VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 173   
   DATE 08-10-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - General Audience: "divisions between Christians wound Christ"   
   - Fourth General Congregation: the Synod Fathers discuss current proposals on   
   family pastoral and the situation in Africa, threatened by Ebola   
   - Fifth General Congregation: critical situations within the family, the   
   question of mixed marriages, and mercy and truth for the divorced and remarried   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    General Audience: "divisions between Christians wound Christ"   
    Vatican City, 8 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning, punctual as always, the   
   Holy Father entered St. Peter's Square in an open-top Jeep to greet the   
   faithful in attendance at this Wednesday's general audience. He dedicated his   
   catechesis to the "many brothers who share with us our faith in Christ, but   
   who belong to other confessions or to traditions different to our own". He   
   emphasised that even today the relations between Christians of different   
   confessions are not always characterised by respect and cordiality, and asked,   
   "What is our current attitude to this situation? Are we indifferent or do we   
   firmly believe that we can and must walk towards reconciliation and full   
   communion?".   
    The Pope emphasised that the divisions between Christians wound the Church   
   and Christ, and remarked that Jesus wanted his disciples to remain united in   
   His love. This unity was already under threat in Jesus' time, explained Pope   
   Francis, and He urged his disciples to speak unanimously, so "by the name of   
   our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no   
   divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same   
   purpose".   
    The bishop of Rome also mentioned that throughout history the devil has   
   tempted the Church with the intention of dividing her. Unfortunately, the   
   Church has been marked by serious and painful divisions that have at times   
   been long-lasting, continuing until the present day. For this reason, "it is   
   very difficult to reconstruct the reasons and, above all, to find possible   
   solutions. ... What is certain is that, in one way or another, behind all   
   these lacerations there is always arrogance and selfishness, which are the   
   cause of every disagreement and which make us intolerant, incapable of   
   listening and of accepting those who have a vision or a position different   
   from our own".   
    "Now, faced with this, is there anything that we as members of the Holy   
   Mother Church, can and should do? Without doubt there must be no lack of   
   prayer, in continuity and in communion with Jesus. And together with prayer,   
   the Lord asks of us a renewed openness: He asks us not to close ourselves   
   against dialogue and encounter, but rather to accept all that is valid and   
   positive that is offered to us even from those who think differently to us or   
   who adopt different positions. Let us not focus on what divides us, but rather   
   on that which unites us, seeking to know and love Christ better and to share   
   the richness of His love. ... We are divided against ourselves. However, we   
   all have something in common: we believe in Jesus Christ, the Lord ... in the   
   Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We walk together, we are on the same path   
   ... let us help each other! Let us receive communion on the way. This is   
   spiritual ecumenism: walking the path of life together in our faith in Jesus   
   Christ the Lord".   
    Continuing on the theme of communion, the Holy Father told the faithful   
   present that today he is very thankful to the Lord, since it is seventy years   
   since his first communion. "Receiving the First Communion means entering into   
   communion with others, with our brothers in our Church, and also with all   
   those who belong to different communities but who believe in Jesus".   
    Francis concluded by encouraging all to walk together towards full unity.   
   "History has separated us, but we are on the path to reconciliation and   
   communion. And when it seems that our goal is too distant or we are   
   discouraged, we may be comforted by the idea that God cannot cover His ears to   
   the voice of His own Son, and cannot fail to respond to His prayer and ours,   
   that all Christians are truly one".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Fourth General Congregation: the Synod Fathers discuss current proposals on   
   family pastoral and the situation in Africa, threatened by Ebola   
    Vatican City, 8 October 2014 (VIS) - The general debate continued during the   
   fourth general Congregation, following the order of the Instrumentum Laboris.   
   The theme was "The Pastoral Program for the Family: Various Proposals   
   Underway" (Part II, Chapter 1).   
    Firstly, the link between the crisis of faith and the crisis of the family   
   was underlined: it was said that the first generates the second. This is   
   because faith is seen mostly as a set of doctrinal mores, whereas it is   
   primarily a free act by which one entrusts oneself to God. This gave rise,   
   among other things, to the suggestion of devising a "Vademecum" dedicated to   
   the catechesis of the family, so as to strengthen its evangelising mission.   
   Furthermore, the weakness of the faith of many baptised persons was   
   underlined; this often leads to the marriage of couples who do are not   
   appropriately aware of what they are undertaking.   
    Secondly, a great challenge facing families today was mentioned: that of the   
   "dictatorship of unitary thought" that aims to introduce into society those   
   countervalues that distort the vision of marriage as a union between a man and   
   a woman. The crisis of values, atheist secularism, hedonism, and the ambition   
   of power destroy families today, distorting it, weakening people and   
   consequently rendering society fragile. It is therefore important to recover   
   in the faithful the awareness of belonging to the Church, as the Church grows   
   by attraction and the families of the Church attract other families.   
    For its part, the Church, an expert in humanity, must underline the beauty   
   and the need everyone has for the family, as it is indispensable. It is   
   necessary to reawaken in humanity the sense of belonging to the family unit.   
   In addition, as a reflection of God's love, which is never an isolated love,   
   the family opens one to relationships and bonds with others, thus becoming the   
   foundation for society.   
    Mention was also made of the link between priests and families: they   
   accompany families in all the most important stages of their lives, sharing in   
   their joys and difficulties; families, in turn, help priests to experience   
   celibacy as a full and balanced emotional life, rather than as a sacrifice. In   
   addition, the family was defined as the "cradle of vocations" as it is   
   precisely within the domestic walls, in common prayer, that the call to the   
   priesthood is frequently heard.   
    A further link that was underlined is that between baptism and marriage:   
   without a serious and in-depth Christian initiation, the meaning of the   
   sacrament of marriage is diminished. Therefore, it is to be emphasised that   
   Christian marriage cannot be seen solely as a cultural tradition or a social   
   need, but rather must be understood as a vocational decision, undertaken with   
   suitable preparation that cannot be improvised in a few meetings, but must be   
   carried out over a period of time.   
    Attention then turned to how work affects the dynamics of the family: these   
   are two dimensions that must be reconciled, through increasingly flexible   
   working hours, new contractual models, and attention to geographical distances   
   between home and work. Furthermore, technology can lead to work being brought   
   home, making family dialogue difficult.   
    Numerous interventions, especially in relation to Africa, drew attention to   
   the many challenges the family must face in this continent: polygamy, levirate   
   marriage, sects, war, poverty, the painful crisis of migration, international   
   pressure for birth control, and so on. These are problems that undermine   
   family stability, placing it in crisis. In the face of such challenges, it is   
   necessary to respond with in-depth evangelisation, able to promote the values   
   of peace, justice and love, an adequate promotion of the role of women in   
   society, thorough education of children and the protection of rights for all   
   victims of violence.   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)