Priestly Confraternity Issues Hopeful Paper Ahead of the Synod

Rejecting controversial proposals involving problematic doctrinal and theological innovation, the association of English-speaking clergy calls for a ‘bolder and brighter’ approach to pastoring families.

VATICAN CITY — An international group of English-speaking clergy has sent a constructive message to the Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, encouraging a renewal of the family and defense of Catholic teaching concerning key matters of marriage and human sexuality.

Heads of the International Confraternities of Catholic Clergy, a group based in Australia, Britain, Ireland and the United States, addressed the document to the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri.

The 6,000-word document was sent out internally and privately this week to all members of the confraternity in Britain, possibly because of fears of adverse reactions from local bishops, but was printed publically in the Australian confraternity’s magazine, The Priest.

The English-speaking confraternities, who include more than 1,000 priests and bishops, say that, far from merely protecting doctrine, they are “hoping for something bolder and brighter from the synod than anything anticipated up till now.”

In the document, they speak openly and freely of showing forth the beauty of the Gospel teaching and being unafraid to “address with urgency and energy the growing dissonance between the lives of many Catholics and the holiness of the Church as the Bride of Christ.”

In a covering note issued Sept. 30 to ensure the paper would be interpreted correctly, they pointed out that many “conservative commentators’ hopes for the synod have been reduced more to a matter of damage limitation, protecting traditional doctrine, than seizing the moment to present the Church’s complete vision anew.”

But quoting a priest speaking privately, who had seen the confraternities’ report, the note said, “The message of this document has the power to turn the synod on its head and redirect its energies. It is a virtual manifesto and road map for renewal.”

 

Practical Alternatives

In the wide-ranging document, the clergy make clear that no change to doctrine is possible and that the challenge today is in improving the communication and reception of the Church’s vision.

“The teaching of Christ on marriage, human sexuality and the family is clear,” they write. “The Church’s traditional discipline relating to the reception of the sacraments corresponds both to Christ’s moral teaching and to the reality of the sacraments as they were instituted by Christ, for the sanctification of his people.

“These teachings have been particularly well articulated and developed by the popes since Leo XIII,” the priests continue. “We are not a Church in search of new doctrines or a new theology of marriage and the sacraments. Rather, we need to deepen our authentic implementation and living out of the received teaching.”

The report sets out practical ways, born of pastoral experience and faith, to renew marriage and family and to help redirect modernity to the Gospel, not the reverse approach of accommodating Church doctrine and practice to liberal social agendas, as proposed by some synod participants and observers.

The document speaks of the need to acknowledge honestly the clash of values between contemporary society and the Gospel.

“The Church and the dominant secular cultures of our countries have a very divergent understanding of marriage,” the priests write. “We note with concern that destructive secular ideologies — founded on a false understanding of man — are gaining ground in the policies and laws of our respective states.”

“The goals of the Church in creating a Gospel society,” they add, “are far from governmental acceptance and promotion of cohabitation, divorce, same-sex relationships, contraception and abortion.”

 

Seizing the Moment

The organization displays a tone of confidence that now is the moment to engage non-Gospel-based understandings that are already proving flawed. “There is a sense of this being a moment to seize, to shape a better future,” they write.

A large number of English-speaking bishops, priests and deacons are represented in the document, which deals with every issue from cohabitation to artificial contraception.

They quote one lay advocate involved in the support of family life who, after reading the document, said: “If this report is taken seriously, the synod can now finally draw a line; we can move on positively, leaving dissent behind, and working to rebuild our culture.”

The paper does not recognize any tension between compassion rightly understood and staying faithful to the Gospel. “The Church can be compassionate and present, through her ministers and lay faithful, without compromising the call to repentance, to those who have distanced themselves from the call of the Gospel,” they write.

On the issue of Communion for the divorced and remarried, the document states:

“The Church can never lose her prophetic role in calling people to repentance — but where her pastors fail to proclaim this, they obscure her essential mission. This is part of the original kerygma, and the call to conversion from sinful states and life choices remains an integral part of the Gospel call. The first obligation of the Church, and the greatest charity, is the salvation of souls, and therefore maintaining souls in the state of sanctifying grace — all other human considerations are secondary to this. An inversion of this principle would be radically inconsistent with the constant tradition of the Church, and indeed with the Gospel. An attempt to accommodate sacramentally those living in objective states of sin would undermine both moral and sacramental theology and practice and separate them to an ever-wider degree.”  

On the matter concerning homosexuality:

“In the wake of the ‘sexual revolution,’ whole societies must realize anew that the human sexual faculty is very volatile, and that due to fallen human nature, our sexual tendencies are not always properly ordered to spousal union and procreation. No person should be treated unjustly due to temptations and tendencies. Unconditional love and acceptance of the person, however, does not mean acceptance of a sexual ideology or lifestyles contrary to the Gospel. Catholics need to resist accepting same-sex attraction as a normal and proper functioning of human sexuality.”

The document also gives practical ways to handle very difficult situations, such as moving people away from cohabitation and pastoral care of children raised by same-sex parents. And it gives ideas for the renewal of the family in society and in the parishes and new suggestions for augmenting appreciation of the rich ecclesial teaching on human sexuality.

 

Antidote to the Contraceptive Culture

The document is essentially “a comprehensive overview” of the issues confronting the synod, the authors say.

Furthermore, they see the lack of appreciation of the teaching of Humanae Vitae (The Regulation of Birth) as crucial. “At root in so many of the challenges facing the Church in relation to marriage, sexuality and the family is the widespread use, promotion and practice of contraception and the contraceptive ideology,” they write.

Conversely, the authors assert, is to renew the culture, based on marriages and families open to life.

The paper states, “When the Church’s teaching is known — not in a superficial manner — but in its depth and richness, people gladly put it into practice and are noticeably blessed in doing so. The best advertisement for Catholic family teaching comes from the fruitfulness and joy exhibited by those who follow the teaching and make it their own.”  

The document, which is serious but respectful and hopeful in tone, ends on a prayerful note: “May the beauty of the sacrament of marriage shine forth once more, re-energizing evangelization by making present throughout the world, among human families, the mystery of love between Christ and the Church. To the fulfillment of this hope, we rededicate our priestly ministry and direct our priestly prayer.”  

Edward Pentin is the Register’s Rome correspondent.