(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday morning marked the 50 th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops as a permanent body. Gathered with the Fathers of the XIV Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops – who are currently meeting in Rome to discuss the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in contemporary society – Pope Francis spoke of both the process and the substance of the Synod as constitutive and expressive of the Church’s own nature and mission.
Click below to hear our report
“Journeying together,” said Pope Francis in an enlargement on the Greek words from which the English word ‘synod’ is derived, “laity, pastors, and the Bishop of Rome, is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice.”
The Holy Father went on to say that each and everyone has a place in the Church, and that the key to journeying well together is listening. “A synodal Church is a Church of listening,” said Pope Francis. “It is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn: the faithful, the College of Bishops, [and the] Bishop of Rome; each listening to the others; and all listening to the Holy Spirit, the ‘Spirit of truth’ (Jn 14, 17), to know what he ‘says to the Churches’ (Rev 2: 7).”
“The Synod of Bishops,” continued Pope Francis, “is the convergence point of this dynamism – this listening conducted at all levels of Church life,” starting with the people, who “also participate in Christ’s prophetic office” and who have a right and a duty to be heard on topics that touch the common life of the Church. Then come the Synod Fathers, through whom, “[T]he bishops act as true stewards, interpreters and witnesses of the faith of the whole Church, which [they] must be able carefully to distinguish from often shifting public opinion.” In all this, the Successor to Peter is fundamental. “Finally,” explained Pope Francis, “the synodal process culminates in listening to the Bishop of Rome, called upon to speak authoritatively [It. pronunciare ] as ‘Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians’: not on the basis of his personal beliefs, but as the supreme witness of the Faith of the whole Church, the guarantor of the Church’s conformity with and obedience to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ and the Tradition of the Church.”
The Holy Father went on to explain that the Synod always always acts cum Petro et sub Petro – with Peter and under Peter – a fact that does not constitute a restriction of freedom, but a guarantee of unity. “In fact,” he said, “the Pope is, by the will of the Lord, ‘the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful’.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Vatican City – As every year, in view of World Mission Day, this year celebrated on Sunday, October 18, Fides News Service offers some statistics chosen to give a panorama of the missionary Church all over the world. The tables are taken from the latest edition of the “Church’s Book of Statistics” published regarding members of the Church, church structures, healthcare, welfare and education. Please note that variations, increase or decrease, emerging from our own comparison with last year’s figures, are marked increase + or decrease – in brackets World population To 31 December 2013 the world population was 7.093.798.000 with an increase of 70.421.000 units compared with the previous year. Population growth was registered on every continent above all in Asia and Africa followed by America ; Europe and Oceania . Catholics On the same date Catholics in the world numbered 1.253.926,000 units with an overall increase of 25.305.000 more than the previous year. The increase affects all continents especially America and Africa followed by Asia ; Europe and Oceania . The world percentage of Catholics increased by 0.09 %, settling at 17.68%. By continent: increases were registered in Africa , America , Asia , Europe . A slight decrease was shown in Oceania . Persons and Catholics per priest This year the number of persons per priest in the world increased by 180 units, average 13.752. The distribution by continent: increase in America ; Europe and Oceania ; decrease in Africa ; Asia . The number of Catholics per priest in the world increased by 54 units, average 3.019. There are increases in America ; Europe and Oceania ; decrease in Asia and Africa . Ecclesiastical circumscriptions and mission stations The number of ecclesiastical circumscriptions are 8 more than the previous year to 2.989 with new circumscriptions created in: Africa , America , Asia , Europe and Oceania . Mission stations with a resident priest number 1.871 and increases registered in Africa , Asia and Oceania . Decreases in America and Europe . Mission Stations without a resident priest increased in number by 3.074 units, to 133.869. Compared to the previous year, increase is registered in Africa , America , Asia and Oceania . The number dropped only in Europe . Bishops The total number of Bishops in the world increased by 40 units, to 5.173. Contrary to previous years where Diocesan Bishops increased in numbers, while Religious Bishops decreased, this year they both increased. Diocesan Bishops number 3.945 , whilw Religious Bishops number 1.228 . The increase in diocesan Bishops is registered in all continents except Oceania : in America ; Asia , Africa and Europe . The number of religious Bishops increased on every continent: Africa , America , Asia , Europe , while Oceania unvaried. Priests The total number of priests in the world increased by 1.035 units, to 415.348. The only continents which registered a decrease was again Europe and a slight decrease in Oceania , whereas figures grew in Africa , America and Asia . Diocesan priests increased by 917 units, reaching a total of 280.532 with increases in Africa ; America and Asia and Oceania . A drop in Europe The number of Religious priests increased by 64 units to a total 134,816. Increases were registered as in recent years in Africa and Asia , whereas numbers dropped in America , Europe and Oceania . Permanent Deacons Permanent deacons in the world increased by 1,091 units to 43.195. The highest increase was registered again in America and in Europe and an increase in Africa , Asia and Oceania . Permanent Diocesan deacons in the world are 42.650, with an overall increase of 1.084 units. They increased on every continent: Africa , America , Asia , Europe and Oceania . Religious permanent deacons number 545, increased by 7 units compared to the previous year, with increases on every continent: Africa , America and Oceania and a decrease in Asia and Europe . Men and women religious The number of non-religious priests decreased by 61 units to 55.253. Situation: increase in America , Asia and Oceania , decrease was registered in Africa and Europe . Even this year there is an overall decrease in the number of women religious by 8.954 units to 693.575. An increase was registered in Africa and Asia , decrease in America , Europe and Oceania . Members of secular institutes, male and female Members of male secular institutes number 712 with an overall decrease of 59 units. At a continental level there is an increase only in Africa while a decrease was registered in America , Asia , Europe , Oceania unvaried. The members of female secular institutes decreased this year, by 747 units to a total of 23.955 members. Increase in Africa and Asia while a decrease was registered in America , Europe and Oceania . Lay missionaries and catechists The number of lay missionaries in the world is 367.679 units, with an overall increase of 5.191 units. Numbers increase on every continent: Africa , America , Asia and Europe . A slight decrease was registered in Oceania . Catechists in the world decreased by 13.075 units to a total of 3.157.568. A significant increase was registered in Africa and Asia , but numbers dropped in: America , Europe and Oceania . Major seminarians The number of major seminarians, diocesan and religious decreased this year, they are globally 1.800 units, reaching a total of 118.251. Increases occured only in Africa , while even this year a decrease in America , Asia , Europe and Oceania . Major diocesan seminarians number 71.537 and Religious major seminarians 46.714 . Diocesan seminarians increased in Africa and Asia , while decreases are in America , Europe and Oceania . Religious Seminarians decreased on every continent: in Africa , America , Asia , Europe and Oceania . Minor seminarians The number of minor seminarians, diocesan and religious decreased by 775 units to 101.928. Overall increase in America , Asia and Oceania , decreased in Africa and Europe . Minor diocesan seminarians number 78.556 , whereas religious seminarians number 23.372 . The number of diocesan minor seminarians has decreased on every continent except Asia : Africa , America , Europe , Oceania . Religious minor seminarians increased in number in Africa , America and Oceania and decreased in Asia and Europe . Catholic schools and Education In the field of education, the Catholic Church runs 73.263 kindergartens with 6.963.669 pupils; 96.822 primary schools with 32.254.204 pupils; 45.699 secondary schools with 19.407.417 pupils. The Church also cares for 2.309.797 high school pupils, and 2.727.940 university students. Catholic charity and healthcare centres Charity and healthcare centres run in the world by the Church include: 5.034 hospitals, most of them in America and Africa ; 16.627 dispensaries, mainly in Africa ; America and Asia ; 611 Care Homes for people with Leprosy, mainly in Asia and Africa ; 15.518 Homes for the elderly, or the chronically ill or people with a disability, mainly in Europe and America ; 9.770 orphanages, mainly in Asia ; 12.082 creches, mainly in Asia and America ; 14.391 marriage counselling centres, mainly in America and Europe ; 3.896 social rehabilitation centres and 38.256 other kinds of institutions. Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The ecclesiastical Circumscriptions dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples to 13 October 2015 are 1.111 with an increase of 2 circumscription compared to the previous year. Most of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions are mainly in Africa and in Asia . Followed by America and Oceania . Link correlati : Catholic Church Statistics 2015…
(Vatican Radio) Friday 16 Oct. Two fraternal delegates were guests at the daily press briefing for the Synod on the Family on Friday. Bishop Tim Thornton of the Anglican Communion is representing the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Patriarch Stephanos of Estonia is representing the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
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Bishop Thornton, speaking on the importance of forming good families today said “How can we encourage every individual to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? That’s what the focus for me has to be. We try and get every individual to understand what it means to be a disciple then they shape their family life, whatever that is, in what I think would be the right way and the goal.”
Thornton said that he thought one of the big issues the Synod delegates faced was the tension between local and universal. Some issues might be dealt with much better on the local level, there is therefore a tension between how much subsidiarity and how much of a universal framework is needed.
Patriarch Stephanos said that the Synod was a positive experience. He said that extraordinary work had been done and that many problems have been laid out. “The problems you face are not the different to the ones that we have, we are all searching,” he said. In his remarks he said that there were “no easy answers” and yet the Church must engage with difficult questions.
Responding to a question about the “penitential path” for the divorced and remarried and their admission to the Eucharist in the Orthodox Church, the Patriarch explained that there is only one Orthodox Church but that there are different expressions of the Church. He said that he noticed that the “human dimension of the sacraments” was being better understood at the Synod. “The Fathers are slowly coming to understand what we call ‘the economy of salvation.’ This means that for each there is a place and position in the economy of grace and hence the importance of mercy,” he said.
Cardinal Walter Kasper had proposed that the Church look towards the Eastern Orthodox Church to find a way of dealing with issues around the ban on admission to the Eucharist for the divorced and remarried.
Thornton said that the Anglican Communion still holds to the traditional understanding of marriage. He said that there was no neat line between the doctrinal and the pastoral and both need to be seen in a broader theological context. He also said that it was unfortunate that Instrumentum Laboris did not contain more of the historical context of marriage because marriage was not always in the domain of the Church; it came much later when married people came to the Church for a blessing.
It was reported at the briefing that the discussions in the assembly were much more emotional in the last two sessions of the Synod. The personal nature of the interventions arose from the fact that many of them were about actual pastoral cases. Some bishops read letters in the assembly that were written to them by people in their pastoral care who were hurting.
A number of topics were presented in the interventions. These include: procreation and contraception (the theology of Humane Vitae was spoken about); the changes made by Pope Francis to the annulment process; violence, incest and sexual abuse within families and the “martyrdom of silence”; the care of the elderly and their value in society; the formation of parents because they shape future generations, and how large corporations and economic issues put pressure on parents to work long hours which disrupt family life.
The Synod delegates had also heard in interventions that there were possibly three ways forward: to do nothing, to move towards the ‘penitential way’ outlined by Cardinal Walter Kasper or, stand firm and reaffirm the Church’s current position.
The Patriarch said that sometimes he was disappointed on how the media was reporting on the Synod. He said there was the tendency to look for scandal and not report the positive things that were being said. He said that divergent views were not scandalous but showed that the bishops really took their pastoral responsibility seriously and wanted to respond as best they could to God’s people.
Bishop Thornton added that he would have liked to see some more of the important issues – like migration and poverty – being spoken about. He said that questions around divorce and remarriage seemed to be the focus.
Fr. Lombardi said that he had heard the word “accompaniment” many times at the Synod, “The Church needs to accompany individuals, couples and families.” He said that it was important, delegates stated, that families must be formed to accompany one another because, in doing so, they become “missionaries” for other families. He added that delegates had spoken of the importance of sexual intimacy related to the Eucharist. In the Eucharist Jesus says “This is my body given for you,” this is what married couples do for each other.
There will be no press briefing on the Synod until Monday afternoon. The delegates returned to work in their small groups on Friday afternoon and will continue to work in groups until Tuesday.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The French Catholic Bishops Conference held a briefing in the Vatican’s press Office on Friday to illustrate the figures of Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux. The parents of the much-loved French saint will be canonized on Sunday October 18th during the ongoing Synod of Bishops on the family. Louis Martin and his wife Zélie will be the first-ever married couple with children to be canonized in the same ceremony. Pope Francis issued the decree approving their canonization on June the 27th during the Ordinary Consistory in the Vatican. In March, the Pope had recognized a miracle attributed to the French couple. Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, has described Louis and Zélie Martin as “an extraordinary witness of conjugal and family spirituality.”
Married in 1858, Louis and Zélie had nine children. Four died in infancy while the remaining five entered religious life. During their marriage, the couple was known to attend Mass daily, pray and fast, visit the elderly and the sick and welcome the poor into their home.
Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin will be canonized alongside two others: Italian Father Vincenzo Grossi, founder of the Institute of the Daughters of the Oratory and Spanish Sister Maria of the Immaculate Conception, Superior General of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross.
The speakers at the briefing in the Vatican included Father Olivier Ruffray, Rector at the Lisieux Shrine and Father Romano Gambalunga, Postulator of the sainthood Cause for Louis and Zélie Martin.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) On Thursday, Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the new Jesuit homeless shelter, ‘Gift of Mercy’, just around the corner from the Vatican.
All 30 guests at ‘Gift of Mercy’ (Dono di Misericordia), most of whom are Italian, were overjoyed to see the Holy Father and were eager to tell him their life stories and ask for his blessing. In his inimitably personal way, the Pope spoke to the men one by one and then asked to be given a tour of the shelter itself.
The Pope was welcomed by mons. Konrad Krajewski, Jesuit Superior General Fr Adolfo Nicolás and by several nuns from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, who run the shelter with the help of volunteers.
On 7th October, the homeless shelter was opened by the Society of Jesus, in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Jesuits founded the shelter in response to the Pope’s recent call for religious institutions to offer more buildings to be used for the care of those in need.
The shelter can accommodate up to 34 men each night, each of whom can stay for a maximum of 30 days, and is funded by the Papal Office of Charities.
With the addition of 34 beds at ‘Gift of Mercy’, the Vatican is now able to house 84 people who find themselves without a home.
(from Vatican Radio)…