Pope announces Synod on Pastoral Challenges of the Family
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has announced the Third Extraordinary General Assembly
of the Synod of Bishops, which will held at the Vatican from October 5 to October
19, 2014.
The theme of the Extraordinary General Assembly will be “The Pastoral
Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.”
While speaking
about the importance of the issues surrounding the theme of the Synod, Father Federico
Lombardi, SJ, said that offering special pastoral solutions by individuals or local
offices can risk causing confusion," stressing the importance of "conducting a journey
in full communion with the Church community."
His comments came after the German
Archdiocese of Freiburg announced a plan which would allow divorced and remarried
Catholics to receive communion without having their marital situation regularized
in the Church.