VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 179   
   DATE 16-10-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - Twelfth General Congregation: evaluation and suggestions based on the   
   post-discussion report   
   - Reports of the Small Groups   
   - Sistine Chapel: New breath, new light   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Twelfth General Congregation: evaluation and suggestions based on the   
   post-discussion report   
    Vatican City, 16 October 2014 (VIS) - The twelfth General Congregation   
   included the presentation, in the Assembly, of the Reports of the ten Small   
   Groups, divided according to language: two in French, three in English, three   
   in Italian and two in Spanish. In general, the Small Groups presented both an   
   evaluation of the "Relatio post disceptationem" (RPD), a provisional document   
   published at the midway point during the Synod, as well as proposals to   
   incorporate in the "Relatio Synodi" (RS), the definitive and conclusive   
   document of the Assembly.   
    Firstly, some perplexity was voiced regarding to the publication, although   
   legitimate, of the RPD since, it was said, this is a working document that   
   does not express a univocal opinion shared by all the Synod Fathers.   
   Therefore, after expressing their appreciation of the work involved in drawing   
   up the text and regarding its structure, the Small Groups presented their   
   suggestions.   
    It was first underlined that in the RPD there is a focus on the concerns of   
   families in crisis, without broader reference to the positive message of the   
   Gospel of the family or to the fact that marriage as a sacrament, an   
   indissoluble union between man and woman, retains a very current value in   
   which many couples believe. Therefore, the hope was expressed that the RS may   
   contain a strong message of encouragement and support for the Church and for   
   faithful married couples.   
    Furthermore, it was remarked that it is essential to underline more clearly   
   the doctrine on marriage, emphasising that it is a gift from God. It was   
   further proposed that elements not contained in the RPD be integrated in the   
   RS, such as the theme of adoption, expressing the hope that bureaucratic   
   procedures be streamlined, both at national and international levels, and also   
   the themes of biotechnology and the spread of culture via the internet, which   
   may condition family life, as well as a note regarding the importance of   
   policies in favour of the family.   
    In addition, it was said that greater attention should be paid to the   
   presence of the elderly within families, and to families who live in   
   conditions of extreme poverty. The grave problems of prostitution, female   
   genital mutilation and the exploitation of minors for sexual purposes and for   
   labour were denounced. It is important, it was said, to underline the   
   essential role of families in evangelisation and in the transmission of faith,   
   highlighting their missionary vocation. Overall, the aim is to offer a   
   balanced and global idea of the "family" in a Christian sense.   
    With regard to difficult family situations, the Small Groups highlighted that   
   the Church should be a welcoming home for all, in order that no-one feel   
   refused. However, greater clarity was advocated, to avoid confusion,   
   hesitation and euphemisms in language, regarding for example the law of   
   gradualness, so that it does not become gradualness of the law. Various   
   Groups, furthermore, expressed perplexity regarding the analogy made with   
   paragraph 8 of "Lumen Gentium", inasmuch as this could give the impression of   
   a willingness on the part of the Church to legitimise irregular family   
   situations, even though these may represent a phase in the itinerary towards   
   the sacrament of marriage. Other Groups expressed their hope for a more   
   in-depth focus on the concept of "spiritual communion", so that it may be   
   evaluated and eventually promoted and disseminated.   
    With regard to possibility of divorced and remarried persons partaking in the   
   sacrament of the Eucharist, two main perspectives emerged: on the one hand, it   
   was suggested that the doctrine not be modified and to remain as it is at   
   present; on the other, to open up the possibility of communication, with an   
   approach based on compassion and mercy, but only under certain conditions. In   
   other cases, furthermore, it was suggested that the matter be studied by a   
   specific interdisciplinary Commission. Greater care was suggested in relation   
   to divorced persons who have not remarried, and who are often heroic witnesses   
   of conjugal fidelity. At the same time, an acceleration of the procedures for   
   acknowledging matrimonial nullity and the confirmation of validity was   
   advocated; furthermore, it was emphasised that children are not a burden but   
   rather a gift from God, the fruit of love between spouses.   
    A more "Christ-centric" orientation was required, as well as clearer emphasis   
   of the link between the sacraments of marriage and baptism. The vision of the   
   world must be one which passes through the lens of the Gospel, to encourage   
   men and women to the conversion of the heart.   
    Furthermore, it was emphasised that, despite the impossibility of equating   
   marriage between a man and a woman with homosexual unions, persons of this   
   orientation must receive pastoral accompaniment and their dignity must be   
   protected, without however implying that this may indicate a form of approval,   
   on the part of the Church, of their orientation and way of life. With regard   
   to the issue of polygamy, especially polygamists who convert to Catholicism   
   and wish to partake in the sacraments, thorough study was suggested.   
    The Small Groups advocated broader reflection on the figure of Mary and the   
   Holy Family, to be better promoted as a model for reference for all family   
   units. Finally, it was asked that it be highlighted that the RS will in any   
   case be a preparatory document for the Ordinary Synod scheduled for October   
   2015.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Reports of the Small Groups   
    Vatican City, 16 October 2014 (VIS) - The texts of the reports by the twelve   
   Small Groups (Gallicus A and B, French; Anglicus A, B and C, English; Italicus   
   A, B and C, Italian; Hibericus A and B, Spanish) of the Third Extraordinary   
   General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, presented this morning during the   
   twelfth General Congregation, may be consulted on the Holy See Press Office   
   Bulletin web page, at:   
    http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubbli   
   o/2014/10/16/0763/03042.html   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Sistine Chapel: New breath, new light   
    Vatican City, 16 October 2014 (VIS) - A press conference was held this   
   morning in the Holy See Press Office during which the director of the Vatican   
   Museums, Professor Antonio Paolucci, presented the international congress "The   
   Sistine Chapel, twenty years on: new breath, new light", which will take place   
   from 30 to 31 October. The congress coincides with the twentieth anniversary   
   of the inauguration of the Sistine Chapel by St. John Paul II following the   
   restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes by the experts Fabrizio Mancinelli and   
   Gianluigi Colalucci, and with the 450th anniversary of the death of celebrated   
   artist.   
    During the congress, information will be given on the new air conditioning   
   and lighting systems in the Sistine Chapel, put into effect during the last   
   three years. Professor Paolucci explained that the great influx of visitors -   
   more than six million each year with peaks of more than twenty thousand each   
   day - necessitated "a radical intervention guaranteeing the circulation of   
   air, the reduction of dust and other contaminants, temperature and humidity   
   control and an acceptable level of carbon dioxide, factors that, in the long   
   term, may pose a threat to the conservation of mural paintings, in this case   
   the 2500 square metres that constitute the most important artistic anthology   
   of the Italian Renaissance".   
    A new lighting system was also necessary, to provide gentle but total   
   illumination, non-invasive and respecting the complex iconographic, stylistic   
   and historic reality of the Sistine Chapel. This involved no special   
   "spotlight" on Michelangelo, but instead providing the possibility of a calm,   
   objective and at the same time delicate observation of every detail of "this   
   great catechism that three popes - Sixtus IV, Julius II and Paul III - wished   
   to display along the walls and on the ceiling of the 'chapel of the world'".   
      
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