VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 172
DATE 07-10-2014

Summary:
- Programme of the Pope's visit to the European Parliament and the Council of
Europe
- The Pope to visit France in 2015
- Second General Congregation
- Third General Congregation
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 Programme of the Pope's visit to the European Parliament and the Council of
Europe
 Vatican City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) - The programme of the Holy Father
Francis' visit to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, scheduled
to take place on Tuesday, 25 November, was published today.
 The Pope will leave from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 7.55 a.m., arriving in
Strasbourg at 10 a.m., where he will be received privately. At 10.35 he will
address the European Parliament and at 12.05 p.m. will speak before the
Council of Europe. At 1.50 p.m. he will depart for Rome, where he will arrive
at Ciampino airport at 3.50 p.m.

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 The Pope to visit France in 2015
 Vatican City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) - The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., today announced the Holy Father's
intention to make an apostolic trip to France during 2015.

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 Second General Congregation
 Vatican City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) - The second general Congregation, held
yesterday afternoon, opened the discussions of the Extraordinary General
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The theme, according to the agenda set forth
in the Instrumentum Laboris, was: "God's Plan for Marriage and the Family"
(Part I, Chapter 1), and "The Knowledge and Acceptance of the Teachings on
Marriage and the Family from Sacred Scripture and Church Documents" (Part I,
Chapter 2).
 Based on the premise that the family is the basic unit of human society, the
cradle of gratuitous love, and that taking about the family and marriage
implies education in fidelity, it was reiterated that the family constitutes
the future of humanity and must be protected.
 From many quarters, however, there has emerged the need to adapt the language
of the Church, so that doctrine on the family, life and sexuality is
understood correctly: it is necessary to enter into dialogue with the world,
looking to the example offered by the Vatican Council, or rather with a
critical but sincere openness. If the Church does not listen to the world, the
world will not listen to the Church. And dialogue may be based on important
themes, such as the equal dignity of men and women and the rejection of
violence.
 The Gospel must not be explained, but rather shown - it was said in the
Assembly - and above all, the lay faithful must be involved in the
proclamation of the Good News, demonstrating the missionary charism.
Evangelisation must not be a depersonalised theory, but must instead ensure
that families themselves give concrete witness to the beauty and truth of the
Gospel. The challenge, it was said, is that of passing from a defensive
situation to an active, proactive one, or rather, reviving the capacity for
proposing the heritage of faith with a new language, with hope, ardour and
enthusiasm, offering convincing testimonies and creating a bridge between the
language of the Church and that of society.
 In this sense, the use of a "biblical" rather than a "theologic
l-speculative" catechesis was called for, since, in spite of appearances to
the contrary, people are no longer satisfied by selfishness and instead seek
ideals. Humanity desires happiness and the Christian knows that happiness is
Christ, but no longer succeeds in finding the suitable language to communicate
this to the world. The Church, instead, must be "magnetic"; it must work by
attraction, with an attitude of friendship towards the world.
 With regard to couples in difficulty, it was emphasised that the Church needs
to be close to them with understanding, forgiveness and mercy: mercy, it was
said, is God's first prerogative, but it must be seen in the context of
justice, as only in this way will the whole of God's plan be respected.
 Marriage is and remains an indissoluble sacrament; however, since the truth
is Christ, a Person, and not a series of rules, it is important to maintain
the principles while changing the concrete forms of their implementation. In
short, as Benedict XVI said, novelty in continuity: the Synod does not call
Doctrine into question, but reflects on the Pastoral, or rather spiritual
discernment for the application of such Doctrine in response to the challenges
faced by contemporary families. In this sense, mercy does not eliminate the
commandments, but it provides the hermeneutic key to them.
 Furthermore, it was underlined that even imperfect situations must be
considered with respect: for instance, de facto unions in which couples live
together with fidelity and love present elements of sanctification and truth.
It is therefore essential to look first and foremost at the positive elements,
so that the Synod may infuse with courage and hope even imperfect forms of
family, so that their value may be recognised, according to the principle of
graduality. It is necessary to truly love families in difficulty.
 In the context of a society in which there prevails a sort of "ego-latry",
leading to defamiliarisation, it is important to acknowledge the loss of a
sense of the covenant between a man ( and a woman) and God. The proclamation
of the beauty of the family, therefore, must not be simply aesthetic, the
presentation of a mere ideal to imitate, but must instead present the
importance of definitive commitment based on the covenant between married
couples and God.
 Another essential point is the rejection of clericalism: at times the Church
seems more concerned with power than with service, and for this reason she
does not inspire the hearts of men and women. It is therefore necessary to
return to the imitation of Christ, and to rediscover humility: the reform of
the Church must begin with the reform of the clergy. If the faithful see
pastors who imitate Christ they will therefore draw close to the Church once
more, enabling her to proceed from the act of evangelising to being inherently
evangelical.
 The theme of the essential value of sexuality within marriage was also
considered: sexuality outside marriage is discussed so critically that married
sexuality can appear almost as a concession to imperfection. The Synod
indicated, more briefly, the need for a greater formation of priests in
relation to policies in favour of the family and the re-launching of the
transmission of faith within the family.
 During the hour of free discussion, from 6 to 7 p.m., two suggestions
emerged: that the Synod send a message of encouragement and appreciation to
families in Iraq, threatened by extermination perpetrated by Islamic
fundamentalists and forced to flee so as not to renounce their faith. The
suggestion was subject to vote and approved by a majority.
 Another call was the need to reflect on the married clergy of the oriental
Churches, as they too often live through "family crises", which may extend to
the question of divorce.

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 Third General Congregation
 Vatican City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) - The general debate continued throughout
today's third general Congregation. The theme according to the order of the
Instrumentum Laboris was: "The Gospel of the Family and the Natural Law" (Part
I, Chapter 3) and "The Family and Vocation of the Person in Christ" (Part I,
Chapter 4).
 At the opening of the Congregation, it was announced that the Ordinary
Consistory, convoked by the Holy Father for Monday 20 October, will be devoted
to the situation in the Middle East, on the basis of the results of the
meeting of various Papal Representatives and Superiors of the competent
Dicasteries, held in the Vatican from 2 to 4 October. The theme of the
Consistory will be presented by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
The meeting will also be attended by six Oriental Patriarchs and the Latin
Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal.
 The general debate then continued in relation to the issues stated above. It
was agreed that greater preparation for marriage is necessary, so that it is
not only valid but also fruitful. The suggestion was to look not only towards
remedies for failure of the conjugal union, but also to focus on the
conditions that render it valid and fruitful. It is necessary to transmit a
vision of marriage that does not regard it as a destination, but rather as a
path to a higher end, a road towards the growth of the person and of the
couple, a source of strength and energy. The decision to marry is a true
vocation and as such requires fidelity and coherence in order to become a true
locus for the growth and the protection of the human being.
 For this reason, married couples must be accompanied throughout their path in
life, by means of intense and vigorous family pastoral care. The path of
preparation for the marriage sacrament, must therefore be long, personalised
and also severe, without the fear of eventually leading to a reduction in the
number of weddings celebrated in Church. Otherwise, there is the risk of
filling the Tribunals with marriage cases.
 A further point that emerged during the discussion was the influence of the
mass media, at times intrusive, in presenting ideologies contrary to the
doctrine of the Church in relation to family and marriage. In this respect, it
was said, Catholics must be protected but must also be better prepared: the
Church must offer her teaching in a more incisive manner, presenting doctrine
not merely as a list of prohibitions, but also by drawing closer to the
faithful, as Jesus did. In this way, acting with empathy and tenderness, it
will be possible to reduce the gap between doctrine and practice, between the
teachings of the Church and the daily life of families. What is needed is not
a choice between doctrine and mercy, but rather the beginning of an
enlightened pastoral care to encourage above all those families in difficulty,
who are often aware of a sense of not belonging to the Church.
 Today's debate then turned again to couples in difficulty and divorced and
civilly remarried persons, for whom, it was said, that the Church should offer
not judgement but truth, with a gaze of understanding, because people follow
the truth, and will follow the Church if she speaks the truth. The "medicine"
of mercy offers acceptance, care and support. Also because - it was shown -
suffering families do not seek rapid pastoral solutions, and they do not wish
to be a mere statistical figure, but rather feel the need to be inspired, to
feel that they are welcomed and loved. More space must be allowed for a
sacramental rather than a juridical form of logic.
 With regard to the approach to the Eucharist by the divorced and remarried,
it was emphasised that it is not the sacrament of the perfect, but rather of
those who are on the way.
 Like yesterday afternoon, the debate focused on the need to renew the
language of the proclamation of the Gospel and the transmission of doctrine:
the Church must be more open to dialogue, and must listen more frequently (and
not only in exceptional cases) to the experiences of married couples, because
their struggles and their failures cannot be ignored; on the other hand, they
can be the basis of a real and true theology. Again, in relation to language,
some perplexity was expressed at the suggestion - included in the Instrumentum
Laboris - to deepen the concept, of biblical inspiration, of the "order of
creation" as a possibility of rereading "natural law" more meaningfully: it
was added that it is not enough to change the vocabulary if a bridge to
effective dialogue with the faithful is not then created. In this sense, the
much foretold and widespread need for change may be understood, it was said,
as pastoral conversion, to make the proclamation of the Gospel more effective.
 In the Assembly, three specific dimensions of the family were presented: the
vocation to life, the missionary aspect understood as witnessing Christ
through the family unity, and acceptance of the other, as the family is the
first school of otherness, the place in which it is possible to learn patience
and slowness, in contrast to the frenzy of the contemporary world. A further
dimension of the family unit is shown also in holiness, as the family educated
in holiness is the icon of the Trinity, the domestic Church in the service of
evangelisation, the future of humanity.
 Other points indicated during the third general Congregation related to the
importance of catechesis for families, especially for children, and prayer
between domestic walls, so that it may give rise to a true generation of
faith, enabling its transmission from parents to children. Finally, the need
for a more thorough formation for priests and catechists was underlined.

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 7 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Krakow, Poland,
presented by Archbishop Jan Zajac upon reaching the age limit.

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