Tuesday, October 14, 2014

“Relatio” causes a stir in the Synod: it is a preparatory text

From Vatican Insider

Controversy breaks out at the Synod
(©Lapresse)
(©LAPRESSE) CONTROVERSY BREAKS OUT AT THE SYNOD

Cardinal Napier talks about “wrong interpretations”, biased views and about the media focusing on the wrong points. Filoni says the text was well received but needs a better contextualisation

IACOPO SCARAMUZZIVATICAN CITY
“Clarification”, “elaboration” and “elucidation”. The Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which is meeting in the VATICAN from 5 to 19 October, has begun amending the relatio ante disceptationem, the summary document presented yesterday, by Cardinal Péter Erdő. The text’s passages on the “courageous pastoral choices” made in relation to remarried divorcees, the “positive elements” to be found in common-law marriages and the “GIFTS and qualities” of gay people, quickly grabbed the attention of the international media. The document has also stimulated group discussion in the bishops’ language-specific circuli minores: among the cardinals there has been both appreciation for the summary PROVIDED by the Hungarian cardinal, and a number of objections. The Synod Fathers will vote on the final document, the relatio synodi, next Saturday. The text will then be delivered to the Pope ahead of the Ordinary Synod which will be held in a year’s time.

The General Secretariat of the Synod, “following the response and discussions” aroused by the publication of the “Relatio post disceptationem” and the fact “its nature has often been misunderstood”, points out that the “Report after Discussion” is “a working document that sums up the speeches and debates that took place during the first week of the Synod and is now submitted to the members of the Synod for discussion in the circoli minori (small working groups), as laid down by the Ordo Synodi,” VATICAN spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said at the start of the daily briefing. The work of the circoli minori will be presented to the assembly on Thursday morning (16 October) and a “summary” of the speeches will be published.


A summary of yesterday morning’s discussions was published today by the Holy See Press OFFICE and illustrated the different reactions to the document. The relatio was generally “appreciated in its ability to give a faithful picture of the speeches that were held from the floor over these days.” Some additional reflections were also included as well. Points raised included the need to avoid “focusing mainly on imperfect family situations,” to talk more about “sin”, to clarify and explore more deeply the theme of "gradualness", that may give rise to confusion, to engage in a “deeper and more detailed reflection … in relation to cases of polygamy … and the SPREAD of pornography,” as well as “abortion” and “surrogacy”.

Two of the men moderating the discussions spoke at today’s briefing: the South African Wilfrid Fox Napier and the Italian Fernando Filoni. The briefing illustrated further the frank and collegial nature of the Synod debates. “Some within the circle were surprised at the media’s reactions; some seemed perplexed, as if the Pope had said, as if the Synod had decided, as if...,” the prefect of Propaganda Fide said, underlining the “extraordinary richness of the debate”. Cardinal Napier was more critical. He spoke of “dissatisfaction” among Synod participants and said the text had been “misinterpreted” partly because of the media but also because many people’s expectations are perhaps a little unrealistic. Much of the content of the relatio post disceptationem is not very helpful in getting the Church’s teaching across, Napier pointed out. He said he suspected that those leading the Synod are not committed to expressing the opinions of the entire Synod but only those of a specific group. The final document should include a “clarification”. Filoni, on the other hand, said he could not give the exact percentage of Synod Fathers who expressed concern about the text yesterday and today. He underlined that the text was generally appreciated and that the reaction to the text’s approach was essentially positive. But it needs to be improved in terms of contextualization. REGARDING homosexuality, Napier said his concern is that the final document will not match the media’s take on the draft, and anything said in the future will simply look like “damage control”.

Regarding the criticisms raised by US cardinal Leo Burke in his interview with Italian newspaper Il Foglio, Napier said he had heard about this but that he was unable to say which direction the Synod is taking, because the discussions are not yet over. 

The South African cardinal expressed surprise at the decision to publish the relatio post disceptationem, while Filoni said some in the circuli minores wondered whether it had been published by mistake. But Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi explained that the relatio post disceptationem “is always presented the minute it is ready” and this has been the case at every Synod. What probably caused the excitement was the “nature of the issue, which attracted a great deal of attention and raised many expectations.” Fr. Lombardi announced that Mgr. Rino Fisichella and the President of the US Bishops’ CONFERENCE, Joseph Kurtz will be attending tomorrow’s briefing. The Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and the Archbishop of MUNICH, Cardinal Reinhard Marx will speak in Thursday and Friday’s briefings, respectively.

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