Preparatory Document of the Synod on Families released
November 05, 2013 – On Tuesday, a press conference was held at the Vatican, on the
preparation for the synod's 2014 meeting, where the PREPARATORY DOCUMENT for the III
Extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops was released. The synod, which will
be held Oct. 5-19, 2014, will be dedicated to “the pastoral challenges of the family
in the context of evangelization.” The press conference was held by Archbishop Baldisseri,
Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Péter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest,
general relator of the synod; and Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, special
secretary of the synod.
It must be noted that the Holy See’s spokesman has
already clarified that Pope Francis has not presented a questionnaire to Catholics
worldwide to consult on homosexual unions and divorced persons, as some news outlets
have reported. This assertion, made by Italian daily il Fatto Quotidiano among others,
is “not true” and in fact, the basis is only the aforementioned document sent to bishops'
conferences throughout the world by the secretary general of the synod of bishops,
Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, in preparation for the synod of bishops,” Fr. Federico
Lombardi had told Catholic News Agency (CNA) Nov. 2.
He added that the synod,
will be dedicated to “the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.”
and will focus on pastoral responses to the problems of divorce and gay marriage,
as well as other challenges to the health of families. But on Nov. 1, the National
Catholic Reporter characterized the document sent to bishops' conferences as “a Vatican
survey asking (Catholics') opinions on church teachings.” The same day, il Fatto
Quotidiano, a leftist and populist publication based in Rome, wrote that “the decision
of Francis to listen, on such delicate themes, to the voice of the faithful, is absolutely
unprecedented.” In fact, the process of requesting input from around the world for
a synod of bishops is well precedented; the previous Synod on the New Evangelization,
held in 2012, also asked bishops’ conferences to encourage discussion of topics related
to evangelization and summarize their findings.
Moreover, in his Oct. 18 letter
asking that dioceses share the Preparatory Document for the 2014 synod “as widely
as possible to deaneries and parishes,” Archbishop Baldisseri also noted that “since
the time available is short, I would appreciate if you would follow the most brief
and practical institutional process.” Fr. Lombardi responded, stressing that the
questions “are not regarding the doctrinal position of the Church,” explaining that
the document has solely an advisory character, forming part of the habitual “praxis”
of the synod of bishops. The questions were given to the bishops of all the world's
dioceses on how to address pastoral questions and how to give assistance to persons
in irregular family situations, among other things.
Full Text of the Preparatory
Document:
S Y N O D O F B I S H O P S III E X T R A O R D I
N A R Y G E N E R A L A S S E M B L Y PASTORAL CHALLENGES TO THE FAMILY IN
THE CONTEXT OF EVANGELIZATION Preparatory Document Vatican City 2013
I.
Synod: Family and Evangelization The mission of preaching the Gospel to all
creation, entrusted directly by the Lord to his disciples, has continued in the Church
throughout history. The social and spiritual crisis, so evident in today’s world,
is becoming a pastoral challenge in the Church’s evangelizing mission concerning the
family, the vital building-block of society and the ecclesial community. Never before
has proclaiming the Gospel on the Family in this context been more urgent and necessary.
The importance of the subject is reflected in the fact that the Holy Father has decided
to call for a Synod of Bishops, which is to have a two-staged itinerary: firstly,
an Extraordinary General Assembly in 2014, intended to define the “status quaestionis”
and to collect the bishops’ experiences and proposals in proclaiming and living the
Gospel of the Family in a credible manner; and secondly, an Ordinary General Assembly
in 2015 to seek working guidelines in the pastoral care of the person and the family. Concerns
which were unheard of until a few years ago have arisen today as a result of different
situations, from the widespread practice of cohabitation, which does not lead to marriage,
and sometimes even excludes the idea of it, to same-sex unions between persons, who
are, not infrequently, permitted to adopt children. The many new situations requiring
the Church’s attention and pastoral care include: mixed or inter-religious marriages;
the single-parent family; polygamy; marriages with the consequent problem of a dowry,
sometimes understood as the purchase price of the woman; the caste system; a culture
of non-commitment and a presumption that the marriage bond can be temporary; forms
of feminism hostile to the Church; migration and the reformulation of the very concept
of the family; relativist pluralism in the conception of marriage; the influence of
the media on popular culture in its understanding of marriage and family life; underlying
trends of thought in legislative proposals which devalue the idea of permanence and
faithfulness in the marriage covenant; an increase in the practice of surrogate motherhood
(wombs for hire); and new interpretations of what is considered a human right. Within
the Church, faith in the sacramentality of marriage and the healing power of the Sacrament
of Penance show signs of weakness or total abandonment. Consequently, we can well
understand the urgency with which the worldwide episcopate is called upon to gather
cum et sub Petro to address these challenges. For example, by simply calling to mind
the fact that, as a result of the current situation, many children and young people
will never see their parents receive the sacraments, then we understand just how urgent
are the challenges to evangelization arising from the current situation, which can
be seen in almost every part of the “global village”. Corresponding in a particular
manner to this reality today is the wide acceptance of the teaching on divine mercy
and concern towards people who suffer on the periphery of societies, globally and
in existential situations. Consequently, vast expectations exist concerning the decisions
which are to be made pastorally regarding the family. A reflection on these issues
by the Synod of Bishops, in addition to it being much needed and urgent, is a dutiful
expression of charity towards those entrusted to the Bishops’ care and the entire
human family.
II. The Church and the Gospel on the Family The good news
of divine love is to be proclaimed to all those personally living this basic human
experience of couples and of a communion open to the gift of children, which is the
family community. The teachings of the faith on marriage is to be presented in an
articulate and efficacious manner, so that it might reach hearts and transform them
in accordance with God’s will, made manifest in Jesus Christ. The citation of
biblical sources on marriage and family in this document are essential references
only. The same is true for documentation from the Magisterium which is limited to
that of a universal character, including some texts from the Pontifical Council for
the Family. It will be left to the bishop-participants at the synod to cite documents
from their own episcopal assemblies. In every age, and in the many different cultures,
the teaching of the Pastors has been clear nor has there been lacking the concrete
testimony of believers — men and women — in very diverse circumstances who have lived
the Gospel of the family as an inestimable gift for their life and their children.
The commitment for the next Extraordinary Synod is inspired and sustained by the desire
to communicate this message with greater incisiveness, in the hope that “the treasure
of revelation, entrusted to the Church, more and more fill the hearts of each person”
(DV, 26).
The Plan of God, Creator and Redeemer The beauty of the biblical
message on the family has its roots in the creation of man and woman, both made in
the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:24-31; 2:4-25). Bound together by an indissoluble
sacramental bond, those who are married experience the beauty of love, fatherhood,
motherhood, and the supreme dignity of participating in this way in the creative work
of God. In the gift of the fruit of their union, they assume the responsibility
of raising and educating other persons for the future of humankind. Through procreation,
man and woman fulfill in faith the vocation of being God’s collaborators in the protection
of creation and the growth of the human family. Blessed Pope John Paul II commented
on this aspect in Familiaris consortio: “God created man in his own image and likeness
(cf. Gen 1:26, 27): calling him to existence through love, he called him at the same
time for love. God is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8) and in himself he lives a mystery of personal
loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image and continually keeping
it in being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus
the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion (Gaudium et spes, 12). Love
is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being”(FC, 11). The
plan of God the creator, which was disrupted by original sin (cf. Gen 3:1-24), has
revealed itself throughout history in the events of the chosen people up to the fullness
of time, when, with the incarnation of the Son of God, not only was the divine will
for salvation confirmed, but also the redemption offering the grace to follow this
same will. The Son of God, the Word made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14) in the womb of the
Virgin Mother, lived and grew up in the family of Nazareth and participated at the
wedding at Cana, where he added importance to the festivities with the first of his
“signs” (cf. Jn 2:1-11). In joy, he welcomed his reception in the families of his
disciples (cf. Mk 1:29-31; 2:13-17) and consoled the bereaved family of his friends
in Bethany (cf. Lk 10:38- 42; Jn 11:1-44 ). Jesus Christ restored the beauty of
matrimony, proposing once again the one plan of God which was abandoned because of
the hardness of the human heart, even within the tradition of the people of Israel
(cf. Mt 5:31-32; 19:3-12; Mk 10:1-12; Lk 16:18). Returning to the beginning, Jesus
taught the unity and faithfulness of the husband and wife, refuting the practice of
repudiation and adultery. Precisely through the extraordinary beauty of human
love — already celebrated in a heightened manner inspired by the Song of Songs, and
the bond of marriage called for and defended by the prophets like Hosea (cf. Hosea
1:2, 3.3) and Malachi (cf. Mal 2:13-16) — , Jesus affirmed the original dignity of
the married love of man and woman.
The Church's Teaching on the Family Even
in the early Christian community the family appeared as the “domestic church” (cf.
CCC, 1655): In the so-called “family canons” of the Apostolic letters of the New Testament,
the great family of the ancient world is identified as the place of a profound solidarity
between husbands and wives, between parents and children, and between the wealthy
and the poor (cf. Eph 5:21-6:9; Col 3:18-4:1; 1 Tim 2:8-15; Titus 2:1-10; 1 Pt 2:13-3:7;
cf. also the Letter to Philemon). In particular, the Letter to the Ephesians recognized
the nuptial love between man and woman as “the great mystery”, making present in the
world the love of Christ and the Church (cf. Eph 5:31-32 ). Over the centuries,
especially in modern times to the present, the Church has not failed to continually
teach and develop her doctrine on the family and marriage which founded her. One of
its highest expressions has been proposed by the Second Vatican Council in the Pastoral
Constitution Gaudium et spes, which, in treating certain pressing problems, dedicated
an entire chapter to the promotion of the dignity of marriage and the family, as seen
in the description of their value for the constitution of society: “the family, in
which the various generations come together and help one another grow wiser and harmonize
personal rights with the other requirements of social life, is the very foundation
of society” (GS, 52). Particularly striking is its appeal for a Christ-centered spirituality
in the spouses’ life of faith: "Let the spouses themselves, made to the image of the
living God and enjoying the authentic dignity of persons, be joined to one another
in equal affection, harmony of mind and the work of mutual sanctification. Thus, following
Christ who is the principle of life, by the sacrifices and joys of their vocation
and through their faithful love, married people can become witnesses of the mystery
of love which the Lord revealed to the world by his dying and his rising up to life
again”(GS, 52 ). After the Second Vatican Council, the successors of St. Peter
enriched this teaching on marriage and the family, especially Pope Paul VI with the
Enyclical Humanae vitae, which offers specific principles and guidelines. Subsequently,
in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio, Pope John Paul II insisted on proposing
the divine plan in the basic truths of married love and the family: “The only ‘place’
in which this self-giving in its whole truth is made possible is marriage, the covenant
of conjugal love freely and consciously chosen, whereby man and woman accept the intimate
community of life and love willed by God himself(cf. Gaudium et spes, 48) which only
in this light manifests its true meaning. The institution of marriage is not an undue
interference by society or authority, nor the extrinsic imposition of a form. Rather
it is an interior requirement of the covenant of conjugal love which is publicly affirmed
as unique and exclusive, in order to live in complete fidelity to the plan of God,
the Creator. A person's freedom, far from being restricted by this fidelity, is secured
against every form of subjectivism or relativism and is made a sharer in creative
Wisdom” (FC, 11). The Catechism of the Catholic Church gathers together the fundamental
aspects of this teaching: “The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form
with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed
with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the
good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ
the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament [cf. Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council, Gaudium et spes, 48; Code of Canon Law, 1055, 1]”(CCC
1660). The doctrine presented in the Catechism touches on both theological principles
and moral behaviours, developed under two separate headings: The Sacrament of Matrimony
(nos. 1601-1658) and The Sixth Commandment (nos. 2331-2391). An attentive reading
of these sections of the Catechism provides an updated understanding of the doctrine
of faith, which supports the Church’s work in the face of modern-day challenges. The
Church’s pastoral ministry finds inspiration in the truth of marriage viewed as part
of the plan of God, who created man and woman and, in the fullness of time, revealed
in Jesus the completeness of spousal love elevated to the level of sacrament. Christian
marriage founded on consensus is also endowed with its own effects such as the goods
and duties of the spouses. At the same time, marriage is not immune from the effects
of sin (cf. Gen 3:1-24), which can cause deep wounds and even abuses to the dignity
of the sacrament. The recent encyclical of Pope Francis, Lumen fidei, speaks of
the family in the context of a reflection on how faith reveals “just how firm the
bonds between people can be when God is present in their midst” (LF, 50). “The first
setting in which faith enlightens the human city is the family. I think first and
foremost of the stable union of man and woman in marriage. This union is born of their
love, as a sign and presence of God’s own love, and of the acknowledgment and acceptance
of the goodness of sexual differentiation, whereby spouses can become one flesh (cf.
Gen 2:24) and are enabled to give birth to a new life, a manifestation of the Creator’s
goodness, wisdom and loving plan. Grounded in this love, a man and a woman can promise
each other mutual love in a gesture which engages their entire lives and mirrors many
features of faith. Promising love for ever is possible when we perceive a plan bigger
than our own ideas and undertakings, a plan which sustains us and enables us to surrender
our future entirely to the one we love” (LF, 52). “Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted,
but something which enhances our lives. It makes us aware of a magnificent calling,
the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing,
for it is based on God’s faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness” (
LF, 53).
III. Questions The following series of questions allows the particular
Churches to participate actively in the preparation of the Extraordinary Synod, whose
purpose is to proclaim the Gospel in the context of the pastoral challenges facing
the family today. 1. The Diffusion of the Teachings on the Family in Sacred Scripture
and the Church’s Magisterium a) Describe how the Catholic Church’s teachings on
the value of the family contained in the Bible, Gaudium et spes, Familiaris consortio
and other documents of the post-conciliar Magisterium is understood by people today?
What formation is given to our people on the Church’s teaching on family life? b)
In those cases where the Church's teaching is known, is it accepted fully or are there
difficulties in putting it into practice? If so, what are they? c) How widespread
is the Church's teaching in pastoral programmes at the national, diocesan and parish
levels? What catechesis is done on the family? d ) To what extent — and what aspects
in particular — is this teaching actually known, accepted, rejected and/or criticized
in areas outside the Church? What are the cultural factors which hinder the full reception
of the Church’s teaching on the family?
2. Marriage according to the Natural
Law a) What place does the idea of the natural law have in the cultural areas of
society: in institutions, education, academic circles and among the people at large?
What anthropological ideas underlie the discussion on the natural basis of the family? b)
Is the idea of the natural law in the union between a man and a woman commonly accepted
as such by the baptized in general? c) How is the theory and practice of natural
law in the union between man and woman challenged in light of the formation of a family?
How is it proposed and developed in civil and Church institutions? d) In cases
where non-practicing Catholics or declared non-believers request the celebration of
marriage, describe how this pastoral challenge is dealt with?
3. The Pastoral
Care of the Family in Evangelization a) What experiences have emerged in recent
decades regarding marriage preparation? What efforts are there to stimulate the task
of evangelization of the couple and of the family? How can an awareness of the family
as the "domestic Church" be promoted? b) How successful have you been in proposing
a manner of praying within the family which can withstand life’s complexities and
today’s culture? c) In the current generational crisis, how have Christian families
been able to fulfill their vocation of transmitting the faith? d) In what way have
the local Churches and movements on family spirituality been able to create ways of
acting which are exemplary? e) What specific contribution can couples and families
make to spreading a credible and holistic idea of the couple and the Christian family
today? f) What pastoral care has the Church provided in supporting couples in formation
and couples in crisis situations?
4. Pastoral Care in Certain Difficult Marital
Situations a) Is cohabitation ad experimentum a pastoral reality in your particular
Church? Can you approximate a percentage? b) Do unions which are not recognized
either religiously or civilly exist? Are reliable statistics available? c) Are
separated couples and those divorced and remarried a pastoral reality in your particular
Church? Can you approximate a percentage? How do you deal with this situation in appropriate
pastoral programmes? d) In all the above cases, how do the baptized live in this
irregular situation? Are aware of it? Are they simply indifferent? Do they feel marginalized
or suffer from the impossibility of receiving the sacraments? e) What questions
do divorced and remarried people pose to the Church concerning the Sacraments of the
Eucharist and of Reconciliation? Among those persons who find themselves in these
situations, how many ask for these sacraments? f ) Could a simplification of canonical
practice in recognizing a declaration of nullity of the marriage bond provide a positive
contribution to solving the problems of the persons involved? If yes, what form would
it take? g) Does a ministry exist to attend to these cases? Describe this pastoral
ministry? Do such programmes exist on the national and diocesan levels? How is God’s
mercy proclaimed to separated couples and those divorced and remarried and how does
the Church put into practice her support for them in their journey of faith?
5.
On Unions of Persons of the Same Sex a) Is there a law in your country recognizing
civil unions for people of the same-sex and equating it in some way to marriage? b)
What is the attitude of the local and particular Churches towards both the State as
the promoter of civil unions between persons of the same sex and the people involved
in this type of union? c) What pastoral attention can be given to people who have
chosen to live in these types of union? d) In the case of unions of persons of
the same sex who have adopted children, what can be done pastorally in light of transmitting
the faith?
6. The Education of Children in Irregular Marriages a) What is
the estimated proportion of children and adolescents in these cases, as regards children
who are born and raised in regularly constituted families? b) How do parents in
these situations approach the Church? What do they ask? Do they request the sacraments
only or do they also want catechesis and the general teaching of religion? c) How
do the particular Churches attempt to meet the needs of the parents of these children
to provide them with a Christian education? d) What is the sacramental practice
in these cases: preparation, administration of the sacrament and the accompaniment? 7.
The Openness of the Married Couple to Life a) What knowledge do Christians have
today of the teachings of Humanae vitae on responsible parenthood? Are they aware
of how morally to evaluate the different methods of family planning? Could any insights
be suggested in this regard pastorally? b) Is this moral teaching accepted? What
aspects pose the most difficulties in a large majority of couple’s accepting this
teaching? c) What natural methods are promoted by the particular Churches to help
spouses put into practice the teachings of Humanae vitae? d) What is your experience
on this subject in the practice of the Sacrament of Penance and participation at the
Eucharist? e) What differences are seen in this regard between the Church’s teaching
and civic education? f) How can a more open attitude towards having children be
fostered? How can an increase in births be promoted?
8. The Relationship Between
the Family and the Person a) Jesus Christ reveals the mystery and vocation of the
human person. How can the family be a privileged place for this to happen? b) What
critical situations in the family today can obstruct a person’s encounter with Christ? c)
To what extent do the many crisis of faith which people can experience affect family
life?
9. Other Challenges and Proposals What other challenges or proposals
related to the topics in the above questions do you consider urgent and useful to
treat?