(Vatican Radio) The self-inflicted wounds of the family and the need to put aside anger and friction to protect the couple’s children were at the heart of Pope Francis’ message to thousands of pilgrims gathered for the weekly General Audience on Wednesday.
Listen to this report by Tracey McClure:
Speaking under overcast skies in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading from Matthew (Mt 18,6) in which Jesus says to his disciples, “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” And, Christ’s grave warning: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
A family’s wounds and end of conjugal love a “landslide” burying children
No family is immune to words and actions – or lack there-of – which “diminish or even worse, mortify love,” the Pope said. “When these wounds, which can still be remedied, are neglected, they become worse: they turn into arrogance , hostility, contempt.” They can then fester into deep lacerations, the Pope continued, that divide husband and wife who may “look elsewhere for understanding.”
The “emptying” of conjugal love, the Pope said, spreads resentment in relationships and the falling apart of the family is like a “landslide” which buries the children.
Are we “anesthetized” to the psychological trauma children suffer?
The Pope asked if we who have an “apparently evolved sensitivity” and access to the most “refined psychological analysis” have not become “anesthetized” to the psychological trauma that children suffer.
Giving them gifts and snacks just desensitizes one to the deep pain that children suffer, the Pope noted. “We speak often of behavioral disorders, psychological health , the wellbeing of the child, of the anxiety of parents and children… But do we know yet what is a wounded spirit?
“We feel the weight of the mountain which crushes the spirit of a child” in families in which people hurt each other “to the point of breaking conjugal fidelity,” said the Pope.
“When the adults lose their head, when everyone thinks about him/herself, when the father and mother hurt each other,” Pope Francis observed, it is the children who suffer the most.
When the family is injured in one part, the whole is infected
Everything is tied together in the family, he said, and when it is injured in one part, the whole becomes infected. Observing that married couples are called to be “one body” in marriage and the rearing of children, the Pope said that obsessive attachment to one’s own freedom and gratification is a “distortion” that deeply affects children.
Recalling Christ’s admonition in Matthew not to “scandalize” the little ones, the Pope said we can better understand the “grave responsibility of caring for the conjugal bond.”
Separation can be “inevitable” or “morally necessary”
However, the Pope admitted “there are cases in which separation is inevitable. Sometimes it can become even morally necessary, precisely when it comes to subtracting the weaker spouse, or small children, from more serious injuries caused by arrogance and violence, by humiliation and exploitation, by extraneousness (non-involvement) and by indifference.”
“There are, thank God, those who, sustained by faith and love for their children,” the Pope continued, “give witness to their loyalty to a relationship in which they believed, even though it appears impossible to revive it. Not all separated [couples], however, feel this vocation . Not everyone recognizes, in solitude, the Lord’s call to them.”
Families living “irregular” situations
Some families today live in so-called “irregular” situations, the Pope observed, saying that he does not like that word, and that we must reflect on how to help and accompany them – and accompany them so that the children do not become “hostages of the father or the mother.”
Below please find the English summary of the Pope’s remarks read out to pilgrims attending the General Audience:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: We know well that every family on occasion suffers moments when one family member offends another. Through our words, actions, or omissions, instead of expressing love for our spouse or children, we can sometimes diminish or demean that love. Hiding these hurts only deepens such wounds, leading to anger and friction between loved ones. If these wounds are particularly deep, they can even lead a spouse to search for understanding elsewhere, to the detriment of the family, especially children. Being one flesh, any wounds that spouses suffer are shared by their children, born of their flesh. When we remember how Jesus warned adults not to scandalize little ones (cf. Mt 18:6), we better understand the vital responsibility to maintain and protect the bond of marriage which is the foundation of the human family. We thank God that although these wounds may lead some to separation, even then many men and women remain true to their conjugal bond, sustained by faith and by love for their children. For those who enter into so-called irregular situations, we must reflect on how best to help and accompany them in their lives. Let us ask the Lord for a strong faith to see with his eyes the reality of family life, and for a deep love to approach all families with his merciful heart.
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Sweden, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Islands of the Bahamas, Canada and the United States. May Jesus Christ heal every wound present in the life of your families, and may he make you witnesses of his mercy and love. May God bless you all!
(from Vatican Radio)…
A five-day workshop on the theme: Training of Trainers on the effective dissemination of the ‘SECAM Pastoral Training Manual in Response to HIV and AIDS’ has ended in Lome, Togo on 21 June, 2014 with a call on all dioceses in Africa to endeavour to effectively and efficiently disseminate an HIV/AIDS Pastoral Training Manual.
This was one of the recommendations of the Worksop organised by the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). The Workshop for French-speaking African countries was attended by 35 participants. It was hosted by the Episcopal Conference of Togo.
The Training of Trainers Workshop provided insights and guidelines for an effective dissemination strategy that will maximise the chances of effecting real change and widen the overall impact of the training manual by people of faith who are striving to develop a compassionate, effective and non-judgmental response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Africa.
The Manual represents the efforts of the Church in Africa in fulfillment of a recommendation of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops (African Synod), held in October 2009. That Synod recommended that “ SECAM develops an HIV / AIDS pastoral manual for all those involved in the Church’s AIDS ministry (priests, religious, doctors, nurses, counselors, catechists, teachers) applying the Church’s moral and social doctrine in the different situations, where the People of God in Africa are facing the various challenges of the pandemic.”
The workshop in Lome involved panel discussions; presentations by facilitators; spiritual and theological reflections and field visits to some HIV and AIDS projects in Togo.
A similar workshop for English speaking African countries was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 5 to 9 November 2014.
It would be recalled that the Standing Committee of SECAM approved the Manual designed for Africa in 2012 when it was presented by Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo. Msgr. Vitillo works for Caritas Internationalis as both Head of Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva and Special Advisor on HIV/AIDS and Health.
(Ben Assorow, Director of Communications, SECAM)
e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) “Our dialogue must continue” Pope Francis wrote in a Message to Olav Fykse Tveit, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches, on the occasion of their 50 th anniversary between the group and the Catholic church. Cardinal Kurt Koch read the message before the group gathered at a conference held at the Centro Pro Unione in Rome on Tuesday evening.
In his message, Pope Francis expressed his thankfulness “to Almighty God for the meaningful ecumenical relationship which we enjoy today” inspired by the desire for unity of the Church of Christ and by “the scandal of division between Christians.”
Recalling his Post-apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium , he emphasized that realities are more important than ideas, he urged the group to find ways to effect a united diakonia , aimed at addressing the concrete needs of “suffering humanity.”
He challenged the group to address “crucial ecumenical issues” and ended with a prayer that God might grant “the gift of full visible unity among all Christians, so that the Church will ever more be a sign of hope to the world and an instrument of reconciliation for all peoples.”
Read the Full text of the Pope’s message below:
To the Reverend Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
General Secretary World Council of Churches
The fiftieth anniversary of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches is an occasion of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the meaningful ecumenical relationship which we enjoy today. So too, it is a moment to thank the Lord for all that the ecumenical movement has achieved since its beginning over one hundred years ago, inspired by a longing for the unity which Christ intended for his body, the Church, and by an emerging sense of sorrow for the scandal of division between Christians.
Since its inauguration in 1965, the Joint Working Group has fostered the necessary conditions for a greater common witness of the Catholic Church and the Churches and Ecclesial Communities of the World Council of Churches. Reflecting on these past fifty years, we should be encouraged by the collaboration which the Joint Working Group has promoted, not only in ecumenical issues, but also in the areas of interreligious dialogue, peace and social justice, and works of charity and humanitarian aid. The Joint Working Group should not be an inward-looking forum. Rather, it must become ever more a “think-tank”, open to all the opportunities and challenges facing the Churches today in their mission of accompanying suffering humanity on the path to the Kingdom, by imbuing society and culture with Gospel truths and values.
In my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium , I noted that realities are more important than ideas (cf. no. 233). The Joint Working Group must be oriented to addressing the real concerns of the Churches throughout the world. In this way, it will be better suited to proposing collaborative steps that not only draw the Churches closer together, but also ensure that they offer an effective diakonia suited to the people’s needs.
In fulfilling this task, the Joint Working Group distinguishes itself by its own character and aims. The nine reports produced thus far bear witness to the growing understanding and appreciation of the bonds of brotherhood and reconciliation which, in the context of the changing landscape of Christianity in the modern world, sustain Christians in their common witness and evangelizing mission. We must recognize, though, that in spite of the many ecumenical achievements of the past half century, Christian mission and witness still suffer due to our divisions. Disagreements on various subjects – in particular anthropological, ethical and social issues, as well as issues related to the understanding of the nature and conditions of the unity we seek – demand further sustained efforts.
Our dialogue must continue! I encourage the Joint Working Group to further its discussion on crucial ecumenical issues and, at the same time, to promote ways for Christians to testify together to the real, though imperfect, communion shared by all the baptized. May we always trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to assist and guide our journey, often in new and sometimes unexpected ways.
This anniversary similarly is an opportunity to express our gratitude to all those who, these past fifty years, have tirelessly served the cause of Christian unity and advanced the joyful proclamation of the Gospel (cf. Mt 28:18-20). Let us join together in imploring our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to grant us the gift of full visible unity among all Christians, so that the Church will ever more be a sign of hope to the world and an instrument of reconciliation for all peoples.
Franciscus
From the Vatican, 23 June 2015
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Buddhists and Catholics from the United States are holding an interreligious dialogue meeting for the first time near Rome this week, focused on the themes of ‘Suffering, Liberation and Fraternity’. The five day meeting, which opened on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Focolare movement in Castelgandolfo, includes 46 Buddhist and Catholic participants from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
In an opening address to the group, which will meet with Pope Francis on Wednesday, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran said “in a world where diversity is seen as a threat”, the encounter is “a sign of our openness towards one another and our commitment to human fraternity”. “We are all pilgrims”, he stressed, adding that the dialogue between Buddhists and Catholics is part of “our ongoing quest to grasp the mystery of our lives and the ultimate Truth”.
To find out more about this dialogue, jointly sponsored by the PCID and the U.S. Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Philippa Hitchen spoke to one of the Catholic participants, Fr Leo Lefebure, a theology professor at the Jesuit Georgetown University:
Listen
Fr Leo says the PCID asked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to begin a new series of conversations focused on the theme of ‘Be friends and help the world’ so the dialogue will explore beliefs and ideas that “resonate across both traditions”, especially the concepts of ‘suffering and the end of suffering’.
Fr Leo notes that the basic values and virtues of Buddhists and Catholics “converge to a great degree” and there is a long history in the United States of leaders of both traditions coming together to oppose violence and work towards peaceful transformation of conflict.
Fr Leo says that every major urban area in the U.S. has large immigrant populations from Asia, so part of the Buddhist population is made up of these people. Another part includes people who have converted from other faiths, especially from Judaism and Christianity. What is sometimes controversial, he notes, is that some see themselves as ‘practitioners of both their religion of origin and some form of Buddhist tradition’.
But many Catholics, he says, find their faith much enhanced by practices such as meditation – in a survey of Christians in the U.S. who engage in some form of meditation, he says most found their own faith experience ‘profoundly deepened’ by these practices…
It is very significant, Fr Leo says, that this meeting is taking place in the year that we mark the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the document that for the first time described Buddhism and said the Catholic Church “rejects nothing of what is true and holy” in these traditions, “implying there are things we can learn from them”…..
(from Vatican Radio)…
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”….