Cardinal Oswald Gracias on Synod on the family
The 3rd Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, took place here in the Vatican, ?Oct. ??5 ?to 19, on the theme, “?Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization”. Half-?way through the 2-week meeting, the synod on Oct. 13, came out with a mid-term ?report called the ??‘Relatio post disceptationem?, or ‘report after discussions’, summarizing the ?first 5 days of the synod. ?It was the first time that a synod report was ?released to the public. And soon news reports spread like ?wild fire that the Synod of Bishops in unexpected conciliatory language has called for greater ?acceptance and appreciation of ?divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and ?homosexuals. The twist given to the some of the texts of the Relatio, caused surprise, alarm and ?disappointment among many a synod father. However, at midday on Oct.18, the last working day of ?the synod, a press briefing was held in the Vatican before that day’s voting on the revised final synod ?report. Holy See’s spokesman Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, presented to reporters three synod fathers: ?Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Brazilian Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis and Italian Cardinal ?Gianfranco Ravasi. All the three cardinals first expressed their views on the synod on the family, ?including Cardinal Gracias.? Listen: