Pope tells cardinals to tackle divisive family issues with courage
By Philip Pullella
Pope Francis looks on as he arrives to lead a special consistory for the family in the Paul VI's …
By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday urged cardinals gathered to discuss family-related issues such as contraception, cohabitation, divorce and gay relationships to be "intelligent, courageous and loving" in their debate.
He was opening two days of closed-door sessions with some 185 cardinals from around the world to prepare for an autumn synod of bishops that will discuss the issues at greater length.
"We are called to make known God's magnificent plan for the family and to help spouses joyfully experience this plan in their lives, as we accompany them amidst so many difficulties, even with a pastoral plan that is intelligent, courageous and full of love," Francis told the cardinals.
While there is no possibility that the Church will change its teachings against
abortion and gay marriage, many Catholics hope that the autumn synod could lead to modifications of its stance on other family-related issues, notably divorce.
Catholics who have divorced and remarried without a Church annulment are now barred from receiving communion. A growing number of Church officials believe the ban should be lifted, or annulments made easier, to welcome such Catholics back into full participation in the 1.2 billion-member Church.
In his address to the cardinals, meeting in what is known as an "extraordinary consistory", Francis said the Church leaders should "seek to deepen the theology of the family and discern the pastoral practices which our present situation requires".
SURVEYS SHOW DISSENT
In preparation for the autumn synod, the Vatican asked local churches to survey their faithful about teachings on sexual morality related to the family.
Bishops in some countries, including Britain, opted not to publish their findings, but those published by German, Swiss and Japanese bishops showed that many people did not know Church teachings fully or rejected them as unrealistic and heartless.
They showed that most Catholics in those countries disputed bans on contraception, premarital or gay sex and criticized the rules regarding divorced Catholics.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday urged cardinals gathered to discuss family-related issues such as contraception, cohabitation, divorce and gay relationships to be "intelligent, courageous and loving" in their debate.
He was opening two days of closed-door sessions with some 185 cardinals from around the world to prepare for an autumn synod of bishops that will discuss the issues at greater length.
"We are called to make known God's magnificent plan for the family and to help spouses joyfully experience this plan in their lives, as we accompany them amidst so many difficulties, even with a pastoral plan that is intelligent, courageous and full of love," Francis told the cardinals.
While there is no possibility that the Church will change its teachings against
abortion and gay marriage, many Catholics hope that the autumn synod could lead to modifications of its stance on other family-related issues, notably divorce.
Catholics who have divorced and remarried without a Church annulment are now barred from receiving communion. A growing number of Church officials believe the ban should be lifted, or annulments made easier, to welcome such Catholics back into full participation in the 1.2 billion-member Church.
In his address to the cardinals, meeting in what is known as an "extraordinary consistory", Francis said the Church leaders should "seek to deepen the theology of the family and discern the pastoral practices which our present situation requires".
SURVEYS SHOW DISSENT
In preparation for the autumn synod, the Vatican asked local churches to survey their faithful about teachings on sexual morality related to the family.
Bishops in some countries, including Britain, opted not to publish their findings, but those published by German, Swiss and Japanese bishops showed that many people did not know Church teachings fully or rejected them as unrealistic and heartless.
They showed that most Catholics in those countries disputed bans on contraception, premarital or gay sex and criticized the rules regarding divorced Catholics.
Addressing the gathering of cardinals, Francis called the family the "fundamental cell of society" and indirectly re-stated the Catholic Church's opposition to gay marriage.
"From the beginning the Creator blessed man and woman so that they might be fruitful and multiply," he said, calling the family an image of "God in the world".
Francis has had a packed week of meetings about reform with top Church officials in Rome before ceremonies on Saturday when he will elevate 19 prelates to the rank of cardinal.
The first three days of sessions focused on overhaul of the Vatican's often troubled finances.
A select group of eight cardinals from around the world advising the Pope gave him their proposals on Wednesday, with one suggesting a new central economic ministry that would incorporate the Holy See's scandal-plagued bank.
The eight cardinals from Italy, Chile, India, Germany, Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States, Australia and Honduras are advising Francis on how to reform the Curia, the Vatican's often dysfunctional central administration.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alistair Lyon)
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