The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the context of Evangelization (1)

 

Table of Contents

Abbreviations

Introduction

Preface

Part I
Communicating the Gospel of the Family in Today’s World

 

Chapter I
God’s Plan for Marriage and the Family

The Biblical Teaching on the Family (1-3)
The Family in the Documents of the Church (4-7)

Chapter II
The Knowledge and Acceptance of the Teachings on Marriage and the Family from Sacred Scripture and Church Documents (8)

The Knowledge of the Bible on the Family (9-10) 
The Knowledge of the Documents of the Magisterium (11)
The Necessity of Properly Prepared Clergy and Ministers (12)
A Diversified Acceptance of Church Teaching (13-14)
Some Reasons for the Difficulty in Acceptance (15-16)
Fostering a Greater Knowledge of the Magisterium (17-19)

 

Chapter III
The Gospel of the Family and the Natural Law

The Relation of the Gospel of the Family to the Natural Law (20)
Present-Day Problems Related to the Natural Law (21-26)
Practical Objections to the Natural Law concerning the Union between a Man and a Woman (27-29)
A Call for a Renewal in Terms of Language (30)

Chapter IV
The Family and Vocation of the Person in Christ

The Family, the Person and Society (31-34)
In the Image of Trinitarian Life (35)
The Holy Family of Nazareth and Learning to Love (36-38)
The Differences, Reciprocity and Manner of Living as a Family (39-42)
The Family and the Integral Development of a Person (43-44)
Guidance in the Renewed Desire to Marry and Form a Family and the Related Crises (45-48)
Ongoing Formation (49)

 

Part II
The Pastoral Program for the Family in Light of New Challenges

 

Chapter I
The Pastoral Program for the Family: Various Proposals Underway

 

The Responsibility of Bishops and the Clergy and the Charismatic Gifts in the Pastoral Care of the Family (50)
Marriage Preparation (51-56)
Popular Piety and a Familial Spirituality (57)
Support for a Familial Spirituality (58)
Testimony on Behalf of the Beauty of the Family (59-60)

Chapter II
The Pastoral Challenges of the Family (61)

 

a) The Crisis of Faith and Family Life

Pastoral Action in the Crisis of Faith (62-63)

 

b) Critical Situations within the Family

Difficulty in Relationships / Communication (64)
The Break-Up and Breakdown of Families (65)
Violence and Abuse (66-67)
Dependence, the Media and the Social Network (68-69)

c) External Pressures on the Family

The Impact of Work on the Family (70-71)
Migration and the Family (72)
Poverty and the Struggle for Subsistence (73)
Consumerism and Individualism (74)
Counter-Witness in the Church (75)

 

d) Special Situations

The Weight of Societal Expectations on the Individual (76)
The Impact of Wars (77)
Disparity of Cult (78)
Other Critical Situations (79)

Chapter III
Difficult Pastoral Situations

 

a) Situations in Families (80)

Cohabitation (81-82)
De facto unions (83-85)
Persons Separated, Divorced and Divorced and Remarried (86)
Children and Those Who Are Alone (87)
Teen Mothers (88)
Situations of Canonical Irregularity (89-92)
Concerning the Reception of the Sacraments (93-95)
Other Requests (96)
Concerning Separated and Divorced Persons (97)
Streamlining the Processing of Marriage Cases (98-102)
Pastoral Care in Difficult Situations (103-104)
The Request for Marriage by Non-Practicing Catholics and Unbelievers (105-109)

  

b) Concerning Unions of Persons of the Same Sex

Civil Recognition (110-112)
An Evaluation of the Particular Churches (113-115)
Some Pastoral Guidelines (116-119)
The Transmission of the Faith to Children in Same Sex Unions (120)

 

Part III
An Openness to Life and Parental Responsibility in Upbringing

 

Chapter I
The Pastoral Challenges concerning an Openness to Life (121-122)

Knowledge and Acceptance of the Magisterium concerning a Mentality of an Openness to Life (123-125)
Some Causes of Difficulty in Acceptance (126-127)
Pastoral Recommendations (128)
Concerning Sacramental Practice (129)
Promoting a Mentality of an Openness to Life (130-131)

 

Chapter II
The Church and the Family in the Challenge of Upbringing

 

a) The Challenge of Upbringing in General

The Challenge of Upbringing and the Family Today (132)
The Transmission of the Faith and Christian Initiation (133-134)
Some Specific Difficulties (135-137)

 

b) Christian Education in Difficult Family Situations (138)

An Overview of the Situation of Upbringing (139-140)
Requests Addressed to the Church (141-145)
The Response of the Particular Churches (146-150)
The Time and Manner of the Christian Initiation of Children (151-152)
Some Specific Difficulties (153)
Some Pastoral Guidelines (154-157)

Conclusion (158-159)

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Abbreviations

CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church

CDF Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

ITC International Theological Commission

CV Caritas in Veritate Encyclical Letter of Pope Benedict XVI (29 June 2009)

DCE Deus Caritas Est Encyclical Letter of Pope Benedict XVI (25 December 2005)

DV Dei Verbum, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Second Vatican Ecumenical Council

EG Evangelii Gaudium Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis (24 November 2013)

FC Familiaris Consortio Apostolic Exhortation of Pope St. John Paul II (22 November 1981)

GS Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Second Vatican Ecumenical Council

HV Humanae Vitae Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI (25 July 1968)

LF Lumen Fidei Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis (29 June 2013)

LG Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Second Vatican Ecumenical Council

SC Sacramentum Caritatis Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI (22 February 2007)

Introduction

 

On 8 October 2013, Pope Francis convoked the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to treat the topic: The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization. The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops began its preparation by sending the Preparatory Document, which generated significant reflection among the People of God. The results of that consultation are presented in this Instrumentum Laboris. The Holy Father has determined that the work of Synod of Bishops is to take place in two stages, forming an single organic unity. In the III Extraordinary General Assembly in 2014, the synod fathers will thoroughly examine and analyze the information, testimonies and recommendations received from the particular Churches in order to respond to the new challenges of the family. The Ordinary General Assembly in 2015, representing a great part of the episcopate and continuing the work of the previous synod, will reflect further on the points discussed so as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines.

The Instrumentum Laboris is based on the responses to the questions in the Preparatory Document which was divided into 8 groups of questions on marriage and the family. After its publication in November, 2013, this document was distributed worldwide. A great number of detailed responses to the questions was submitted by the synods of the Eastern Catholic Churchessui iuris, the episcopal conferences, the departments of the Roman Curia and the Union of Superiors General. In addition, other responses — categorized as observations — were sent directly to the General Secretariat by a significant number of dioceses, parishes, movements, groups, ecclesial associations and families, not to mention academic institutions, specialists, both Catholic and non-Catholic, all interested in sharing their reflections.

The present text is divided into three parts and, for an orderly treatment at the synodal assembly, reflects the eight major subjects treated in the series of questions. The first part, devoted to the Gospel of the Family, treats the divine plan and the vocation of the person in Christ. Within this perspective, the section gives indications — positive as well as negative — of the faithful’s knowledge and acceptance of pertinent teachings on the family from the Bible and the documents of the Church’s Magisterium as well as the faithful’s understanding of the natural law. The second part treats various challenges and actual situations related to the pastoral care of the family. The third part is devoted to the topic of an openness to life and the responsibility of parents in the upbringing of their children — characteristic of marriage between a man and a woman — with particular reference to difficult pastoral situations.

The present document, the fruit of a collegial effort by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops and the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat to gather and examine the results of the consultation of the particular Churches, is placed in the hands of the members of the Synod Assembly as the Instrumentum Laboris. The document offers a broad, yet by no means exhaustive, perspective on the present-day situation of the family, on the challenges of the family and on the reflections related to the family today.

The topics which are not included in the document, those in response to question 9 in thePreparatory Document (miscellaneous), will be treated in the Ordinary General Assembly of 2015.

Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri
General Secretary

 

Vatican City, 24 June 2014
Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist

 

 

Preface

 

The proclamation of the Gospel of the Family is an integral part of the mission of the Church, since the revelation of God sheds light on the relationship between a man and a woman, their love for each other and the fruitfulness of their relationship. In these times, a widespread cultural, social and spiritual crisis is posing a challenge in the Church’s work of evangelizing the family, the vital nucleus of society and the ecclesial community. This proclamation of the Gospel of the Family takes place in continuity with the synodal assembly on The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith and the Year of Faith, announced by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the topic: The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization, aware that “Tradition, originating with the apostles, proceeds in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit” (DV, 8), is called to reflect on the path to follow to communicate to everyone the truth about conjugal love and the family and respond to its many challenges (cf. EG, 66). The family is an inexhaustible resource and font of life in the Church’s pastoral activity. Therefore, the primary task of the Church is to proclaim the beauty of the vocation to love which holds great potential for society and the Church. To meet this urgency, the episcopate throughout the world is being called, cum et sub Petro, to listen humbly to the Holy Spirit and reflect on today’s pastoral challenges.

The Church, fully aware that family life is not ultimately defined by difficulties and that people do not have problems only, willingly recognizes the efforts being made, primarily by young people, to bring about a new springtime for the family. This can be seen in the moving testimonies in many Church encounters where a renewed desire for marriage and family life is clearly manifested, above all in the newer generations. In light of this desire, the Church is called upon to offer support and guidance, wherever she be, in faithfulness to the Lord’s mandate to proclaim the beauty of family love. The Holy Father encouraged everyone to look with hope to the future and recommended a manner of acting which preserves and fosters love within the family, namely, by saying “Can I? May I?”, “Thank you” and “I’m sorry” and never allowing the sun to set on a quarrel or misunderstanding, without having the humility to ask forgiveness.

From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has emphasized that “the Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness.” (Angelus, 17 March 2013). This accent on mercy has had a great impact even in matters relating to marriage and the family, in that, far removed from every kind of moralism, it confirms the Christian outlook on life and opens new possibilities for the future, no matter what the personal limitations or the sins committed. God’s mercy is an opening to an ongoing conversion and a continuous rebirth.

Part I: Communicating the Gospel of the Family in Today’s World

 

Chapter I

God’s Plan for Marriage and the Family

 

The Biblical Teaching on the Family

1. The Book of Genesis shows that man and woman are created in the image and likeness of God; in receiving and accepting each other, they recognize that they are made for each other (cf. Gen 1:24-31; 2:4b-25). Through procreation, man and woman collaborate with God in accepting and transmitting life: “By transmitting human life to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents co-operate in a unique way in the Creator's work.” (CCC, 372). Their responsibility also involves the stewardship of creation and the propagation of the human family. In biblical tradition, the beauty of human love as mirroring divine love is developed mainly in the Song of Songs and the prophets.

2. The Church’s proclamation on the family finds its foundation in the life and preaching of Jesus, who lived and grew up in the family of Nazareth. He attended the wedding at Cana, which he honoured by performing the first of his “signs” (cf. Jn 2:1-11) and presented himself as the Bridegroom who unites himself to his Bride (cf. Jn 3:29). On the cross, he gave himself up with a love to the very end and, in his resurrected body, established new relationships among people. By revealing the fullness of divine mercy, Jesus allows