Mother Church gazes lovingly
and in hope at the world around her - signs of the times. We are
grateful to be living in the time of the Holy Spirt and so we must Trust the
Spirit in reading and ministering to these times. The Synod on the Marriage and
the Family is just such reading and ministering in faith, hope and charity.
Below is the first glance at what surely is a very most important sign and
lived reality.
Relatio Post Disceptationem
"The reflections put forward,
the fruit of the Synodal dialog that took place in great freedom and a spirit
of reciprocal listening, are intended to raise questions and indicate
perspectives that will have to be matured”.
1. During the prayer vigil held in St Peter’s
Square on 4 October 2014 in preparation for the Synod on the family, Pope
Francis evoked the centrality of the experience of family in all lives, in a
simple and concrete manner: “Evening falls on our assembly. It is
the hour at which one willingly returns home to meet at the same table, in the
depth of affection, of the good that has been done and received, of the
encounters which warm the heart and make it grow, good wine which hastens the
unending feast in the days of man. It is also the weightiest hour for one who
finds himself face to face with his own loneliness, in the bitter twilight of
shattered dreams and broken plans; how many people trudge through the day in
the blind alley of resignation, of abandonment, even resentment: in how many
homes the wine of joy has been less plentiful, and therefore, also the zest —
the very wisdom —
for life […]. Let us make our prayer heard for
one another this evening, a prayer for all”.
2. The source of joys and trials, of deep affections and
relations – at times wounded – the family is truly a “school of humanity”
(“Familia
schola quaedam uberioris humanitatis est”, Vatican Council II, Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, 52), of which we are in great
need. Despite the many signs of crisis in the institution of the family in
various contexts of the “global village”, the desire for family remains
alive, especially among the young, and is at the root of the Church’s
need to proclaim tirelessly and with profound conviction the “Gospel of the family”
entrusted to her with
the revelation of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
3. The Bishop of Rome
called upon the Synod of Bishops to reflect upon the situation of the family,
decisive and valuable, in its Extraordinary General Assembly of October 2014, a
reflection which will then be pursued in greater depth in the Ordinary General
Assembly scheduled to take place in October 2015, as well as during the full
intervening year between the two synodal events. “The convenire in unum around the
Bishop of Rome is already an event of grace, in which episcopal collegiality is
made manifest in a path of spiritual and pastoral discernment”: thus Pope Francis described the
synodal experience, indicating its tasks in the dual process of listening to
the signs of God and the history of mankind and in the resulting dual and
unique fidelity.
4. In the light of the
same discourse we have gathered together the results of our reflections and our
dialogues in the following three parts: listening, to look at the situation of
the family today, in the complexity of its light and shade; looking, our
gazefixed on Christ, to re-evaluate with renewed freshness and enthusiasm what
the revelation transmitted in the faith of the Church tells us about the beauty
and dignity of the family; and discussion in the light of the Lord Jesus to
discern the ways in which the Church and society can renew their commitment to
the family.
Listening: the context and challenges
to the family
The socio-cultural context
5. Anthropological and
cultural change today influences all aspects of life and requires an analytic
and diversified approach, able to discern the positive forms of individual
freedom. It is necessary to be aware of the growing danger represented by an
exasperated individualism that distorts family bonds and ends up considering
each component of the family as an isolated unit, leading in some cases to the
prevalence of an idea of the subject formed according to his or her own wishes,
which are assumed as absolute.
6. 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.
7. Some cultural and religious contexts pose
particular challenges. In African societies the practice of polygamy remains,
along with, in some traditional contexts, the custom of “marriage in stages”. In other contexts the practice of “arranged marriages”
persists. In countries
in which Catholicism is a minority religion, there are many mixed marriages
with all the difficulties that these may lead to in terms of legal form, the
education of children and mutual respect from the point of view of religious
freedom, but also with the great potential that derives from the encounter
between the differences in faith that these stories of family life present. In
many contexts, and not only in the West, the practice of cohabitation before
marriage, or indeed cohabitation not orientated towards assuming the form of an
institutional bond, is increasingly widespread.
8. Many children are born outside marriage,
especially in certain countries, and there are many who subsequently grow up
with just one of their parents or in an enlarged or reconstituted family
context. The number of divorces is growing and it is not rare to encounter
cases in which decisions are taken solely on the basis of economic factors. The
condition of women still needs to be defended and promoted, as situations of
violence within the family are not rare. Children are frequently the object of
contention between parents, and are the true victims of family breakdown.
Societies riven by violence due to war, terrorism or the presence of organized
crime experience deteriorating family situations. Furthermore, migration is
another sign of the times, to be faced and understood in terms of the burden of
consequences for family life.
The relevance of emotional life
9. Faced with the
social framework outlined above, a greater need is encountered among
individuals to take care of themselves, to know their inner being, and to live
in greater harmony with their emotions and sentiments, seeking a relational
quality in emotional life. In the same way, it is possible to encounter a
widespread desire for family accompanied by the search for oneself. But how can
this attention to the care for oneself be cultivated and maintained, alongside
this desire for family? This is a great challenge for the Church too. The
danger of individualism and the risk of living selfishly are significant.
10. 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.
Pastoral challenges
11. In this context
the Church is aware of the need to offer a meaningful word of hope. It is
necessary to set out from the conviction that man comes from God and that,
therefore, a reflection able to reframe the great questions on the meaning of
human existence, may find fertile ground in humanity's most profound
expectations. The great values of marriage and the Christian family correspond
to the search that distinguishes human existence even in a time marked by
individualism and hedonism. 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.
PART II
The gaze upon Christ: the Gospel of
the Family
The gaze upon Jesus and gradualness in the history of
salvation
12. In order to “walk among contemporary challenges,
the decisive condition is to maintain a fixed gaze on Jesus Christ, to pause in
contemplation and in adoration of His Face. ... Indeed, every time we return to
the source of the Christian experience, new paths and undreamed of
possibilities open up” (Pope Francis, Address of 4 October 2014). Jesus
looked upon the women and the men he met with love and tenderness, accompanying
their steps with patience and mercy, in proclaiming the demands of the Kingdom
of God.
13. From the moment that the order of creation is determined
by orientation towards Christ, it becomes necessary to distinguish without
separating the various levels through which God communicates the grace of the
covenant to humanity. Through the law of gradualness (cf. Familiaris Consortio,
34), typical of divine pedagogy, this means interpreting the nuptial covenant
in terms of continuity and novelty, in the order of creation and in that of
redemption.
14. Jesus Himself, referring to the primordial plan for the
human couple, reaffirms the indissoluble union between man and woman, while
understanding that “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your
hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning”
(Mt 19,8). In this way,
He shows how divine condescension always accompanies the path of humanity,
directing it towards its new beginning, not without passing through the cross.
The family in God’s salvific plan
15. Since, by their commitment to mutual acceptance and with
the grace of Christ couples promise fidelity to one another and openness to
life, they acknowledge as constitutive elements of marriage the gifts God
offers them, taking their mutual responsability seriously, in His name and
before the Church. Now, in faith it is possible to assume the goods of marriage
as commitments best maintained with the help of the grace of the sacrament. God
consecrates love between spouses and confirms its indissolubility, offering
them help in living in fidelity and openness to life. Therefore, the gaze of
the Church turns not only to the couple, but to the family.
16. We are able to distinguish three fundamental phases in
the divine plan for the family: the family of origins, when God the creator
instituted the primordial marriage between Adam and Eve, as a solid foundation
for the family: he created them male and female (cg. Gn 1,24-31; 2,4b); the
historic family, wounded by sin (cf. Gn 3) and the family redeemed by Christ
(cf. Eph 5,21-32), in the image of the Holy Trinity, the mystery from which
every true love springs. The sponsal covenant, inaugurated in creation and
revealed in the history of God and Israel, reaches its fullest expression with
Christ in the Church.
The discernment of values present in
wounded families and in irregular situations
17. In considering the
principle of gradualness in the divine salvific plan, one asks what
possibilities are given to married couples who experience the failure of their
marriage, or rather how it is possible to offer them Christ’s
help through the ministry of the Church. In this respect, a significant
hermeneutic key comes from the teaching of Vatican Council II, which, while it
affirms that “although many elements of sanctification and of truth are
found outside of its visible structure ... these elements, as gifts belonging
to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward Catholic unity”
(Lumen Gentium, 8).
18. In this light, the value and consistency of natural
marriage must first be emphasized. Some ask whether the sacramental fullness of
marriage does not exclude the possibility of recognizing positive elements even
the imperfect forms that may be found outside this nuptial situation, which are
in any case ordered in relation to it. The doctrine of levels of communion,
formulated by Vatican Council II, confirms the vision of a structured way of
participating in the Mysterium Ecclesiae by baptized persons.
19. In the same, perspective, that we may consider inclusive,
the Council opens up the horizon for appreciating the positive elements present
in other religions (cf. Nostra Aetate, 2) and cultures, despite their limits
and their insufficiencies (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 55). Indeed, looking at the
human wisdom present in these, the Church learns how the family is universally
considered as the necessary and fruitful form of human cohabitation. In this
sense, the order of creation, in which the Christian vision of the family is
rooted, unfolds historically, in different cultural and geographical
expressions.
20. Realizing the
need, therefore, for spiritual discernment with regard to cohabitation, civil
marriages and divorced and remarried persons, it is the task of the Church to
recognize those seeds of the Word that have spread beyond its visible and
sacramental boundaries. 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.
Truth and beauty of the family and
mercy
21. The Gospel of the
family, while it shines in the witness of many families who live coherently
their fidelity to the sacrament, with their mature fruits of authentic daily
sanctity must also nurture those seeds that are yet to mature, and must care
for those trees that have dried up and wish not to be neglected.
22. In this respect, a
new dimension of today’s family pastoral consists of
accepting the reality of civil marriage and also cohabitation, taking into
account the due differences. Indeed, when a union reaches a notable level of
stability through a public bond, is characterized by deep affection,
responsibility with regard to offspring, and capacity to withstand tests, it
may be seen as a germ to be accompanied in development towards the sacrament of
marriage. Very often, however, cohabitation is established not with a view to a
possible future marriage, but rather without any intention of establishing an
institutionally-recognized relationship.
23. Imitating Jesus’ merciful
gaze, the Church must accompany her most fragile sons and daughters, marked by
wounded and lost love, with attention and care, restoring trust and hope to
them like the light of a beacon in a port, or a torch carried among the people
to light the way for those who are lost or find themselves in the midst of the
storm.
The discussion: pastoral perspectives
Proclaiming the Gospel of the family today, in various
contexts
24. The Synod dialog has allowed an agreement on some of the
more urgent pastoral needs to be entrusted to being made concrete in the
individual local Churches, in communion cum Petro et sub Petro.
25. The announcement
of the Gospel of the family is an urgent issue for the new evangelization. The
Church has to carry this out with the tenderness of a mother and the clarity of
a teacher (cf. Eph 4,15), in fidelity to the merciful kenosi of Christ. The
truth is incarnated in human fragility not to condemn it, but to cure it.
26. Evangelizing is
the shared responsibility of all God’s people, each
according to his or her own ministry and charism. Without the joyous testimony
of spouses and families, the announcement, even if correct, risks being
misunderstood or submerged by the ocean of words that is a characteristic of
our society (cf. Novo Millennio Ineunte, 50). On various occasions the Synodal
Fathers underlined that Catholic families are called upon themselves to be the
active subjects of all the pastoral of the family.
27. It will be decisive
to highlight the primacy of grace, and therefore of the possibilities that the
Spirit gives in the sacrament. This is about letting it be known that the
Gospel of the family is a joy that «fills the hearts
and lives», because in Christ we are «set
free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness»
(Evangelii Gaudium, 1).
In the light of the parable of the sower (cf. Mt 13,3), our task is to
cooperate in the sowing: the rest is God’s work. We must not
forget that the Church that preaches about the family is a sign of
contradiction.
28. For this reason,
what is required is a missionary conversion: it is necessary not to stop at an
announcement that is merely theoretical and has nothing to do with people’s
real problems. 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.
29. Conversion has,
above all, to be that of language so that this might prove to be effectively
meaningful. The announcement is about letting it be experienced that the Gospel
of the family is the response to the deepest expectations of a person: to his
or her dignity and its full realization in reciprocity and communion. This is
not merely about presenting a set of regulations but about putting forward
values, responding to the need of those who find themselves today even in the
most secularized countries.
30. The indispensable
biblical-theological study is to be accompanied by dialog, at all levels. Many
insisted on a more positive approach to the riches contained in diverse
religious experiences, while not being blind to the difficulties. In the
diverse cultural realities the possibilities should first be grasped and in the
light of them the limits and radicalizations should be rejected.
31.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.
32. The need was
jointly referred to for a conversion of all pastoral practices from the
perspective of the family, overcoming the individualistic points of view that
still characterize it. This is why there was a repeated insistence on renewing
in this light the training of presbyters and other pastoral operators, through
a greater involvement of the families themselves.
weaken the family is of no importance.
33. In the same way, the necessity was underlined
for an evangelization that denounces clearly the cultural, social and economic
factors, for example, the excessive room given to market logic, that prevents
an authentic family life, leading to discrimination, poverty, exclusion, and
violence. For this reason a dialog and cooperation has to be developed with the
social structures, and lay people who are involved in cultural and
socio-political fields should be encouraged.
Guiding couples on the path in
preparation for marriage
34.The complex social
reality and the changes that the family is called on today to deal with require
a greater undertaking from the whole Christian community for the preparation of
those who are about to be married. 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.
Accompanying the early years of
married life
35.The early years of
marriage are a vital and delicate period during which couples grow in the
awareness of the challenges and meaning of matrimony. Thus the need for a
pastoral accompaniment that goes beyond the celebration of the sacrament. Of
great importance in this pastoral is the presence of experienced couples. The
parish is considered the ideal place for expert couples to place themselves at
the disposal of younger ones. Couples need to be encouraged towards a
fundamental welcome of the great gift of children. The importance of family
spirituality and prayer needs to be underlined, encouraging couples to meet
regularly to promote the growth of the spiritual life and solidarity in the
concrete demands of life. Meaningful liturgies, devotional practices and the
Eucharist celebrated for families, were mentioned as vital in favoring
evangelization through the family.
Positive aspects of civil unions and
cohabitation
36. A new sensitivity in today’s
pastoral consists in grasping the positive reality of civil weddings and,
having pointed out our differences, of cohabitation. It is necessary that in
the ecclesial proposal, while clearly presenting the ideal, we also indicate
the constructive elements in those situations that do not yet or no longer
correspond to that ideal.
37. It was also noted
that in many countries an “an increasing number live together ad
experimentum, in unions which have not been religiously or civilly recognized”
(Instrumentum Laboris,
81). In Africa this occurs especially in traditional marriages, agreed between
families and often celebrated in different stages. Faced by these situations,
the Church is called on to be “the house of the Father, with doors
always wide open […] where there is a place for everyone, with all their
problems”
(Evangelii Gaudium, 47)
and to move towards those who feel the need to take up again their path of
faith, even if it is not possible to celebrate a religious marriage.
38. In the West as
well there is an increasingly large number of those who, having lived together
for a long period of time, ask to be married in the Church. Simple cohabitation
is often a choice inspired by a general attitude, which is opposed to
institutions and definitive undertakings, but also while waiting for a secure
existence (a steady job and income). In other countries common-law marriages
are very numerous, not because of a rejection of Christian values as regards
the family and matrimony, but, above all, because getting married is a luxury,
so that material poverty encourages people to live in common-law marriages.
Furthermore in such unions it is possible to grasp authentic family values or
at least the wish for them. Pastoral accompaniment should always start from
these positive aspects.
39. All these
situations have to be dealt with in a constructive manner, seeking to transform
them into opportunities to walk towards the fullness of marriage and the family
in the light of the Gospel. They need to be welcomed and accompanied with
patience and delicacy. With a view to this, the attractive testimony of
authentic Christian families is important, as subjects for the evangelization
of the family.
Caring for wounded families (the
separated, the divorced who have not remarried, the divorced who have
remarried)
40. What rang out clearly in the Synod was the necessity for
courageous pastoral choices. Reconfirming forcefully the fidelity to the Gospel
of the family, the Synodal Fathers, felt the urgent need for new pastoral
paths, that begin with the effective reality of familial fragilities,
recognizing that they, more often than not, are more “endured” than freely chosen. These are
situations that are diverse because of personal as well as cultural and
socio-economic factors. It is not wise to think of unique solutions or those
inspired by a logic of “all or nothing”. The dialog and meeting that took
place in the Synod will have to continue in the local Churches, involving their
various components, in such a way that the perspectives that have been drawn up
might find their full maturation in the work of the next Ordinary General
Assembly. The guidance of the Spirit, constantly invoked, will allow all God’s
people to live the fidelity to the Gospel of the family as a merciful caring
for all situations of fragility.
41.Each damaged family
first of all should be listened to with respect and love, becoming companions
on the journey as Christ did with the disciples of the road to Emmaus. In a
particular way the words of Pope Francis apply in these situations: «The
Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity –
into this “art of accompaniment”, which teaches us to remove our
sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Es 3,5). The pace of this
accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and
our compassionate gaze which also heals,
liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life»
(Evangelii Gaudium,
169).
42.Such discernment is
indispensable for the separated and divorced. What needs to be respected above
all is the suffering of those who have endured separation and divorce unjustly.
The forgiveness for the injustice endured is not easy, but it is a journey that
grace makes possible. In the same way it needs to be always underlined that it
is indispensable to assume in a faithful and constructive way the consequences
of separation or divorce on the children: they must not become an “object” to be fought over and the most
suitable means need to be sought so that they can get over the trauma of the
family break-up and grow up in the most serene way possible.
43. Various Fathers
underlined the necessity to make the recognition of cases of nullity more
accessible and flexible. Among the propositions were the abandonment of the
need for the double conforming sentence; the possibility of establishing an
administrative means under the responsibility of the diocesan bishop; a summary
process to be used in cases of clear nullity. According to authoritative
propositions, the possibility should then be considered of giving weight to the
faith of those about to be married in terms of the validity of the sacrament of
marriage. It needs to emphasized that in all these cases it is about the
ascertaining of the truth over the validity of the obstacle.
44. As regards
matrimonial suits, the speeding-up of the procedure, requested by many, as well
as the preparation of a sufficient number of operators, clerics and lay people,
dedicating themselves to this, requires an increase in the responsibilities of
the diocesan bishop, who in his diocese might charge a specially trained priest
who would be able to offer the parties advice on the validity of their
marriage.
45. 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.
46. In the same way
the situation of the divorced who have remarried demands a careful discernment
and an accompaniment full of respect, avoiding any language or behavior that might
make them feel discriminated against. For the Christian community looking after
them is not a weakening of its faith and its testimony to the indissolubility
of marriage, but rather it expresses precisely its charity in its caring.
47. 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. For some, partaking of the sacraments might occur
were it preceded by a penitential path – under the responsibility of the
diocesan bishop –, and with a clear undertaking in favor of the
children. This would not be a general possibility, but the fruit of a
discernment applied on a case-by-case basis, according to a law of gradualness,
that takes into consideration the distinction between state of sin, state of
grace and the attenuating circumstances.
48. Suggesting
limiting themselves to only “spiritual communion”
was questioned by more
than a few Synodal Fathers: if spiritual communion is possible, why not allow
them to partake in the sacrament? As a result a greater theological study was
requested starting with the links between the sacrament of marriage and the
Eucharist in relation to the Church-sacrament. In the same way, the moral
dimension of the problem requires further consideration, listening to and
illuminating the consciences of spouses.
49. The problems
relative to mixed marriages were frequently raised in the interventions of the
Synodal Fathers. The differences in the matrimonial regulations of the Orthodox
Churches creates serious problems in certain contexts to which have to be found
suitable responses in communion with the Pope. The same applies to
inter-religious marriages.
Welcoming homosexual persons
50. Homosexuals have
gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community: are we capable of
welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our
communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming
home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing
their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family
and matrimony?
51. The question of
homosexuality leads to a serious reflection on how to elaborate realistic paths
of affective growth and human and evangelical maturity integrating the sexual
dimension: it appears therefore as an important educative challenge. 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.
52. Without denying
the moral problems connected to homosexual unions it has to be noted that there
are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious
support in the life of the partners. Furthermore, the Church pays special
attention to the children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasizing
that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority.
The transmission of life and the
challenge of the declining birthrate
53. It is not
difficult to notice the spread of a mentality that reduces the generation of
life to a variable of an individual’s or a couple’s
plans. Economic factors sometimes have enough weight to contribute to the sharp
drop in the birthrate which weakens the social fabric, compromising the
relationship between generations and rendering the view of the future less
certain. Being open to life is an intrinsic requirement of married love.
54. Probably here as well what is required is a realistic
language that is able to start from listening to people and acknowledging the
beauty and truth of an unconditional opening to life as that which human life
requires to be lived to its fullest. It is on this base that we can rest an
appropriate teaching regarding natural methods, which allow the living in a
harmonious and aware way of the communication between spouses, in all its
dimensions, along with generative responsibility. 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.
55. So help is
required to live affectivity, in marriage as well, as a path of maturation, in
the evermore profound welcoming of the other and in an ever-fuller giving. It
has to be emphasized in this sense the need to offer formative paths that
nourish married life and the importance of a laity that provides an
accompaniment consisting of living testimony. It is undoubtedly of great help
the example of a faithful and profound love made up of tenderness, of respect,
capable of growing in time and which in its concrete opening to the generation
of life allows us to experience a mystery that transcends us.
56. The fundamental
challenge facing families today is undoubtedly that of education, rendered more
difficult and complex by today’s cultural reality.
What have to be considered are the needs and expectations of families capable
of testifying in daily life, places of growth, of concrete and essential
transmission of the virtues that provide form for existence.
57. In this Church can
carry out a precious role in supporting families, starting from Christian
initiation, through welcoming communities. What is asked of these, today even
more than yesterday, in complex as well as mundane situations, is to support
parents in their educative undertaking, accompanying children and young people
in their growth through personalized paths capable of introducing them to the
full meaning of life and encouraging choices and responsibilities, lived in the
light of the Gospel.
Conclusion
58. The reflections
put forward, the fruit of the Synodal dialog that took place in great freedom
and a spirit of reciprocal listening, are intended to raise questions and indicate
perspectives that will have to be matured and made clearer by the reflection of
the local Churches in the year that separates us from the Ordinary General
Assembly of the Synod of bishops planned for October 2015. These are not
decisions that have been made nor simply points of view. All the same the
collegial path of the bishops and the involvement of all God’s
people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will lead us to find roads of
truth and mercy for all. This is the wish that from the beginning of our work
Pope Francis has extended to us, inviting us to the courage of the faith and
the humble and honest welcome of the truth in charity.
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