter-synodal period, the Instrumentum laboris will be the basis for the work of the upcoming Assembly.
The document is arranged in three parts, which follow the structure of the Relatio Synodi, demonstrating the faithful connection between these two Assemblies and their internal development. Listening to the challenges facing the family (Part I) recalls more directly the first synodal moment; while the discernment of the vocation of the family (Part II) ad the mission of the family today (Part III) are meant to introduce the theme of future meetings.
Since, for the first time, the Lineamenta for the new Synod summarized a text which was previously approved by the Synod Fathers, in the Instrumentum Laboris, we preferred to leave unaltered the paragraphs of the Relatio Synodi - which can be identified by numbers in brackets and printed in italics - as well as the texts of new elaborations which follow the continual enumeration and are indicated by encircled numbers.
Permit me now to outline the issues addressed in the document ...
I wish to point out a few new points that are consistent with the fist part, entitled: Listening to the challenges facing the family, especially between numbers 7 and 27, in which there is some discussion of the anthropological context - including cultural, socio-economic and ecological aspects, which today happily result in illuminating the new encyclical letter Laudato si. The challenges are: poverty and social exclusion, the elderly, the widowhood, the experience of death in a family, disability, migrations, the role of women, affection and sex education ... and bioethics.
In the second part, entitled The discernment of the family vocation, the Relatio Synodi is enriched with an expansion of the topics related to natural and sacramental marriage, the indissolubility of the gift and duty, family life, unity and fertility, the missionary dimension, faith, prayer, catechesis, the intimate link between the Church and the family, youth and the fear of marriage, and mercy.
The third part, dedicated to The mission of the family today, begins with a wide-ranging reflection on the family and evangelization, and examines, among other things, themes such as the subject of a pastoral approach to family life, the wedding liturgy, a renewed language and a missionary openness.
There is some discussion about Family and ecclesial accompaniment, the simplification of procedures for cases of marriage, the integration of the faithful in irregular situations, the eventual introduction of a penitential path, the pastoral problems regarding mixed marriages and disparities of cult, as well as questions of productive responsibility and birth control, adoption and foster care, respect for life from conception to natural death, and the education of new generations, and more. Of particular relevance is the reference to economic destitution which exists in various families who are at risk of usury and to socio-political commitments by Christians in favour of families, even in international contexts. In this regard, it would be useful to reposition the Charter of Rights of the Family in relation to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I would note that this inter-synodal period was very helpful, for it permitted not only the reception and the deepening of the Lineamenta, but also an effective widening of the themes relating to the family, thanks to the involvement in large part of the People of God from numerous ecclesial and academic institutions. The result was a think document, involving more than two years of reflection, beginning with the writing of the first step, the celebration of the Extraordinary Assembly with the publication of the Relatio Synodi, the distribution of the Lineamenta, and the reception of the responses which now have been synthesized into the current document. In it, you will find various cultural and geographic sensitivities, which are harmonized into a symphony of voices that express the richness of ecclesial expressions that exist in various parts of the world. This confirms that effective and true collegiality is achieved when various groups meet and compose a single concert score, whose performance shines with harmonious beauty.
Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, the Synod of Bishops joyfully celebrates its own formation, commissioned by Blessed Paul VI on September 15, 1965, so that even after its completion, the Council might continue to reach the Christian people, that large abundance of benefits, which during the Council, happily sprang from the union (of the Supreme Pontiff) with the Bishops (Apostolic Letter, Apostolica sollicitudo, September 15, 1965, preamble). The upcoming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, called by Pope Francis, which will begin on December 8 will be cause for further reflection and grace for the entire Church.
I would now like to add a word about the methodology of the upcoming General Synod Assembly in October, which is Ordinary and not Extraordinary. I will point out only a few lines without entering into all the details which will be explained during the month of September, closer to the celebration of the Synod Assembly.
Beginning with the experience of the III Extraordinary General Assembly held last October and taking advantage of numerous and rich suggestions made by many people, especially by members of the Synod, this General Secretariat feels encouraged to continue the project of developing the Synod in dynamic ways which are more adequate for our times.
One point which was strongly requested by the Synod Fathers is the avoidance of a long series of interventions from individual members as we have seen in previous Synods, in order to be certain that the actions of the Fathers are better distributed over time. It will also be necessary to make more use of working groups, distributed over time and not all together, in order to also maintain the thematic order.
Along this line, it is expected that each of the three weeks of the Synod will be focused on a different part of the Instrumentum Laboris, since there are three parts to the document. The first week will be spent on the first part of the document, the second will be occupied with the second part and the third will be dedicated to the third part. At the end of the third week time will be dedicated as necessary to the elaboration of the final text of the document, which in turn will be presented to the entire Assembly for its final revisions which will be inserted before the document receives final approval.
This process will ensure that all those who are entitled to address the assembly, including during the afternoon working period, and will permit more time to be dedicated to the work of the small groups.
It is expected that the final document will be delivered into the hands of the Holy Father.
Regarding the question of information, during the Synod assembly, every effort will be made to provide details in the best form possible.
The Holy Father has often recalled the fact that the Synod is a space in which the Holy Spirit can act; it is not a parliament. The Synod Fathers are invited to express themselves with confidence. They will be free to communicate with the media at their discretion and responsibility. The matter of finding the most ideal way to communicate information is still being studied. The Press Centre will communicate, as it does normally, the information regarding to Synod.
Let us confide the work of the synod to the Holy Family of Nazareth, knowing well that - as the Holy Father has already recalled - their luminous example may help us to rediscover the vocation and the mission of the family (General Audience, December 17, 2014).
Participants at this morning's Press Conference included: His Eminence, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops; His Eminence, Cardinal Péter Erdõ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary), Relator General of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops; and His Excellency, Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy), Special Secretary of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
Presentation prepared by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri
Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops
The Secretary General of the Synod immediately went to work, following the mandate of the Pope, convoking the members of the Secretariat Council, which met on November 18 and 19, 2014 in the presence of the Holy Father. During that meeting, a draft of the Lineamenta was presented, composed of the text of the Relatio Synodi and a series of 46 questions for the reception and the development of the synodal document. The text of the Lineamenta was then sent to the Synods of the sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches, to the Episcopal Conferences, the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and to other entitled persons, with an invitation to respond by April 15, 2015.
Despite the tight timeframe, the considerable number of responses received by the Secretary General confirms the extraordinary interest and active participation of all the People of God. In this way, the inter-synodal period proved to be an invaluable occasion of auditus Ecclesiae (to listen to the Church) or more exactly, for listening to what the Spirit says to the Church (Rev 2:17) in its many components.
To date, the General Secretariat has received 99 responses from entitled organizations. To these, 359 other observations have also been added, sent freely by dioceses and parishes, ecclesial associations and spontaneous groups of the faithful, movements and civil organizations, numerous families and single believers. At the same time, universities, academic institutions, research centres and individual scholars are enriching and deepening the synod theme with their contributions - through symposia, conferences and publications - which often highlight new aspects, following the request of the prior questionnaire in preparation for the Lineamenta. In the meanwhile, the Secretariat has been able to avail itself of the help of new consultors who were appointed on March 14 of this year, and on the advice of other experts.
During the meeting of the Secretariat Council, which was presided over by the Holy Father on May 25 and 26, 2015, an elaborated synthesis presented by the General Secretariat was examined. This document led to the Instrumentum Laboris which is being published today. As you can see, the document faithfully reflects the observations and the expectations of the entire Church on the crucial theme of the family, including the results of the preceding Assembly which were contained in the Relatio Synodi.
The XIV Ordinary General Assembly, which we are currently preparing, will reflect on the vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world, thus continuing the work of the III Extraordinary General Assembly held in the Autumn of 2014, which examined the theme of the pastoral challenges facing the family in the context of evangelization. The intimate connection between these two synodal events are such that the Relatio Synodi represents a solid point of departure for the coming journey; together with its reception and the deepening which has occurred during this inter-synodal period, the Instrumentum laboris will be the basis for the work of the upcoming Assembly.
The document is arranged in three parts, which follow the structure of the Relatio Synodi, demonstrating the faithful connection between these two Assemblies and their internal development. Listening to the challenges facing the family (Part I) recalls more directly the first synodal moment; while the discernment of the vocation of the family (Part II) ad the mission of the family today (Part III) are meant to introduce the theme of future meetings.
Since, for the first time, the Lineamenta for the new Synod summarized a text which was previously approved by the Synod Fathers, in the Instrumentum Laboris, we preferred to leave unaltered the paragraphs of the Relatio Synodi - which can be identified by numbers in brackets and printed in italics - as well as the texts of new elaborations which follow the continual enumeration and are indicated by encircled numbers.
Permit me now to outline the issues addressed in the document ...
I wish to point out a few new points that are consistent with the fist part, entitled: Listening to the challenges facing the family, especially between numbers 7 and 27, in which there is some discussion of the anthropological context - including cultural, socio-economic and ecological aspects, which today happily result in illuminating the new encyclical letter Laudato si. The challenges are: poverty and social exclusion, the elderly, the widowhood, the experience of death in a family, disability, migrations, the role of women, affection and sex education ... and bioethics.
In the second part, entitled The discernment of the family vocation, the Relatio Synodi is enriched with an expansion of the topics related to natural and sacramental marriage, the indissolubility of the gift and duty, family life, unity and fertility, the missionary dimension, faith, prayer, catechesis, the intimate link between the Church and the family, youth and the fear of marriage, and mercy.
The third part, dedicated to The mission of the family today, begins with a wide-ranging reflection on the family and evangelization, and examines, among other things, themes such as the subject of a pastoral approach to family life, the wedding liturgy, a renewed language and a missionary openness.
There is some discussion about Family and ecclesial accompaniment, the simplification of procedures for cases of marriage, the integration of the faithful in irregular situations, the eventual introduction of a penitential path, the pastoral problems regarding mixed marriages and disparities of cult, as well as questions of productive responsibility and birth control, adoption and foster care, respect for life from conception to natural death, and the education of new generations, and more. Of particular relevance is the reference to economic destitution which exists in various families who are at risk of usury and to socio-political commitments by Christians in favour of families, even in international contexts. In this regard, it would be useful to reposition the Charter of Rights of the Family in relation to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I would note that this inter-synodal period was very helpful, for it permitted not only the reception and the deepening of the Lineamenta, but also an effective widening of the themes relating to the family, thanks to the involvement in large part of the People of God from numerous ecclesial and academic institutions. The result was a think document, involving more than two years of reflection, beginning with the writing of the first step, the celebration of the Extraordinary Assembly with the publication of the Relatio Synodi, the distribution of the Lineamenta, and the reception of the responses which now have been synthesized into the current document. In it, you will find various cultural and geographic sensitivities, which are harmonized into a symphony of voices that express the richness of ecclesial expressions that exist in various parts of the world. This confirms that effective and true collegiality is achieved when various groups meet and compose a single concert score, whose performance shines with harmonious beauty.
Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, the Synod of Bishops joyfully celebrates its own formation, commissioned by Blessed Paul VI on September 15, 1965, so that even after its completion, the Council might continue to reach the Christian people, that large abundance of benefits, which during the Council, happily sprang from the union (of the Supreme Pontiff) with the Bishops (Apostolic Letter, Apostolica sollicitudo, September 15, 1965, preamble). The upcoming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, called by Pope Francis, which will begin on December 8 will be cause for further reflection and grace for the entire Church.
I would now like to add a word about the methodology of the upcoming General Synod Assembly in October, which is Ordinary and not Extraordinary. I will point out only a few lines without entering into all the details which will be explained during the month of September, closer to the celebration of the Synod Assembly.
Beginning with the experience of the III Extraordinary General Assembly held last October and taking advantage of numerous and rich suggestions made by many people, especially by members of the Synod, this General Secretariat feels encouraged to continue the project of developing the Synod in dynamic ways which are more adequate for our times.
One point which was strongly requested by the Synod Fathers is the avoidance of a long series of interventions from individual members as we have seen in previous Synods, in order to be certain that the actions of the Fathers are better distributed over time. It will also be necessary to make more use of working groups, distributed over time and not all together, in order to also maintain the thematic order.
Along this line, it is expected that each of the three weeks of the Synod will be focused on a different part of the Instrumentum Laboris, since there are three parts to the document. The first week will be spent on the first part of the document, the second will be occupied with the second part and the third will be dedicated to the third part. At the end of the third week time will be dedicated as necessary to the elaboration of the final text of the document, which in turn will be presented to the entire Assembly for its final revisions which will be inserted before the document receives final approval.
This process will ensure that all those who are entitled to address the assembly, including during the afternoon working period, and will permit more time to be dedicated to the work of the small groups.
It is expected that the final document will be delivered into the hands of the Holy Father.
Regarding the question of information, during the Synod assembly, every effort will be made to provide details in the best form possible.
The Holy Father has often recalled the fact that the Synod is a space in which the Holy Spirit can act; it is not a parliament. The Synod Fathers are invited to express themselves with confidence. They will be free to communicate with the media at their discretion and responsibility. The matter of finding the most ideal way to communicate information is still being studied. The Press Centre will communicate, as it does normally, the information regarding to Synod.
Let us confide the work of the synod to the Holy Family of Nazareth, knowing well that - as the Holy Father has already recalled - their luminous example may help us to rediscover the vocation and the mission of the family (General Audience, December 17, 2014).
No comments:
Post a Comment