Surprises at the Synod

Halftime at the Synod brings with it an “earthquake” regarding the Church’s attitude toward the LGBT community.

Pope Francis poses with auditors of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. (CNS photo)
Pope Francis poses with auditors of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. (CNS photo)
As the extraordinary Synod of Bishops shared a midpoint document summarizing dis-cussions so far, we should remind ourselves that the Synod is far from over. In fact, there will be another session next year when Pope Francis will issue his own teachings on the subject of family. Nonetheless, several issues raised in the conversations so far should cause us to sit up and pay attention.

#1 New Attitude Toward the LGBT Community — While the Synod upholds Catholic teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, there was a remarkable change in tone toward gay couples that the acclaimed Vaticanologist John Thavis called “an earthquake.” The document states first and foremost that “homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community.” That statement alone is earth-shattering coming from the Church. There was also a clear challenge to dioceses and parishes about the need to be more welcoming. The working document states:

“Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fra-ternal 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?”

#2 Don’t Diss the Divorced — One of the major themes coming out of the Synod con-versations is the need for kindness and civility toward those who are divorced and re-married, “avoiding any language or behavior that might make them feel discriminated against.” Here is what I think is the most important quote on the subject:

“What rang out clearly in the Synod was the necessity for courageous pas-toral 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.”

In essence, this calls to mind those who did not choose divorce but found themselves divorced anyway — as in the case of an abandoned husband or wife who did not want their marriage to end but found themselves ending it not by their own choice, but the choice of their partner.

It is clear that the tendency in the conversations thus far is to make the annulment proc-ess easier for those situations going forward. It would now be surprising for that not to happen by Synod’s end, but practical issues about how to do that will need to be discussed in local dioceses over the course of the next year.

With regards to divorced and remarried Catholics without annulments receiving Holy Communion, the document left the question open for “further theological study and re-flection,” while some certainly recommended no changes and cited theological tradition for their reasoning.

#3 Use Married Couples to Teach Marriage — While there was no indication of a pos-sible change in practice regarding the use of birth control, there was a slight movement for more understanding. The Synod document, while maintaining that couples should be open to the possibility of life, stated that “what is required is a realistic language that is able to start from listening to people,” which at a minimum is a change in tone from oft-used “intrinsically evil” language.

This is a call for new pastoral practice. There may be a movement afoot that highlights a return to a regular practice of confession and dialogue and not simply dismissal or inten-tional distancing of a couple who uses birth control. Pope Francis has repeatedly stated that we should be understanding of people where they are, opting for a gradual com-prehension of Church teaching over time as opposed to lockstep adherence.

The pope stated in his morning homily that, “If laws do not lead people to Christ then they are obsolete.” His words reflect the direction that this Synod is likely to take going forward. How does our pastoral practice lead both those who are proclaiming it and those who receive it into a stronger relationship with Christ and ultimately with each other?