VATICAN CORNER
CONTINUED … So now that the Synod on the Family is over for 2015, what will Pope Francis do? It was the second mee#ng in a year that he had called to address how and whether Catholicism could adapt its teachings to the changing reali#es of modern family life. As Pope Francis put it, among the many purposes for the Synod it was “not about finding exhaus#ve solu#ons for all the difficul#es and uncertain#es which challenge and threaten the family, but rather about seeing these difficul#es and uncertain#es in the light of the Faith, carefully studying them and confron#ng them fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand.” He received 94 recommenda#on from the bishops and cardinals, with the ques#on of whether a door should be opened for divorced and remarried Catholics , who the church teaches are living in a state of adultery, — to take communion at Mass, was le* rather vague. Signaling the intensity of the debate, there were more than 1,300 amendments proposed by the 270 delegates. Pope Francis noted that differences of opinion were freely expressed and “at #mes, unfortunately, not in en#rely well-meaning ways.” “Those differences of opinion led to a rich and lively dialogue; they offered a vivid image of a Church which does not simply “rubberstamp”, but draws from the sources of her faith living waters to refresh parched hearts.” Washington Cardinal Donal Wuerl express the opinion that “The real takeaway from this Synod is that Pope Francis has changed the way the church goes about reflec#ng on her pastoral ministry. That’s no small thing,” He said “You had all this open discussion about issues that the church is struggling with. You’re not going to be able to close that door in the future.” That’s not to say that the future won’t be messy at #mes, and anxietyproducing, especially for tradi#onalists and for those who prefer a neat and #dy church. Pope Francis’ closing remarks to the Synod offered few solid hints about what he will do next. He stated that the task ahead is to find a Solomonesque way to bridge the differences that were expressed, par#cularly given the cultural gulfs among the world’s more than 1 billion Catholics. They include those living in the most liberal parishes of Western Europe and the United States as well as far more conserva#ve ones, o*en based in parts of the developing world where the Catholic Church is growing most. “We have seen that what is normal for a bishop on one con#nent is considered strange and almost scandalous for a bishop on another,” Francis said. Cardinals and bishops at the Synod were divided over what course Pope Francis will take, but as Archbishop Mark Coleridge put it “He has proven himself to be a man of surprises.”
Sources: washingtonpost.com, religiousnews.com, [email protected], realclearreligion.org