VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 173
DATE 08-10-2014

Summary:
- General Audience: "divisions between Christians wound Christ"
- Fourth General Congregation: the Synod Fathers discuss current proposals on
family pastoral and the situation in Africa, threatened by Ebola
- Fifth General Congregation: critical situations within the family, the
question of mixed marriages, and mercy and truth for the divorced and remarried
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 General Audience: "divisions between Christians wound Christ"
 Vatican City, 8 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning, punctual as always, the
Holy Father entered St. Peter's Square in an open-top Jeep to greet the
faithful in attendance at this Wednesday's general audience. He dedicated his
catechesis to the "many brothers who share with us our faith in Christ, but
who belong to other confessions or to traditions different to our own". He
emphasised that even today the relations between Christians of different
confessions are not always characterised by respect and cordiality, and asked,
"What is our current attitude to this situation? Are we indifferent or do we
firmly believe that we can and must walk towards reconciliation and full
communion?".
 The Pope emphasised that the divisions between Christians wound the Church
and Christ, and remarked that Jesus wanted his disciples to remain united in
His love. This unity was already under threat in Jesus' time, explained Pope
Francis, and He urged his disciples to speak unanimously, so "by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same
purpose".
 The bishop of Rome also mentioned that throughout history the devil has
tempted the Church with the intention of dividing her. Unfortunately, the
Church has been marked by serious and painful divisions that have at times
been long-lasting, continuing until the present day. For this reason, "it is
very difficult to reconstruct the reasons and, above all, to find possible
solutions. ... What is certain is that, in one way or another, behind all
these lacerations there is always arrogance and selfishness, which are the
cause of every disagreement and which make us intolerant, incapable of
listening and of accepting those who have a vision or a position different
from our own".
 "Now, faced with this, is there anything that we as members of the Holy
Mother Church, can and should do? Without doubt there must be no lack of
prayer, in continuity and in communion with Jesus. And together with prayer,
the Lord asks of us a renewed openness: He asks us not to close ourselves
against dialogue and encounter, but rather to accept all that is valid and
positive that is offered to us even from those who think differently to us or
who adopt different positions. Let us not focus on what divides us, but rather
on that which unites us, seeking to know and love Christ better and to share
the richness of His love. ... We are divided against ourselves. However, we
all have something in common: we believe in Jesus Christ, the Lord ... in the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We walk together, we are on the same path
... let us help each other! Let us receive communion on the way. This is
spiritual ecumenism: walking the path of life together in our faith in Jesus
Christ the Lord".
 Continuing on the theme of communion, the Holy Father told the faithful
present that today he is very thankful to the Lord, since it is seventy years
since his first communion. "Receiving the First Communion means entering into
communion with others, with our brothers in our Church, and also with all
those who belong to different communities but who believe in Jesus".
 Francis concluded by encouraging all to walk together towards full unity.
"History has separated us, but we are on the path to reconciliation and
communion. And when it seems that our goal is too distant or we are
discouraged, we may be comforted by the idea that God cannot cover His ears to
the voice of His own Son, and cannot fail to respond to His prayer and ours,
that all Christians are truly one".

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 Fourth General Congregation: the Synod Fathers discuss current proposals on
family pastoral and the situation in Africa, threatened by Ebola
 Vatican City, 8 October 2014 (VIS) - The general debate continued during the
fourth general Congregation, following the order of the Instrumentum Laboris.
The theme was "The Pastoral Program for the Family: Various Proposals
Underway" (Part II, Chapter 1).
 Firstly, the link between the crisis of faith and the crisis of the family
was underlined: it was said that the first generates the second. This is
because faith is seen mostly as a set of doctrinal mores, whereas it is
primarily a free act by which one entrusts oneself to God. This gave rise,
among other things, to the suggestion of devising a "Vademecum" dedicated to
the catechesis of the family, so as to strengthen its evangelising mission.
Furthermore, the weakness of the faith of many baptised persons was
underlined; this often leads to the marriage of couples who do are not
appropriately aware of what they are undertaking.
 Secondly, a great challenge facing families today was mentioned: that of the
"dictatorship of unitary thought" that aims to introduce into society those
countervalues that distort the vision of marriage as a union between a man and
a woman. The crisis of values, atheist secularism, hedonism, and the ambition
of power destroy families today, distorting it, weakening people and
consequently rendering society fragile. It is therefore important to recover
in the faithful the awareness of belonging to the Church, as the Church grows
by attraction and the families of the Church attract other families.
 For its part, the Church, an expert in humanity, must underline the beauty
and the need everyone has for the family, as it is indispensable. It is
necessary to reawaken in humanity the sense of belonging to the family unit.
In addition, as a reflection of God's love, which is never an isolated love,
the family opens one to relationships and bonds with others, thus becoming the
foundation for society.
 Mention was also made of the link between priests and families: they
accompany families in all the most important stages of their lives, sharing in
their joys and difficulties; families, in turn, help priests to experience
celibacy as a full and balanced emotional life, rather than as a sacrifice. In
addition, the family was defined as the "cradle of vocations" as it is
precisely within the domestic walls, in common prayer, that the call to the
priesthood is frequently heard.
 A further link that was underlined is that between baptism and marriage:
without a serious and in-depth Christian initiation, the meaning of the
sacrament of marriage is diminished. Therefore, it is to be emphasised that
Christian marriage cannot be seen solely as a cultural tradition or a social
need, but rather must be understood as a vocational decision, undertaken with
suitable preparation that cannot be improvised in a few meetings, but must be
carried out over a period of time.
 Attention then turned to how work affects the dynamics of the family: these
are two dimensions that must be reconciled, through increasingly flexible
working hours, new contractual models, and attention to geographical distances
between home and work. Furthermore, technology can lead to work being brought
home, making family dialogue difficult.
 Numerous interventions, especially in relation to Africa, drew attention to
the many challenges the family must face in this continent: polygamy, levirate
marriage, sects, war, poverty, the painful crisis of migration, international
pressure for birth control, and so on. These are problems that undermine
family stability, placing it in crisis. In the face of such challenges, it is
necessary to respond with in-depth evangelisation, able to promote the values
of peace, justice and love, an adequate promotion of the role of women in
society, thorough education of children and the protection of rights for all
victims of violence.

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