CORRECTED AND UPDATED: Final Synod document published

The final Message of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops has now been published.

I have yet to read it, but my first observation is simple: The Relatio post disceptationem - the so-called "Midterm report" was eleven pages long; the final Message is only three pages.

UPDATE:

The Message is well-written and has a certain poetic sense to it. Of particular note is the absence of both the question of the reception of Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried and of homosexuality.

CORRECTION:

The final Message linked about is not the final Relatio of the Synod, which is yet to published.

UPDATED: Why isn't the media covering Cardinal Kaspar's words about the African Bishops?

DEVELOPING: His Eminence Cardinal Kaspar has denied both having an interview with Zenit and speaking about the African Bishops. This is curious. And a bit bizarre.

UPDATE: Edward Pentin has released a statement in response to Cardinal Kaspar's claims above. Pentin says:

His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper spoke to me and two other journalists, one British, the other French, around 7.15pm on Tuesday as he left the Synod hall.

I transcribed the recording of our conversation, and my iPhone on which I recorded the exchange was visible. I introduced myself as a journalist with the [National Catholic] Register, and the others also introduced themselves as journalists. I therefore figured the interview was on the record and His Eminence appeared happy to talk with us. In the end, I posted the full interview in ZENIT rather than the Register [more].

 This doesn't look good for Cardinal Kaspar.

ORIGINAL POST: 

In an interview yesterday with Zenit about the ongoing drama that is the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, His Eminence Walter Cardinal Kaspar all but said the African Bishops should be quiet:

ZENIT: It has been said that he added five special rapporteurs on Friday to help the general rapporteur, Cardinal Peter Erdo. Is that because he’s trying to push things through according to his wishes?

Cardinal Kasper: I do not see this going on in the Pope’s head. But I think the majority of these five people are open people who want to go on with this. The problem, as well, is that there are different problems of different continents and different cultures. Africa is totally different from the West. Also Asian and Muslim countries, they’re very different, especially about gays. You can’t speak about this with Africans and people of Muslim countries. It’s not possible. It’s a taboo. For us, we say we ought not to discriminate, we don’t want to discriminate in certain respects.

ZENIT: But are African participants listened to in this regard?

Cardinal Kasper: No, the majority of them [who hold these views won’t speak about them].

ZENIT: They’re not listened to?

Cardinal Kasper: In Africa of course [their views are listened to], where it’s a taboo.

ZENIT: What has changed for you, regarding the methodology of this synod?

Cardinal Kasper: I think in the end there must be a general line in the Church, general criteria, but then the questions of Africa we cannot solve. There must be space also for the local bishops’ conferences to solve their problems but I’d say with Africa it’s impossible [for us to solve]. But they should not tell us too much what we have to do.

I cannot agree with Cardinal Kaspar in this, for two reasons.

Africa is one of the places in the world where the Church is booming. It is not booming, to put it mildly, in Germany. It may well be that the African Bishops know something the German (and even European and North American) Bishops do not.

This Synod has been touted as an opportunity for everyone to speak freely, without, as Pope Francis said, without fear:

Everyone needs to say what one feels duty-bound in the Lord to say: without respect for human considerations, without fear. And, at the same time, one must listen with humility and welcome with an open heart what the brothers say.

It seems that Cardinal Kaspar, who has claimed only to be expressing the thoughts of the Pope with his suggestions about the reception of Holy Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, has not taken these words of the Pontiff to heart. What Cardinal Kaspar advocates by telling the African Bishops to be quiet is simply not synodality.

At the same, if the African Bishops should not tell the European and North American Bishops what they have to do, why can the North American and European Bishops tell the African Bishops what they have to do? Surely there cannot be two approaches issued by the Synod for two different parts of the world; that would only bring the Catholic Church under the umbrella of the Anglican Communion, which is impossible.

As I keep looking at the Cardinal's words, my bewilderment grows. His words makes no real sense and have a tinge of racism to them, though some are denying this.

This morning, though, what strikes me most is that Cardinal Kaspar's words about the Africans have been blasted across the secular media wires. Why? Had Cardinal Burke, Muller, or Pell made the same comments, they would be rightly blasted left and right.

It seems to me that the only reason the secular is not covering Cardinal Kaspar's words is because his proposal regarding the reception of Holy Communion is precisely what the media wants to the Synod to decide. As such, they cannot shed a negative light on Cardinal Kaspar.

UPDATED (Again): Does the Holy See Press Office know what it's doing?

The more I follow the activities of the Holy See Press Office these days, the more I question the competency of the same office because it continues to act in ways that are not very helpful.

His Eminence Wilfred Cardinal Napier, O.F.M., Archbishop of Durban (South Africa) acknowledged this at today's press briefing moments ago when he said:

Napier: my worry is that the message that has gone out is not true, we are here to lay the foundations for the next stage of the Synod
— Holy See PressOffice (@HolySeePress) October 14, 2014

Surely the press office of the Holy See is supposed to help explain the teachings and workings of the Church, not to confuse things more, right?

It was only a few days ago that I questioned the bizarre decision to release the texts of the daily homilies and testimonies of the married couples, but not the interventions of the Bishops and Cardinals.

Only a few moments, Father Thomas Rosica, who works within the Holy See Press Office, told us that the Bishops and Cardinals were, from the beginning of the Synod, urged to be open and free in talking with the media, which makes one ask all the more: Why have the interventions of the Bishops not been published?

Vatican spokesman notes that #Synod14 were told at start to speak freely with journalists, a change from the past
— Catholic News Svc (@CatholicNewsSvc) October 14, 2014

It simply does not make any sense whatever.

My questioning of the press office increased today when Cardinal Napier was the only one of the five representatives at the press briefing not to be surprised at the number of reporters who turned out for this afternoon's briefing:

#Synod14 spokesmen jokingly express wonderment at large turnout for press briefing
— Catholic News Svc (@CatholicNewsSvc) October 14, 2014

Following yesterday's release of the so-called "midterm report" on the discussions thus far in the synod hall, how any member of the press corps could possibly be surprised at such a turnout is simply baffling and demonstrates that the press office simply does not understand the media today or maybe even know what it is doing.

To make matters worse, Cardinal Napier indicated that members of the press received a copy of the relatio before the Fathers of the Synod, which is simply incomprehensible. What is more, he made this acknowledgement regarding the document, which the press office insists is not official:

@cardinalnapier we’re working from a "virtually irredeemable position” — message of midterm report “not what we’re saying at all” #Synod14
— Catholic News Svc (@CatholicNewsSvc) October 14, 2014

Clearly, this is not helpful.

The questions of competency are only reinforced by a comment made by His Excellency Fernando Cardinal Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, at this afternoon's press office:

Card. Filoni: we would like that the journalists help readers to understand the dynamism and richness of the debate #Synod14
— Holy See PressOffice (@HolySeePress) October 14, 2014

Cardinal Filoni and the staff of the Holy See Press Office seem completely - and maybe even happily - unaware that the vast majority of the members of the media want nothing at all to do with helping anyone understand the "richness of the debate." Rather, the media want to do only one thing: they want to use the discussions of the Synod to advance their own agenda which consists mostly of things against the dignity of the family. The refusal to publish the interventions of the Bishops and Cardinals only helps the media misrepresent the discussions held within the synod hall and work against the good of the family and, ultimately, of society.

Hope is one thing, but oblivious optimism is quite another.

At the end of the day, I can only ask one question: What's going on inside the press office? The press office simply doesn't get it.

UPDATE: Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Alice Heinzen, of the Diocese of La Crosse (Wisconsin) were selected as auditors and are presently attending the sessions of the Synod, and blogging their way through it. Mrs. Heinzen offered an update today in which she voiced her frustration over the release of the relatio:

I’ve in recent years been an advocate of the idea of ‘brainstorming’, after all it gives everyone permission to say what they need to say without due diligence. But working toward the common good through the due diligence is of great value I have come to see. It leads us to the best practices to be on the same page, etc [sic]

So having the draft without due diligence provides in my mind and [sic] incomplete thought process.

UPDATE 2:

Phil Lawler has a interesting suggestion for a new department in the Roman Curia:

@PhilLawler Also have to wonder if outside consultants they brought in on $$ matters are as effective as McKinsey & Co....if so, then....
— Amy Welborn (@amywelborn2) October 15, 2014

Pope Francis and the so-called "shift in tone" at the Synod

Across the world a great many people have become unrealistically excited over exaggerated and distorted media reports that the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops has made a "shift in tone toward gays" - even a "'seismic' opening" - with the publication of its "bombshell document," the relatio that the Synod Fathers did not see before it was released to the media.

Curiously, Time Magazine was one of the few media outlets to urge everyone to "calm down" and take an actual look at the document that is only a working text.

In this suggestion, Time was right. A great many people seem to have completely forgotten what Pope Francis said about gay 'marriage' when he was the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires:

The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children. The life of so many children who will be discriminated beforehand due to the lack of human maturity that God willed them to have with a father and a mother is in jeopardy. A clear rejection of the law of God, engraved in our hearts, is in jeopardy.

I recall words of Saint Thérèse when she speaks of the infirmity of her childhood. She says that the envy of the Devil tried to extort her family after her older sister joined the Carmel. Here, the envy of the Devil, through which sin entered the world, is also present, and deceitfully intends to destroy the image of God: man and woman, who receive the mandate to grow, multiply, and conquer the earth. Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention [which is] destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a "move" of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God.

Jesus tells us that, in order to defend us from this lying accuser, he will send us the Spirit of Truth. Today, the Nation [patria], before this situation, needs the special assistance of the Holy Ghost that may place the light of Truth amid the shadows of error; it needs this Advocate who may defend us from the enchantment of so many sophisms with which this bill is being justified, and which confuse and deceive even people of good will.

If there really was an "earthquake" that occurred during the Synod, I don't expect it will meet the Pope's approval.

Even when he made his "whom am I to judge?" comment - which was also wildly manipulated by the media (and politicians), Pope Francis said, regarding the Church's teaching on homosexuality, "The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well" and made no efforts to change - as if he could - what the Church teaches.

If you aren't hearing or reading these lines from the Synod, it's time to find a new news source

I cannot begin to fathom why the Holy See Press Office would release the so-called "midterm report" of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops presently meeting in Rome when it refuses to publish the individual interventions of the Bishops and Cardinals. If the Holy See Press published the Relatio post disceptationem in attempt to keep the media from hijacking the media, this has failed miserable; the "midterm report" has, in many ways allowed the media to misrepresent a great deal of what the Bishops have apparently been talking about.

With this in mind, I thought it might be helpful to publish below a few quotes from unofficial translation of the "midterm" report published on the Vatican web site that you will not likely hear tonight on the news or read about in the morning papers.

By no means must you read all of them, but if scanning through them you realize this isn't what your media of choice - whether Catholic or secular - is telling you, it may be time to find a new news outlet.

• "The most difficult test for families in our time is often solitude, which destroys and gives rise to a general sensation of impotence in relation to the socio-economic situation that often ends up crushing them. This is due to growing precariousness in the workplace that is often experienced as a nightmare, or due to heavy taxation that certainly does not encourage young people to marriage" (6).

• "Today’s world appears to promote limitless affectivity, seeking to explore all its aspects, including the most complex. Indeed, the question of emotional fragility is very current: a narcissistic, unstable or changeable affectivity do not always help greater maturity to be reached. In this context, couples are often uncertain and hesitant, struggling to find ways to grow. Many tend to remain in the early stages of emotional and sexual life. The crisis in the couple destabilizes the family and may lead, through separations and divorce, to serious consequences for adults, children and society as a whole, weakening the individual and social bonds. The decline in population not only creates a situation in which the alternation of generations is no longer assured, but over time also risks leading to economic impoverishment and a loss of hope in the future" (10).

• "It is necessary to accept people in their concrete being, to know how to support their search, to encourage the wish for God and the will to feel fully part of the Church, also on the part of those who have experienced failure or find themselves in the most diverse situations. This requires that the doctrine of the faith, the basic content of which should be made increasingly better known, be proposed alongside with mercy" (11).

• " Following the expansive gaze of Christ, whose light illuminates every man (cf. Jn 1,9; cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22), the Church turns respectfully to those who participate in her life in an incomplete and imperfect way, appreciating the positive values they contain rather than their limitations and shortcomings" (20).

• "It must not be forgotten that the crisis of faith has led to a crisis in matrimony and the family and, as a result, the transmission of faith from parents to children has often been interrupted. Confronted by a strong faith, the imposition of certain cultural perspectives that weaken the family is of no importance" (28).

• "Christian marriage cannot only be considered as a cultural tradition or social obligation, but has to be a vocational decision taken with the proper preparation in an itinerary of faith, with mature discernment. This is not about creating difficulties and complicating the cycles of formation, but of going deeply into the issue and not being content with theoretical meetings or general orientations" (31).

• "As regards this necessity the Synodal Fathers agreed to underline the need for a greater involvement of the entire community privileging the testimony of the families themselves, as well as a rooting of the preparation for marriage in the path of Christian initiation, underlining the connection between marriage and the other sacraments. In the same way, the necessity was highlighted for specific programs for preparation for marriage that are a true experience of participation in the ecclesial life and that study closely the diverse aspects of family life" (34).

• "Divorced people who have not remarried should be invited to find in the Eucharist the nourishment they need to sustain them in their state. The local community and pastors have to accompany these people with solicitude, particularly when there are children involved or they find themselves in a serious situation of poverty" (45).

• "As regards the possibility of partaking of the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, some argued in favor of the present regulations because of their theological foundation, others were in favor of a greater opening on very precise conditions when dealing with situations that cannot be resolved without creating new injustices and suffering" (47, emphasis mine).

• "Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony" (50)?

• "The Church furthermore affirms that unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the same footing as matrimony between man and woman. Nor is it acceptable that pressure be brought to bear on pastors or that international bodies make financial aid dependent on the introduction of regulations inspired by gender ideology" (51).

• "Being open to life is an intrinsic requirement of married love" (53).

• "In this light, we should go back to the message of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae of Paul VI, which underlines the need to respect the dignity of the person in the moral evaluation of the methods of birth control"(54).

UPDATED: Cardinal Muller thinks the interventions of the Bishops at Synod 14 should be published - and so do I

Before the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began, His Eminence Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, announced that the interventions of the Bishops and Cardinals made during the Synod would not be released each day, as had been customary with preceding Synods. We were told that daily press briefings would be help and summaries of each days' proceedings would instead be published, and that a web site (which is not tremendously helpful because it does not sort updates by language group) and a special Twitter handle (#Synod14) would be used throughout the Synod.

This was obviously unsatisfactory and sparked questions about the transparency of the proceedings of the Synod which was being hailed for the novelty of having married couple offer testimonies before the Bishops began their deliberations.

This was further compounded when the texts of the testimonies of the couples began to be published on Tuesday. To make matters even more confusing, yesterday the texts of the homilies preached at the daily Masses were published.

I've been asking people here in Rome, both those present in the Synod hall and those not present, to help me understand the logic of this. It strikes me as something thought up by an Italian (many things in this country do not make logical sense, as even the Italians will themselves admit). The best suggestion so far is that the Bishops feel more free to speak openly and have a real debate if their words will not be published. Though it is the best suggestion I have received, it remains tremendously unsatisfactory because it means that the married couples have more courage than the Bishops (which may true, but is not encouraging).

Today we learn that even some within the Synod think the interventions of the Bishops should be published, like His Eminence Gerhard Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Cardinal Muller said he thinks the interventions of the Bishops should be published, because, in his words, "I think all Christians have the right to be informed about the intervention of their bishops":

I, for one, hope his call will be heeded.

UPDATE 1: Part of the reason, we were told, the interventions of the Bishops would not be published was because the interventions would not be prepared before and so there would be no text to publish, as the Catholic News Agency reported. But texts must have been prepared because Father Thomas Rosica read parts of several interventions at today's press briefing.

UPDATE 2: This photo of His Excellency the Most Reverend Dennis Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne, shared by Vatican Radio, delivering his intervention to the Synod shows that the Bishops (at least some of them) have prepared texts:

UPDATE 3: Phil Lawler argues that this Synod "has been far less transparent than previous sessions" (emphasis his). Lawler also points out several good reasons why the interventions of the Bishops should be published:

These summaries ensure that the world’s understanding of the Synod is filtered through the perceptions of the press office. If the Vatican officials who prepare these summaries miss the point of a bishop’s presentation, we will miss it, too; if they do not find an argument worthy of mention, we never hear about it. Rather than being instructed by the Synod fathers themselves, we are being instructed by the press office.

Apparently Vatican officials believe that this awkward system is the best way to manage the stories that emerge the Synod. But when public figures attempt to manage stories, by doling out information in carefully limited quantities, their efforts nearly always backfire. (Remember the “modified limited hangout” of the Nixon White House during the Watergate crisis?) There are always leaks. There are always enterprising reporters looking for inside information, and willing sources ready to supply it [more]. 

Synod to persecuted families: May the Lord bring you peace and stablity

The Fathers of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops released today a message of solidarity with the many families throughout the world - and especially in Iraq and Syria - who are suffering great hardships as a result of conflicts.

The text of their message is as follows:

Gathered around the Successor of the Apostle Peter, we the Synod Fathers of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, along with all participants, share the paternal concern of the Holy Father, expressing our profound closeness to all the families who suffer as a consequence of the many conflicts in progress.

In particular, we raise to the Lord our prayers for Iraqi and Syrian families, forced on account of their profession of the Christian faith or their belonging to other ethnic or religious communities, to abandon everything and flee towards a future without any form of certainty. We join with the Holy Father Francis in emphasising that no-one may use the name of God to commit violence, and that to kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege. Offering thanks to International Organisations and Countries for their solidarity, we invite persons of good will to offer the necessary assistance and aid to the innocent victims of the current barbarism, and at the same time we implore the international community to act to re-establish peaceful co-existence in Iraq, in Syria, and in all the Middle East.

Equally, our thoughts go to those families that are torn apart and suffering in other parts of the world, and who suffer persistent violence. We wish to assure them of our constant prayer that the Lord may convert hearts and bring peace and stability to those who are now in need.

May the Holy Family of Nazareth, which suffered on the painful road of exile make every family a community of love and reconciliation a source of hope for the whole world.

Much of the world has forgotten in these recent days that are other factors deeply affecting family life besides the question of Holy Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics and how to compassionately - and justly - welcome persons with a homosexual tendency into the family and into the Church. Hopefully this message will help remind many that the Bishops, Cardinals, and other observers have been called to discuss the Pastoral Challenges in the Context of Evangelization. Certainly the increasing persecution against Christians in the Middle East and in many parts of Africa and India are of greater concern than the questions with which many in the West are so obsessed.

Can a Synod change doctrine or discipline?

Not all of the Bishops seem terribly interested in the proceedings.

With regard to the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops presently underway in Rome, there is much anticipation that the Synod Fathers will change certain disciplines in the Church or even certain doctrines. What is often forgotten - or simply ignored - is that this Synod has no authority to do either.

This is where a basic knowledge of canon knowledge is not helpful, but absolutely essential. With regard to the Synod of Bishops, the Code of Canon Law states (with my emphases):

It is for the synod of bishops to discuss the questions for consideration and express its wishes but not to resolve them or issue decrees about them unless in certain cases the Roman Pontiff has endowed it with deliberative power, in which case he ratifies the decisions of the synod (canon 343).

The Roman Pontiff, now Pope Francis, has not granted such authority to this extraordinary Synod, which he called in preparation for the ordinary Synod to be held in 2015; as such, this Synod cannot change anything. Most media reports - both secular and Catholic - ignore both of these two points.

The Synod as an Entmoot, the Australian couple's comments, and much ado about nothing

A lot of people are making a lot of noise about what Mr. and Mrs. Ron and Mavis Pirola said Monday during the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, though, I confess, I'm not sure why.

As one example of what is being said about their words, Deacon Greg Kandra commented, "I can’t imagine this kind of commentary being welcomed, or even heard, at the Vatican just a few years ago."

Apparently Mr. and Mrs. Pirola are to have suggested something earth-shattering, though it doesn't seem so to me. What did they say? They spoke about parents welcoming their son - who has a homosexual inclination - and his "partner" to a family gathering at Christmas:

Friends of ours were planning their Christmas family gathering when their gay son said he wanted to bring his partner home too. They fully believed in the Church’s teachings and they knew their grandchildren would see them welcome the son and his partner into the family. Their response could be summed up in three [sic] words, ‘He is our son’.

What a model of evangelization for parishes as they respond to similar situations in their neghbourhood [sic]! It is a practical example of what the Instrumentum laboris says concerning the Church’s teaching role and its main mission to let the world know of God’s love.

Why many find these words surprising is - frankly - quite beyond me.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states that persons with homosexual tendencies "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided" (2358). The family referenced above, then, simply showed respect, compassion, and sensitivity and did not discriminate. In short, they acted as Catholics should.

To be sure, though, welcoming their son's boyfriend to a family gathering is not the same thing as condoning sexual activity between the two (if the two were engaging in such activity; we do not know). To put it another way, saving a place for the boyfriend at the table is not the same as allowing the son and his boyfriend to sleep in the same bed in the home.

I suspect this is a case of much ado about nothing - or at least very little - and that it comes from a misunderstanding about what the Church teaches about homosexuality, even among those in the Church who should know better.

In its Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons (which was issued on 1 October 1986), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explained it thus (with my comments):

The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving and live-giving union of men and women in the sacrament of marriage [which is explained just before this sentence]. It is only in the marital relationship that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person engaging in homosexual behaviour therefore acts immorally.

To chose someone of the same sex for one's sexual activity is to annul the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator's sexual design. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to transmit life; and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living. This does not mean that homosexual persons are not often generous and giving of themselves; but when they engage in homosexual activity they confirm within themselves a disordered sexual inclination which is essentially self-indulgent.

As in every moral disorder [a homosexual tendency is not the only moral disorder], homosexual activity prevents one's own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood (7).

If you have not yet read this letter, you should.

The same letter went on to say:

It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church's pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law (10).

The CDF also noted that,

An authentic pastoral programme will assist homosexual persons at all levels of the spiritual life: through the sacraments, and in particular through the frequent and sincere use of the sacrament of Reconciliation, through prayer, witness, counsel and individual care. In such a way, the entire Christian community can come to recognize its own call to assist its brothers and sisters, without deluding them or isolating them.

From this multi-faceted approach there are numerous advantages to be gained, not the least of which is the realization that a homosexual person, as every human being, deeply needs to be nourished at many different levels simultaneously (15-16).

It seems to me that this is what the family above did.

What is more, the letter affirms with great clarity, that

The human person, made in the image and likeness of God, can hardly be adequately described by a reductionist reference to his or her sexual orientation. Every one living on the face of the earth has personal problems and difficulties, but challenges to growth, strengths, talents and gifts as well. Today, the Church provides a badly needed context for the care of the human person when she refuses to consider the person as a "heterosexual" or a "homosexual" and insists that every person has a fundamental Identity: the creature of God, and by grace, his child and heir to eternal life (16).

What does the Church ask of those who a homosexual inclination? The same she asks of those without it: adherence to Christ and a life lived in full accord with his teachings, which often requires sincere repentance of sins.

Before posting this post (that always sounds odd), I asked a friend to review it for me. He kindly did so and made the following observation:

Really, I think too, too many are too, too eager to reflexively condemn anything associated with this synod. It's insane. Give it a rest, people. Think of the Synod as an Entmoot. They'll talk, and then they'll make a decision, and proclaim it with a loud "Hoom hom."  

That's an analogy I'm sorry I didn't make!

US Bishops mark September 28th as Day of Prayer for Extraordinary Synod on the Family

The Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is scheduled to begin its discussions on The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization on October 5th and will conclude on October 19th. Many are speculating about what the Synod will decide to do, but no one really knows.

As we approach this important moment in the life of the Church, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has set aside Sunday, September 28th, as a Day of Prayer for those who will take part in this ecclesial gathering.

In particular, the U.S. Bishops have invited the faithful to join together in praying a prayer for the Synod composed by His Holiness Pope Francis:

Detail, St. Anthony of Padua Church
Effingham, Illinois

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendor of true love,
to you we turn with trust.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishops
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God's plan.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.

The USCCB has also provided a draft version of the Universal Prayer which may be adapted to local circumstances.These petitions may also be included during Lauds and Vespers.

Additionally, the USSCB recommends the recitation of the rosary each day of the Extraordinary General Assembly.