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| Voice Is Sought at the Vatican on Remarriage | Voice Is Sought at the Vatican on Remarriage |
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| VATICAN CITY — Observant Catholics, Nathalie and Christian Mignonat have worked for years in France with people who are divorced and remarried without an annulment, what the church calls “irregular unions.” | |
| So when they had their chance to speak to the 270 bishops who have gathered at the Vatican to discuss family issues, they did not fail to raise concern about what place these Catholics can hope for in the church today. | So when they had their chance to speak to the 270 bishops who have gathered at the Vatican to discuss family issues, they did not fail to raise concern about what place these Catholics can hope for in the church today. |
| When divorced people have worked hard to forgive their former spouses, “the impossibility to receive the forgiveness of the church is all the more painful and difficult to understand,” they told the meeting of bishops, or synod. | When divorced people have worked hard to forgive their former spouses, “the impossibility to receive the forgiveness of the church is all the more painful and difficult to understand,” they told the meeting of bishops, or synod. |
| As the bishops concluded their three-week assembly late Saturday, the overhanging question is just how far they will go in backing Pope Francis’ call for a church more open to the complicated, less-than-perfect lives of modern Catholics, some of whom are leaving the church because they feel unwelcome. | As the bishops concluded their three-week assembly late Saturday, the overhanging question is just how far they will go in backing Pope Francis’ call for a church more open to the complicated, less-than-perfect lives of modern Catholics, some of whom are leaving the church because they feel unwelcome. |
| Whatever the bishops present as their recommendations could profoundly affect day-to-day life for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics in practical ways not normally associated with lofty discussions of church matters. | Whatever the bishops present as their recommendations could profoundly affect day-to-day life for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics in practical ways not normally associated with lofty discussions of church matters. |
| As it stands, divorced Catholics who remarry without receiving a church annulment are denied the sacrament of communion, cannot be catechists, cannot teach religion and cannot be godparents. Homosexuality is regarded by the church as “intrinsically disordered,” a view that has left gay Catholics often sidelined, and gay couples feeling unacknowledged. | As it stands, divorced Catholics who remarry without receiving a church annulment are denied the sacrament of communion, cannot be catechists, cannot teach religion and cannot be godparents. Homosexuality is regarded by the church as “intrinsically disordered,” a view that has left gay Catholics often sidelined, and gay couples feeling unacknowledged. |
| Well aware of the consequences of any change in church practice, the bishops have been deeply divided along ideological lines — between traditionalists and progressives — as well as by geography, revealing the varying pace of the church’s inroads in parts of the world where cultural norms vary. | Well aware of the consequences of any change in church practice, the bishops have been deeply divided along ideological lines — between traditionalists and progressives — as well as by geography, revealing the varying pace of the church’s inroads in parts of the world where cultural norms vary. |
| At a midafternoon news conference on Saturday, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria described the final report as a “document of consensus,” that reflected the cultural and political differences of a church that spans many continents. The question of divorced and civilly remarried couples receiving the sacraments could be encapsulated in one “key word,” he said: “discernment.” | |
| “There is no black or white, a simple yes or no” when it comes to couples not living according to the church’s precepts, he said. Every situation is different, and pastors had to understand and evaluate each case individually. | “There is no black or white, a simple yes or no” when it comes to couples not living according to the church’s precepts, he said. Every situation is different, and pastors had to understand and evaluate each case individually. |
| Cardinal Schönborn also said that people hoping for a strong sign from the church on homosexuality might “be disappointed,” though the final text did take into account families with gay members, and how to “manage this situation as Christians.” He acknowledged that in many countries in the West, gay Catholics remained a concern that the church would continue to address, but in the global church, “cultural differences must be respected.” | |
| Married 40 years, with four children, and “2.5 grandchildren,” the Mignonats, who live in Lyon, work with two organizations helping separated and divorced Catholics. Their view, like that of many other Catholics in Europe, was for greater flexibility and inclusiveness. | Married 40 years, with four children, and “2.5 grandchildren,” the Mignonats, who live in Lyon, work with two organizations helping separated and divorced Catholics. Their view, like that of many other Catholics in Europe, was for greater flexibility and inclusiveness. |
| “Divorced and remarried Catholics want the same thing that all observant Catholics want,” Mrs. Mignonat said in an interview. “They want to stay in the faith.” | “Divorced and remarried Catholics want the same thing that all observant Catholics want,” Mrs. Mignonat said in an interview. “They want to stay in the faith.” |
| The Mignonats were among a handful of families who were invited to address the synod. But the absence of divorced or civilly remarried Catholics, or gay ones, did not go unnoted, and the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, was asked about it by journalists on Friday. | The Mignonats were among a handful of families who were invited to address the synod. But the absence of divorced or civilly remarried Catholics, or gay ones, did not go unnoted, and the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, was asked about it by journalists on Friday. |
| “Unfortunately, every priest in the world, every bishop, knows and hears about dozens of families in difficulty,” he said, explaining that the Vatican did not see the need for formal representation. | “Unfortunately, every priest in the world, every bishop, knows and hears about dozens of families in difficulty,” he said, explaining that the Vatican did not see the need for formal representation. |
| “What counts is the pastoral experience that pastors bring with them, and we know so many, that the suffering of couples in difficulty weighs on our hearts,” he said. | “What counts is the pastoral experience that pastors bring with them, and we know so many, that the suffering of couples in difficulty weighs on our hearts,” he said. |
| In recent weeks, Pope Francis has already introduced changes to help the church respond faster to the real-world concerns of its followers. | In recent weeks, Pope Francis has already introduced changes to help the church respond faster to the real-world concerns of its followers. |
| Last month, he issued an order to streamline the process of granting marriage annulments, and on Thursday he announced the creation of a new Vatican department for “laity, family and life.” The Vatican already had three separate entities to deal with these three concerns, but will now combine them into one. | |
| But there is also recognition among the bishops that many parish priests who deal with day-to-day problems bend many of the church’s rules already, and that any loosening of those rules would merely be catching up with practical realities. | But there is also recognition among the bishops that many parish priests who deal with day-to-day problems bend many of the church’s rules already, and that any loosening of those rules would merely be catching up with practical realities. |
| Some parishes have adopted what one clergyman described as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” line when it comes to communion for divorced and remarried parishioners. The website for New Ways Ministry, for L.G.B.T. Catholics, has a list of “gay friendly” parishes and outreach programs. | Some parishes have adopted what one clergyman described as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” line when it comes to communion for divorced and remarried parishioners. The website for New Ways Ministry, for L.G.B.T. Catholics, has a list of “gay friendly” parishes and outreach programs. |
| But those churches represent “less than 1 percent in the United States, which may be one of the most progressive countries, so it is less than the tip of the iceberg,” said Francis De Bernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for the Catholic Church to be more open toward gay people. | |
| Among the more progressive-minded prelates is Archbishop Lucas Van Looy, of Ghent, Belgium, who said at a news conference on Friday: “This synod has put an end to the idea of judging the people. We are no longer a church that can judge on every situation. | |
| “It is a welcoming church, it is a church listening to the people and also speaking in clear terms,” he added. “I think this could be the beginning of a new church.” | “It is a welcoming church, it is a church listening to the people and also speaking in clear terms,” he added. “I think this could be the beginning of a new church.” |
| That remains to be seen, as resistance to change was strong in conservative churches of Eastern Europe, as well as in African countries, where the church in many ways sees its future. | That remains to be seen, as resistance to change was strong in conservative churches of Eastern Europe, as well as in African countries, where the church in many ways sees its future. |
| In some African countries, homosexuality is illegal and gay people are the targets of bigotry and violence. In some, too, polygamy remains common. | In some African countries, homosexuality is illegal and gay people are the targets of bigotry and violence. In some, too, polygamy remains common. |
| That has made African prelates particularly resistant to loosening rules the church holds to be true. African Catholicism was founded on values brought by missionaries from Europe, noted Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa of Uganda, “so how can you now say that they are useless?” | |
| “In the West many people have stopped to take these values seriously,” he said. “If you have something valuable and you lose it, you should work hard to recover it. The challenge in the West is to make an effort to recover those values.” | “In the West many people have stopped to take these values seriously,” he said. “If you have something valuable and you lose it, you should work hard to recover it. The challenge in the West is to make an effort to recover those values.” |
| On Friday, a Ghanaian cardinal, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, said that acceptance of homosexuality in many Western countries had taken time to develop, and he asked that time also be given to “countries who have difficulty” to grow, so that they had time to better “understand this experience.” | On Friday, a Ghanaian cardinal, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, said that acceptance of homosexuality in many Western countries had taken time to develop, and he asked that time also be given to “countries who have difficulty” to grow, so that they had time to better “understand this experience.” |
| “Just because it’s like this in the West,” he said, “it doesn’t mean that it has to be the same in all other communities,” which were nonetheless encouraged not to criminalize homosexuality. | “Just because it’s like this in the West,” he said, “it doesn’t mean that it has to be the same in all other communities,” which were nonetheless encouraged not to criminalize homosexuality. |
| Though the battle being fought within the synod is in many ways urgent to practicing Catholics with problematic personal histories, church historians note that the church has continually adapted its practices over the centuries. | Though the battle being fought within the synod is in many ways urgent to practicing Catholics with problematic personal histories, church historians note that the church has continually adapted its practices over the centuries. |
| “The church’s laws are well constructed, but you have to deal with concrete persons, or with local traditions, especially in former missionary countries, where strong cultural impulses remain,” said Daniele Menozzi, a church historian at Pisa’s Scuola Normale Superiore. | “The church’s laws are well constructed, but you have to deal with concrete persons, or with local traditions, especially in former missionary countries, where strong cultural impulses remain,” said Daniele Menozzi, a church historian at Pisa’s Scuola Normale Superiore. |
| “The problem is norm and practices,” he said. A norm, he explained, is “something valid and universal for all times.” But how they are lived is another matter. “Norms are abstract, people are concrete,” he put it. | “The problem is norm and practices,” he said. A norm, he explained, is “something valid and universal for all times.” But how they are lived is another matter. “Norms are abstract, people are concrete,” he put it. |
| The main question now is what kind of document will actually emerge from the synod, one that many predict will underscore the unity of the Church and not exacerbate its divisions. | The main question now is what kind of document will actually emerge from the synod, one that many predict will underscore the unity of the Church and not exacerbate its divisions. |
| The final report is a consultative document that will be presented to the pope, who will draw his own conclusions. He may issue his own document, but that could take months, or even a year. | The final report is a consultative document that will be presented to the pope, who will draw his own conclusions. He may issue his own document, but that could take months, or even a year. |
| Vatican officials have stressed in briefings to the media that the hot-button issues are just one element of the synod, whose main purpose is to find ways in which the church can strengthen the family. | Vatican officials have stressed in briefings to the media that the hot-button issues are just one element of the synod, whose main purpose is to find ways in which the church can strengthen the family. |
| “Marriage and the family raise all kinds of issues; the sheer range is why this work has proven to be so challenging,” Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, Australia, said Monday. | “Marriage and the family raise all kinds of issues; the sheer range is why this work has proven to be so challenging,” Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, Australia, said Monday. |
| Prelates also underscored the need to reassure those Catholics who have weathered the storms of marital life that their efforts are recognized as examples. | Prelates also underscored the need to reassure those Catholics who have weathered the storms of marital life that their efforts are recognized as examples. |
| The church’s message is “one man and one woman will want to be together forever, they say yes and they mean yes, and the church says be faithful to your dream, it’s possible,” Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, said last week, noting that he told young people that they were right to pursue this dream of marital bliss. | The church’s message is “one man and one woman will want to be together forever, they say yes and they mean yes, and the church says be faithful to your dream, it’s possible,” Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, said last week, noting that he told young people that they were right to pursue this dream of marital bliss. |
| But the cardinal, who has voiced support for change, said that people also needed to know that when marriages fall apart, they won’t be abandoned. | But the cardinal, who has voiced support for change, said that people also needed to know that when marriages fall apart, they won’t be abandoned. |
| The church has to let people know that the dream is right, “but when you fail,” he said, “we stay together, you belong to us.” | The church has to let people know that the dream is right, “but when you fail,” he said, “we stay together, you belong to us.” |