Category Archives: Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization

Read the full synod document here. This wraps it up. Eight bishops declined to approve this final cherry on the synod report. Here we are reminded of the work the bishops expended in their two weeks of meetings. We have a … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. The second of two parts on children: 61. In this regard, the Church can assume a valuable role in supporting families, starting with Christian Initiation, by being welcoming communities. More than ever, these communities today are … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. Two sections address “Upbringing and the Role of the Family in Evangelization.” First, the bishops acknowledge it is not easy to be a mom, dad, or a kid: 60. One of the fundamental challenges facing families … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. A kind word for the human heart: 59. Affectivity needs assistance, also in marriage, as a path to maturity in the ever-deepening  acceptance of the other and an ever-fuller gift of self. This necessitates offering programs … Continue reading →

Read the full synod report here. But it’s time to start wrapping up our look at this document. Let’s read of getting to work: 58. Pastoral work in this area needs to start with listening to people and acknowledging the beauty and … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. More positive stuff in paragraph 57: 57. Today, the diffusion of a mentality which reduces the generation of human life to accommodate an individual’s or couple’s plans is easily observable. Sometimes, economic factors are burdensome, contributing … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. The last of the three most controversial paragraphs: 55. Some families have members who have a homosexual tendency. In this regard, the synod fathers asked themselves what pastoral attention might be appropriate for them in … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. Let me say upfront that I object to the adjective “mixed” when it applies to marriages between Catholics and other Christians, or people of other faiths. 54. The problems relative to mixed marriages were frequently … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. Here come two of the three sections that did not meet with the two-thirds’ approval. Pope Francis insisted they be included in the report anyway. You can read for yourself if they are the end … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. The bishops finally get to the matter that gained the most attraction before, during, and perhaps still after the synod. What to do with so many Christians who have remarried after a divorce? 51. Likewise, … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. Not all divorced people are out of the good graces of the institutional Church. Community and clergy bear responsibility here: 50. Divorced people who have not remarried, who oftentimes bear witness to their promise of … Continue reading →

You can read the full synod document here. Today, let’s cover two paragraphs that garnered significant dissent, then resume after Christmas Day. First, a summary of fact–what the bishops were talking about during and before the synod on declarations of nullity: … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here, but today, a longer paragraph exploring the beginning of a pastoral need: 47. A special discernment is indispensable for pastorally guiding persons who are separated, divorced or abandoned. Respect needs to be primarily given to … Continue reading →

Read the full synod document here. But in this paragraph, we focus briefly on the theme of accompaniment. It’s not a surprise that a Jesuit like Pope Francis would adopt and speak of this theme. The Society of Jesus was … Continue reading →

Why was this synod called? This paragraph tells us. Read the full synod document here to get the full story, but for today, let’s read of a certain necessity the bishops identified: 45. The necessity for courageous pastoral choices was particularly … Continue reading →