Looking at family with mercy lens

After what was acclaimed as a very impressive visit of Pope Francis to Cuba and the US, the attention of the Catholic world is now back on the Vatican, where 279 priests and bishops are gathered to discuss the family yet again.

The synod that got under way last Sunday is a sequel to the extraordinary general assembly of bishops that took place last year around this time. The present gathering aims “to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines” for the care of the person in the context of the family.

Among the delegates of the synod, the highest level meeting in the Catholic church, are 17 married couples and 17 other individuals who have been invited to attend and speak; the latter group includes also 13 women, three of whom are religious nuns.

What can we expect from this synod? The pope has clearly stated that it is not going to change church teaching regarding marriage and family, but will focus instead on a more merciful and pastoral application of the official position. It is likely that some delegates would like to revisit the theology of “graduality” – the position that an individual reaches the ideal of Christ’s teaching over a period of time as a result of a process.

This could be true also in the ideals of marriage and family. And what the church can do is to accompany the faithful in that journey towards perfection. 

Has Pope allowed divorce and abortion?

It is in line with this approach that some canonical procedures are being made more humane. About a month ago, the Vatican issued a “motu proprio” (similar to a gazetted information from a government) regarding nullity of marriages. This has been grossly misunderstood by some sections of the media as if the Vatican has relaxed its teaching on marriage, and even suggesting that divorces are now possible within the Catholic Church.

The new ruling in fact is about speeding up the process of procuring nullity for invalid church-celebrated weddings where there is sufficient evidence to that effect. For example, if it can be established beyond reasonable doubt that there was no free consent between partners, then that marriage could be declared null and void.

Previously in such cases the couple required two affirmative sentences. That is, if the diocesan “court” gave a positive verdict that this marriage was indeed invalid, the case had to be heard again to receive a second affirmative sentence for the union to be declared legally invalid. The present ruling is that one affirmative sentence is sufficient to nullify an invalid marriage. In very obvious cases of impediments (with which the wedding was celebrated), the Diocesan Bishop himself can declare the nullity of such union.

This move, at its core, is very pastoral because previously as the couples in question waited for their case to be resolved – which obviously took a long time – they were not allowed to receive Holy Communion. Now, since the case will be speeded up they don’t need to be in a limbo regarding their status within the Catholic community. The speeding up of the procedure is indeed in line with the pope’s agenda of mercy and inclusion.

What about Abortion?

Similarly, it is not true that “the pope relaxes rules on abortion,” as many tabloids announced the new position of the Vatican on the absolution of the sin related to abortion. It has been a long-standing tradition that while Catholics went to confession with the sin of procuring, or assisting in procuring an abortion, an ordinary priest could not absolve such a sin, because procuring an abortion implied excommunication – that is, the person in question has put themselves outside the believing community. In such cases, the penitent has still to go to the Bishop of the diocese or to priests designated for this purpose by the Bishop, and have the sin absolved so as to be able to continue to participate in Holy Communion. 

However, during the year of mercy that the Pope has now declared, which will last from December 8, 2015 (the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council) until November 20, 2016, a penitent would have the privilege of being absolved by any Catholic priest. It should be noted that this privilege is reserved for the course of the year of mercy alone.  

What could new at the present synod?

Back to the synod now in progress, as Pope Francis said at the opening mass of the synod, the church will consider how to embrace in charity those who are not able to live up to the Christian standards. The Pope has also warned against polarised debates. “The synod is not a conference or a parlour, nor is it a parliament or a senate where we come to an agreement,” he said. Rather, it is the Church journeying together “to interpret reality with the eyes of faith and the heart of God.”

In terms of methodology, it is expected that this time round the usual post-synodal apostolic exhortation will not be issued. The matters may be left open-ended for continued consideration at the level of the local churches. Those who believe that religion is about law and order might find it difficult to embrace the mind of the pope. However, he is bent on decentralisation of the church in matters of procedure, and rather focus on the experience of God in Jesus.