VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 188
DATE 26-10-2015

Summary:
- The Church's first duty is not to hand down condemnations or anathemas, but
to
proclaim God's mercy
- Final Relatio of the Synod: truth and mercy
- Closing Mass of the Synod: what the people sow today in tears, they will reap
tomorrow in joy
- The first to walk with us is our Father
- The Pope visits Cardinal Roger Etchegaray
- Francis receives the Synod of the Chaldean Church: I pray that Christians
will
not be forced to abandon Iraq and the Middle East
- To military chaplains: offer a consoling and fraternal presence to returning
servicemen
- To the Gypsy population: the time has come to eradicate prejudice
- Telegram for the death of Cardinal Korec, tireless defender of the Christian
faith and human rights
- Cardinals, patriarchs and bishops from all over the world launch an appeal to
the negotiators of COP 21

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 The Church's first duty is not to hand down condemnations or anathemas, but to
proclaim God's mercy
 Vatican City, 24 October 2015 (VIS) - The final General Congregation of the 14
th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops concluded today with an
address from Pope Francis. The Holy Father spoke about how these three weeks of
intense work have had different meanings for families, the Christian community
and the Church, and reiterated that "the true defenders of doctrine are not
those who uphold its letter, but its spirit; not ideas but people; not formulae
but the gratuitousness of God's love and forgiveness".
 The following are extensive extracts from the Pope's address:
 "As I followed the labours of the Synod, I asked myself: What will it mean for
the Church to conclude this Synod devoted to the family?
 Certainly, the Synod was not about settling all the issues having to do with
the family, but rather attempting to see them in the light of the Gospel and
the
Church's tradition and two-thousand-year history, bringing the joy of hope
without falling into a facile repetition of what is obvious or has already been
said.
 Surely it was not about finding exhaustive solutions for all the difficulties
and uncertainties which challenge and threaten the family, but rather about
seeing these difficulties and uncertainties in the light of the Faith,
carefully
studying them and confronting them fearlessly, without burying our heads in the
sand.
 It was about urging everyone to appreciate the importance of the institution
of
the family and of marriage between a man and a woman, based on unity and
indissolubility, and valuing it as the fundamental basis of society and human
life.
 It was about listening to and making heard the voices of the families and the
Church's pastors, who came to Rome bearing on their shoulders the burdens and
the hopes, the riches and the challenges of families throughout the world.
 It was about showing the vitality of the Catholic Church, which is not afraid
to stir dulled consciences or to soil her hands with lively and frank
discussions about the family.
 It was about trying to view and interpret realities, today's realities,
through
God's eyes, so as to kindle the flame of faith and enlighten people's hearts in
times marked by discouragement, social, economic and moral crisis, and growing
pessimism.
 It was about bearing witness to everyone that, for the Church, the Gospel
continues to be a vital source of eternal newness, against all those who would
"indoctrinate" it in dead stones to be hurled at others.
 It was also about laying bare the closed hearts which frequently hide even
behind the Church's teachings or good intentions, in order to sit in the chair
of Moses and judge, sometimes with superiority and superficiality, difficult
cases and wounded families.
 It was about making clear that the Church is a Church of the poor in spirit
and
of sinners seeking forgiveness, not simply of the righteous and the holy, but
rather of those who are righteous and holy precisely when they feel themselves
poor sinners.
 It was about trying to open up broader horizons, rising above conspiracy
theories and blinkered viewpoints, so as to defend and spread the freedom of
the
children of God, and to transmit the beauty of Christian Newness, at times
encrusted in a language which is archaic or simply incomprehensible.
 In the course of this Synod, the different opinions which were freely
expressed
- and at times, unfortunately, not in entirely well-meaning ways - certainly
led
to a rich and lively dialogue; they offered a vivid image of a Church which
does
not simply 'rubber stamp', but draws from the sources of her faith living
waters
to refresh parched hearts.
 And - apart from dogmatic questions clearly defined by the Church's
Magisterium
- we have also seen that what seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is
considered strange and almost scandalous - almost! - for a bishop from another;
what is considered a violation of a right in one society is an evident and
inviolable rule in another; what for some is freedom of conscience is for
others
simply confusion. Cultures are in fact quite diverse, and every general
principle - as I said, dogmatic questions clearly defined by the Church's
Magisterium - every general principle needs to be inculturated, if it is to be
respected and applied. The 1985 Synod, which celebrated the twentieth
anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, spoke of
inculturation as 'the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values
through their integration in Christianity, and the taking root of Christianity
in the various human cultures'. Inculturation does not weaken true values, but
demonstrates their true strength and authenticity, since they adapt without
changing; indeed they quietly and gradually transform the different cultures.
 We have seen, also by the richness of our diversity, that the same challenge
is
ever before us: that of proclaiming the Gospel to the men and women of today,
and defending the family from all ideological and individualistic assaults.
 And without ever falling into the danger of relativism or of demonising
others,
we sought to embrace, fully and courageously, the goodness and mercy of God who
transcends our every human reckoning and desires only that 'all be saved'. In
this way we wished to experience this Synod in the context of the Extraordinary
Year of Mercy which the Church is called to celebrated.
 Dear Brothers and Sisters, the Synod experience also made us better realise
that the true defenders of doctrine are not those who uphold its letter, but
its
spirit; not ideas but people; not formulae but the gratuitousness of God's love
and forgiveness. This is in no way to detract from the importance of formulae -
they are necessary - or from the importance of laws and divine commandments,
but
rather to exalt the greatness of the true God, Who does not treat us according
to our merits or even according to our works but solely according to the
boundless generosity of His Mercy. It does have to do with overcoming the
recurring temptations of the elder brother and the jealous labourers. Indeed,
it
means upholding all the more the laws and commandments which were made for man
and not vice versa.
 In this sense, the necessary human repentance, works and efforts take on a
deeper meaning, not as the price of that salvation freely won for us by Christ
on the cross, but as a response to the One who loved us first and saved us at
the cost of his innocent blood, while we were still sinners.
 The Church's first duty is not to hand down condemnations or anathemas, but to
proclaim God's mercy, to call to conversion, and to lead all men and women to
salvation in the Lord.
 Blessed Paul VI expressed this eloquently: 'We can imagine, then, that each of
our sins, our attempts to turn our back on God, kindles in Him a more intense
flame of love, a desire to bring us back to Himself and to His saving plan...
God,
in Christ, shows Himself to be infinitely good. God is good. Not only in
Himself; God is - let us say it with tears - good for us. He loves us, He seeks
us out, He thinks of us, He knows us, He touches our hearts and He waits for
us.
He will be - so to say - delighted on the day when we return and say: ‘Lord, in
your goodness, forgive me. Thus our repentance becomes God's joy".
 St. John Paul II also stated that: 'the Church lives an authentic life when
she
professes and proclaims mercy ... and when she brings people close to the
sources of the Saviour's mercy, of which she is the trustee and dispenser'.
 Benedict XVI, too, said: 'Mercy is indeed the central nucleus of the Gospel
message; it is the very name of God ... May all that the Church says and does
manifest the mercy God feels for mankind. When the Church has to recall an
unrecognised truth, or a betrayed good, she always does so impelled by merciful
love, so that men may have life and have it abundantly'.
 In light of all this, and thanks to this time of grace which the Church has
experienced in discussing the family, we feel mutually enriched. Many of us
have
felt the working of the Holy Spirit Who is the real protagonist and guide of
the
Synod. For all of us, the word 'family' does have the same sound as it did
before the Synod, so much so that the word itself already contains the richness
of the family's vocation and the significance of the labours of the Synod.
 In effect, for the Church to conclude the Synod means to return to our true
'journeying together' in bringing to every part of the world, to every diocese,
to every community and every situation, the light of the Gospel, the embrace of
the Church and the support of God's mercy. Thank you".

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 Final Relatio of the Synod: truth and mercy
 Vatican City, 24 October 2015 (VIS) - The Synod Fathers approved by 177 votes
out of 265, a two-thirds majority, the final Relatio of the 14th Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod on the Family, made up of 94 paragraphs, each one
of which was voted on individually. The director of the Holy See Press Office,
Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., gave a briefing on the document, which was
authorised for publication in Italian by Pope Francis.
 Fr. Lombardi remarked that the text takes into account the many difficulties
faced by the family, but also its great capacity for facing and reacting to
them. The conclusive document of the Synod includes many of the amendments to
the Instrumentum Laboris presented by the Synod Fathers and therefore reflects
the voice of the Assembly.
 With reference to the two paragraphs dedicated to complex family situations,
which were approved by a very slender majority of 178 and 180 votes, Fr.
Lombardi noted that they regard the pastoral approach to wounded families or
those that are irregular from a canonical point of view and in terms of the
discipline of the Church: in particular, cohabitation, civil marriage, divorced
and remarried persons and the way of pastorally addressing these situations.
 Fr. Lombardi underlined that the tone of the document is positive and
welcoming, and that it has greatly enriched the Instrumentum Laboris.
Similarly,
the Pope's Motu Proprio on the reform of marriage annulment procedures made an
effective and decisive contribution to the theme of the Synod.
 The final Relatio reaffirms the doctrine of the indissolubility of sacramental
marriage, which is not a yoke but rather a gift from God, a truth based in
Christ and in His relationship with the Church. At the same time, it underlines
that truth and mercy converge in Christ, which leads to welcome to wounded
families. Without expressly mentioning access to the Eucharist for remarried
divorcees, the Synod document recalls that they are not excommunicated and
refers the analysis of complex family situations to the discernment of pastors.
This discernment, the text underlines, must be applied in accordance with the
teaching of the Church, with trust in God's mercy that is denied to no-one.
With
regard to cohabiting couples, the text reiterates that this situation should be
faced constructively, seeking to transform it into an opportunity for a path to
conversion towards the fullness of marriage and family, in the light of the
Gospel.
 Other salient points of the document refer to homosexuality. There must be no
discrimination against people with homosexual tendencies, but at the same time
the text states that the Church is contrary to same-sex unions and external
pressure on the Church in relation to this matter is not accepted. There are

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