Card
Marx: Pope is seeking input to take Church forward
(Vatican Radio) How to bring together Church doctrine with
the pressing pastoral concerns of its leaders. That’s the dilemma that participants
at the Synod of Bishops on the Family have been wrestling with over the past
two weeks and it was also the focus of the daily press briefing for journalists
on Friday. To share some of the latest developments from behind the doors
of the Synod Hall, Fr Lombardi was joined by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of
the German bishops conference, by Archbishop Georges Pontier, head of the
French bishops conference and by Colombian lawyer, Dr Ilva Hoyos Castaneda, one
of the lay experts at the Synod....
How can Church leaders from different continents bridge their
cultural differences, especially on the most sensitive issues of morality and
sexuality? How can Catholics engage in constructive dialogue between
deeply held beliefs and secular government policies? And how can they uphold
Church teaching on marriage and the family while sharing in the daily struggles
of people in so-called “irregular situations”?
Cardinal Marx from Munich noted that in Germany many committed
Catholics are asking how the Church can be more inclusive of those who are
divorced and remarried or living in homosexual relationships. Exclusion is not
the language of the Church, he said, insisting that Catholics must move away
from a “black and white…all or nothing” vocabulary. While there are
significantly different perspectives at the Synod, according to a bishops’ cultural
experiences or personal encounters, the cardinal said Pope Francis is seeking
input that can take the Church forward, open new doors and discover new
possibilities for bringing the Gospel to men and women today. The Pope did not
invite us to two Synods, he remarked with a smile, to hear us simply
repeat what we’ve always been saying!
Archbishop
Pontier from Marseille spoke of the difficult process of engaging in dialogue
around these hotly debated issues of same-sex relationships, that have brought
hundreds of thousands of French families out onto the streets in recent months.
While he said he was happy to see so many young people publically defending
their traditional Catholic values, he said the urgent question is how to
accompany them and help them move beyond confrontation to a fruitful debate.
None of us has all the answers, he said, and we must help people to recognise
the truth in the other person’s perspective.
Finally
Colombian professor Ilva Hoyos Castaneda, who serves as her country’s Delegate
Procurator for the defence of children and the family, said lay people must
lead this crucial dialogue between Church and State, making sure that the voice
of Catholic social teaching is being heard in the public arena. The welcome
presence of women in this Synod, she said, is a sign of the new path that is
opening up within the Church.
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