Speaker: Francis had everyone talking about the family

As the English-language press assistant for the Synod of Bishops on the Family held Oct. 4-25 at the Vatican, Basilian Father Thomas Rosica had a first-hand view of all the ins and the outs of the event. He shared his reflections on the synod with alumni, students and faculty at Loyola University Chicago on Nov. 12.

“What Francis has done is to revive the synod of bishops and to recapture what the fathers of the Second Vatican Council had in mind when they asked Paul VI in 1965, ‘How can we keep this memory and dynamic and this fraternity and this vision alive?’” said Rosica, who is also CEO of Canada’s Salt and Light Media Foundation.

“Francis has revived this wonderful institution and he’s got the world talking and he’s got the church rethinking who we are and how we can be better and relate to people,” Rosica said.

The synod is an assembly of bishops from around the world who assist the Holy Father by providing counsel on important questions facing the church in a manner that preserves the church’s teaching and strengthens her internal discipline, according to the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This was the first time a synod took place in two gatherings over a year’s time. Usually they only meet once for a few weeks. After the 2014 synod, Pope Francis asked dioceses around the world to provide feedback on the state of the family on the local level. That feedback was incorporated into this year’s synod, in which Archbishop Cupich took part as a papal appointee.

What does Rosica say surfaced from the synod?

1) There is a renewed recognition of the beauty and importance of marriage and family life. The family’s “indispensable nature, not only for the individual but for the human race,” was absolutely clear, the priest said.

2) In order for the church to be effective and present it must become a listening church. That means listening to the people and the messiness of their lives — divorce, domestic violence, sexual abuse in families, pornography. The church is open to everyone, not the perfect.

3) The church must express the pathway of accompaniment. “Francis has used this from the beginning of his papacy — accompaniment and ‘encuentro’ — to meet people and to encounter them but also to accompany them.”

4) There is a need for discernment. “Discernment is a very disturbing reality for most people,” Rosica said. “Because discernment means taking time to think, to weigh all of the options and to invoke the Holy Spirit in the whole process.” Discernment at the synod related especially to ministering to divorced and remarried Catholics.

“We need to ask real questions in these situations such as: How did you behave toward your children in the marriage during in time of crisis? Did you seek reconciliation and try to heal the marriage before the breakup? What is the situation of the abandoned spouse? No matter how vicious or brutal the breakup, that person remains a human being. What were the consequences of the breakup of the marriage on the families around you and on wider society?”

A strong emphasis on marriage preparation, something that doesn’t end with the marriage ceremony, surfaced too. Last year a Jesuit priest shared with the synod how it takes 12 years and lots of formation to become a Jesuit priest, but for many married couples in the church they need only attend a weekend of formation for a similar lifetime commitment, Rosica said.

5) The family is not the object of our concern but it is the subject in God’s plan. “The family is the instrument of God’s compassion, love and mercy toward others — especially those who are poor, marginalized,” Rosica said.

At the end, what message is Pope Francis sending the church? “A ringing affirmation of marriage, of family life and the public acknowledgement of the complexities of what this family life means,” Rosica said.