Vatican City, 23 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the Instrumentum Laboris of the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme, “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and contemporary world” (4-25 October 2015). The speakers were: Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops; Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, general rapporteur of the 14th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops; and Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, special secretary of the 14th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The Instrumentum Laboris, explained Cardinal Baldisseri, is divided into three parts following the structure of the Relatio Synodi, demonstrating the close link between the Third Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2014, dedicated to “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation”, and the upcoming Ordinary General Assembly. The first part, entitled “Listening to the challenges of the family”, relates most directly to last year’s Synod, while the second, “Discernment of the family vocation”, and third, “The mission of the family today”, introduce the theme of the next one. The cardinal highlighted certain novelties in the first part, which refer principally to the anthropological-cultural, socio-economic and ecological contexts, “now happily enlightened by the new Encyclical letter Laudato si’”. The challenges, he explained, are “poverty and social exclusion, old age, widowhood, bereavement in the family, disability, migration, the role of women, emotional life and education in sexuality, and bioethics”. In the second part, “Discernment of the family vocation”, the Relatio Synodi is enriched with an extension of the themes regarding natural marriage and sacramental fullness, indissolubility as a gift and a duty, family life, union and fruitfulness, the missionary dimension, faith, prayer, catechesis, the intimate bond between Church and family, the young and fear of marriage, and mercy. The third part, devoted to “The mission of the family today”, begins with a broad-ranging reflection on the family and evangelisation, and explores in depth a number of other issues such as the family as subject of pastoral ministry, nuptial liturgy, renewed language and missionary openness. The general secretary of the Synod of Bishops noted that it makes reference to “the family and ecclesial accompaniment, the streamlining of procedures for causes for annulment, the integration of faithful in irregular situations, the eventual introduction of a penitential route, the pastoral problems regarding mixed marriages and disparities of worship, as well as questions related to responsible procreation, reduction of births, adoption and fostering, respect for life from conception to natural end, and education of future generations. “The reference to the economic hardship experienced by many families, who run the risk of being subject to usury, is very relevant”, he added, “as is the socio-political commitment of Christians in favour of the family, also in the international context. In this regard, it would be useful to re-propose the Charter for the Rights of the Family, linked to the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man”. Cardinal Baldisseri illustrated the work of the Secretariat of the Synod Council between one assembly and another, which began in November 2014 with the presentation of the “Lineamenta”, composed of the Relatio Synodi and a series of 46 questions relating to the reception and deepening of this Synod document. The “Lineamenta” was sent to the synods of the sui iuris Oriental Catholic Churches, to the Episcopal Conferences, to the dicasteries of the Roman Curia and others, with an invitation to respond by 15 April 2015. The Secretariat General received 99 answers from the competent bodies, along with 359 observations sent freely from dioceses, parishes, ecclesial associations, grass-roots groups of faithful, civil movements and organisations, etc. The inter-synodal period has thus been shown to be “a valuable opportunity for listening to what the Spirit says to the Church in the plurality of her components”. Finally, with regard to the methodology of the upcoming General Assembly, it was mentioned that it is Ordinary and not Extraordinary like the previous one and, in accordance with the suggestions of the members of the Synod, “it will continue with the project of the development of the Synod taking a dynamic approach more suited to our times”. The Synod fathers reiterated the need to avoid a “long series of individual interventions, as has happened in previous Synod assemblies, to ensure that they are better distributed in the time available and not presented one after another. The importance of the Circuli Minores was noted, as was the need to maintain the principle of thematic order. Thus, the three weeks of the Synod will be divided in correspondence with the three parts of the Instrumentum Laboris. The first week will be devoted to the first part of the document, the second to the discernment of the family vocation, and the third to the mission of the family today. “At the end of the third week, time will be set aside for the preparation of the final text of the document, which will be presented to the Assembly for the final modifications, to be inserted into the text before its final approval. The method will ensure the opportunity to intervene on the part of all those entitled to do so, including at the end of the day, and will enable more time to be assigned to the Circuli Minores. It is expected that a final document will be produced and consigned to the Holy Father”. With regard to information during the Synod Assembly, the cardinal mentioned the Holy Father’s affirmation that “the Synod is a space in which the Holy Spirit can act, not parliament. The Synod Fathers are invited to express themselves with parrhesia. They will be free to communicate with the media at their discretion and with responsibility”….
Vatican City, 23 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office a press conference was held to present the Instrumentum Laboris of the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme, “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and contemporary world” (4-25 October 2015).…
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(Vatican Radio) Airports can be places of “difficult situations asking for extra care” from chaplains, according to a document made public today by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.
The statement was the concluding document formulated after the XVI World Seminar for Catholic Civil Aviation Chaplains and Members of the airport Chaplaincies held in Rome from 10 to 13 June 2015.
“Chaplains and members of airport chaplaincies are strongly aware of the importance of their ministry,” the document reads. “Especially in the context of human mobility, the airport is also a place touched by complex realities involving different categories of people.”
The full text of the final document is below
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND ITINERANT PEOPLE
XVI World Seminar for Catholic Civil Aviation Chaplains
and Members of the airport Chaplaincies
(Rome-Italy, 10 to 13 June 2015)
Final Document
INTRODUCTION
We, the 94 Catholic chaplains and members of the airport chaplaincies, at the service of the civil aviation around the world, coming from 24 countries, from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania, and from 36 international airports, have accepted the invitation of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People to reflect on the theme: Evangelii Gaudium: What support for the pastoral care of airport chaplaincy? We have thus responded to Pope Francis’ call to rethink evangelization in the joy of the Gospel to find new paths to walk on in the coming years (see EG, 1). In our study days, we heard some reflections of experts in various disciplines and shared our own experiences.
The seminar was an opportunity to review together what we are living now and to look to the future; together we talked about the challenges that our airport communities are facing.
The words of the Pope during a private audience reminded us that the airport, for various reasons, can be considered a city next to the big metropolises. Here we meet different types of people: children, youth, adults and seniors. It is also a reality in which you are faced up with insecurity, poverty, migration: situations that the Magisterium of the Church deals with along with national and international authorities.
This seminar has opened for us new perspectives urging us to look mercifully to the people we meet in airports and with whom we share our entire days. During these days we formulated some questions about the life of our chaplaincies. In particular, we asked ourselves how to live pastorally in our airport chaplaincies the Holy Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis. We reaffirmed the importance of living this year with attention to God’s compassion, so that everybody can take advantage of it.
A few main guidelines emerged during the work sessions of this Seminar.
CONCLUSIONS
1. Chaplains and members of airport chaplaincies are strongly aware of the importance of their ministry. Especially in the context of human mobility, the airport is also a place touched by complex realities involving different categories of people. The Magisterium of the Church is especially attentive to these realities. We are referring to the airport workers, undocumented travellers, migrants and asylum seekers, who end up being held in some airport locations for short or long periods of time, sometimes without an adequate human and spiritual assistance.
2. Chaplains and members of the airport chaplaincies consider the airport chapel God’s place, where someone can experience the joy of the encounter, solidarity and friendship. Our presence here takes on all the aspects of the mission for those who work at the airport and for those who go through it. Here we show the concern of the Church, especially in human situations touched by suffering and confusion. Therefore, we believe it is necessary to work closely to defend the dignity of every person without making any distinction.
3. The Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium is an effective tool to address the challenges of our time with faith and hope. Chaplains and their collaborators are committed to continue the journey together with their communities to address these challenges. We want to be missionaries willing to listen to the Gospel, to be docile to the Holy Spirit while looking for answers to our quests about meaning, mercy and peace.
4. At the airports there are difficult situations asking for extra care. We are talking about the cases of plane crashes and assistance to victims, their families and friends, as well as security issues. Specifically when serious incidents happen, chaplains and members of the airport chaplaincies commit themselves to working even harder with a spirit of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, convinced that fraternal cooperation gets rid of the instinct of violence. Thus chapels and places of worship are also places of dialogue with everyone.
SOME SUGGESTIONS
1. Chaplains and members of airport chaplaincies want to present with courage and joy the Church as a tender mother caring for the transit passengers like Christ himself, offering the opportunity of encountering God also to those who do not search for him. They share difficult situations, offering the good word of the Gospel, the liturgy and the sacraments, but also full support and, where possible, rescue and assistance, which comes from love.
2. We want to live out the “Holy Year of Mercy” as the year of kairos, in which the opportunity to experience God’s mercy is offered to all. God comes towards everyone with his forgiveness. Chaplaincies will create ways for God’s mercy to be experienced by all they serve. In this Holy Year every work of the chaplaincy will be placed under the emblem of mercy.
3. We strive to create healthy collaborations with all people of good will. Therefore, we do not want to be lonely missionaries, but witnesses of the joy that melts the hardness of hearts and opens to divine mercy. This should nurture in us mutual relations of help and support with the neighboring parishes, our dioceses and our local Episcopal Conferences.
4. We urge the Ordinaries of the areas where there are international airports to increase the pastoral care of civil aviation taking into account the steady increase in the flow of travellers, migrants, pilgrims and those who make their travels possible. Even at smaller airports it is desirable the presence of a minister (priest, deacon, consecrated or lay person) specially appointed for this position.
5. In dialogue with the airport authorities, we encourage fruitful collaboration and solidarity so that creation of a chapel, or at least a space for prayer would be possible. That should promote moments of joyful encounter with God and His mercy.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Airports can be places of “difficult situations asking for extra care” from chaplains, according to a document made public today by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. The statement was the concluding document formulated after the XVI World Seminar for Catholic Civil Aviation Chaplains and Members of…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday met with around 30 of his relatives – 6 cousins and their families – in the Archbishop’s residence in Turin, and also celebrated Mass with them. Afterwards, they had lunch together. The Holy Father on Sunday made a brief visit to the Church of Santa Teresa, where his paternal grandparents Giovanni and Rosa Bergoglio Vassallo were married in 1907, and where his father was baptized the following year.
A statement from the Holy See Press Office said the Pope made this gesture to reiterate the value of the family, ahead of this October’s Synod on the Family, adding the Pope took time in the Church of his ancestors to pray especially for families and the success of the Synod.
The Statement said Pope Francis viewed his trip to Turin as a “homecoming”, and has been very happy and pleased with the warm welcome he has received, saying it went “beyond his expectations.”
(from Vatican Radio)…