The Vatican has set April 8 for the release of “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), Pope Francis’ reflection on the family and family life. “Amoris Laetitia” is what is known as a “postsynodal apostolic exhortation,” a document addressed to the whole church reflecting on themes of church life and faith discussed at a gathering of the Synod of Bishops.
Synod 2015
Synod 2015, Revisited
AS I WRITE, just before Thanksgiving, it’s been over a month since Synod-2015 finished its work. Yet, there is still no official translation of the Synod’s Final Report into the major world languages from the original Italian (a language regularly used by 8/10 of one percent of the world’s population). That’s a shame because, in […]
At Synod, Dispute Is Not a Disagreement
Austen Ivereigh offers an analysis of the Synod of Bishops on the family, saying that even if some issues have been the source of vigorous debate, it’s not always easy to line people up in two opposing camps.
Trying to Get Along Is A Challenge at Synod
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – From newspaper headlines and social media comments Oct. 12 it seemed there was a family feud going on inside the Synod of Bishops on the family. Some cardinals – apparently 13 of the 74 cardinals participating in the synod – wrote Pope Francis a private letter expressing concern […]
Method of Teaching Sometimes Alienates Prospective Members
Just like a family, the Catholic Church should challenge members to grow and behave better, but also like a family, it should not exclude those who still have some growing to do, said synod member Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio.
Synod 2015 Hopes
THE XIV ORDINARY General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family begins with Mass in St. Peter’s on Oct. 4. No synod in modern Catholic history has drawn such worldwide press attention or generated such controversy within the Church – with the possible exception of the special synod called by John Paul II to examine Vatican II on the 20th anniversary of its conclusion.