Halfway through the historic synodal assembly on the family, ongoing at Vatican City, what has been called the hermeneutic of conspiracy and suspicion has reared its ugly head. It has been reported that a few Synod fathers have voiced their concern over the integrity of the whole process as being pre-determined or rigged; others have expressed confusion or even doubted its direction. The Vatican has not been remiss in allaying these fears saying that the differences of opinions and views make conflicts and disputes inevitable.
In any deliberative collegial body, vigorous discussions accentuated by disagreements and divergence of opinions are bound to happen. More so in this case where there are hot-button issues that are up for discussion. On the table for example is the controversial issue of Holy Communion for civilly remarried divorcees and whether decision-making powers on these issues be given more to national and regional bishops’ conferences.
One side of the debate is represented by the German bishops, the majority of whom wish to admit remarried divorcees to Communion. For them, this is not about changing doctrine but more about relaxing the discipline given the circumstances. For these bishops, the Church is there to minister to everyone, including the wounded. So long as there is sincere effort to return to the fold, they should be welcomed. On the other side of the spectrum, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, president of the Polish bishops, said that the Polish bishops’ conference “excludes the possibility” of Communion for remarried divorcees given the grave implications to the soul of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist without the minimum requirements for doing so. The challenge is how to fully integrate these couples in the Church life without undermining the indissolubility of marriage, believing that this is at stake in the relaxing of Church discipline.
This divide, in my view, has been mistakenly framed as a choice between doctrine and mercy. One can be doctrinal and still be merciful. And definitely one can be merciful and still be faithful to doctrines.
Nonetheless, such matters as same-sex marriage and communion for divorced and remarried Catholics is taking a toll on the unity of the synod fathers and distracting them from the bigger, more important issues destroying families worldwide—for example poverty, the state of refugees, and war.
John Allen, associate editor of the Catholic Publication Crux and who is currently covering the synod, wrote about his conversation with another journalist who pointedly observed that issues facing the family today are not limited to giving communion to couples in adulterous marriages. In doing so, the synod is missing the bigger picture. Those big-picture issues are legions. One illustrative example is the problem of migrants and refugees in Europe. Despite the magnitude of the problem, there seems to be little conversation at the synod about whether that’s actually happening all across Europe.
Another dominant issue is war which now affects a large swathe of the world population, especially in the Middle East and Africa. Pope Francis has consistently and regularly sounded the clarion call on all peoples to open their doors to these refugees and try to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and the war victims. Sadly, at this late stage, it’s not clear whether the synod has identified new ways to mobilize the Church’s considerable human and political capital to support refugee families from war-torn areas.
ҬAnd of course, in many countries all over the world, it is poverty that is still the number one-enemy of the family. In the Philippines, that is certainly the case, as families separate and break up for the sake of a better life.
Ultimately, the pope will be the one to decide on the recommendations of the synod fathers. How will the drafting committee reconcile the different views of the synod fathers? What if the differences are irreconcilable?
In the midst of these uncertainties, there is reason to be hopeful. Indeed, we saw this last Sunday, during the canonization of four new saints.
In his homily, during the canonization ceremony, Pope Francis emphatically pointed out: “There can be no compatibility between a worldly understanding of power and the humble service which must characterize authority according to Jesus’ teaching and example. Ambition and careerism are incompatible with Christian discipleship; honor, success, fame and worldly triumphs are incompatible with the logic of Christ crucified. Instead, compatibility exists between Jesus, “the man of sorrows”, and our suffering.
The pope further explained that: ”Jesus exercises a true priesthood of mercy and compassion. He knows our difficulties at first hand, he knows from within our human condition; the fact that he is without sin does not prevent him from understanding sinners. His glory is not that born of ambition or the thirst for power; it is is the glory of one who loves men and women, who accepts them and shares in their weakness, who offers them the grace which heals and restores, and accompanies them with infinite tenderness amid their tribulations?
He then proceeded to praise the four new saints, starting with Saint Vincent Grossi who “was a zealous parish priest, ever attentive to the needs of his people, especially those of the young” and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, who devoted her life, with great humility, to serving the least of our brothers and sisters, especially the children of the poor and the sick.
Most relevant to the Synod is the canonization of Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin, parents of Saint Therese of Lisieux. According to Pope Francis, the Guerins “practiced Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.”
We can only pray that the synod, guided by the Holy Spirit, will come up with a final document that will foster unity within the church, addressing all pastoral concerns facing families and marriage couples in the contemporary world, not only the issues now being hotly contested concerning communion of divorcees and civilly remarried but also other problems such as poverty, refugee crisis and war victims, for the pope to decide based on the primordial mission of the Church, as taught by Christ, that is to ease the burden of the heavily laden.
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