Fall synod of bishops to review state of family

Representatives of the world’s Catholic bishops, meeting together in a synod, are not expected to make any formal proposals about the church’s pastoral care of families until after a second, larger gathering in 2015.

The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family will meet at the Vatican Oct. 5-19, bringing together the presidents of national bishops’ conferences, the heads of Eastern Catholic churches and Vatican officials. The world Synod of Bishops, which will include more bishops—many elected by their peers—will meet at the Vatican Oct. 4-25, 2015.

“The upcoming extraordinary Synod to be held this October will be a great blessing for the church. Marriage and the family are the very foundation of society and the church as well,” Corpus Christi Bishop Michael Mulvey said.

Introducing the working document for the first synod assembly—formally an “extraordinary” synod—Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said participants “will thoroughly examine and analyze the information, testimonies and recommendations received” from around the world in response to a questionnaire sent out in November 2013.

The responses to the questionnaire, submitted by about 90 percent of the world’s bishops conferences and about 800 Catholic organizations or individuals, formed the basis for the working document for the extraordinary assembly.

The results of the extraordinary assembly will form the basis for the working document for the 2015 meeting, he said.

“At the present time many misguided ideas about marriage and the family circulate in our society, which weigh heavy on those who face the prospect of marriage and those who are already married. Many ills and false ideas surrounding the notion of family life and marriage need to be clarified,” Bishop Mulvey said.

The general assembly in 2015, “representing a great part of the episcopate and continuing the work of the previous synod, will reflect further on the points discussed so as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines,” the cardinal said.

Only the suggestions of the 2015 synod will be forwarded to the pope as formal proposals for church action, he said.

The theme of the extraordinary synod is: “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.” Cardinal Baldisseri said there would be about 190 voting members, plus “fraternal delegates” from other Christian churches as well as observers and experts appointed by Pope Francis.

Cardinal Baldisseri announced that the theme of the 2015 synod would be: “Jesus Christ reveals the mystery and vocation of the family.” That gathering, he said, was expected to include about 250 voting members.

In a letter to families in February, Pope Francis explained that the “extraordinary synodal assembly will be followed a year later by the ordinary assembly, which will also have the family as its theme.”

The pope also noted that the World Meeting of Families would take place in Philadelphia in September 2015.

“May we all, then, pray together so that through these events the church will undertake a true journey of discernment and adopt the necessary pastoral means to help families face their present challenges with the light and strength that comes from the Gospel,” the pope said.

Cardinal Baldisseri announced that Catholics around the world would be asked to observe a day of prayer on Sept. 28 for the synod and its deliberations.

Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, chosen by Pope Francis to be the special secretary of the extraordinary synod, told reporters, “the doctrine of the church is not up for discussion,” but the synod members will be called upon to find ways to improve the “pastoral application” of church teachings, ways to explain it and to help Catholics live it.

“We all are aware of the many difficult circumstances under which the family lives today,” Bishop Mulvey said. “Many of these situations and circumstances alienate many good Catholic people from the practice of their faith. Although I do not think we should have any exaggerated expectations due to our tradition and theology, a pastoral look at many of the circumstances and situations will be very welcomed by many in the church today.”

(Alfredo Cardenas with the South Texas Catholic contributed to this article.)