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L’O S S E RVATOR E ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION

Unicuique suum

IN ENGLISHNon praevalebunt

Forty-eighth year, number 43 (2418) Vatican City Friday, 23 October 2015

At the General Audience the Pontiff speaks about the promise of love between sp ouses

Fidelity does notdetract from liberty

Women Church World

The familyin Africa

General congregations and small groups

Synod on the familycontinues

PAGES 4-6

From 25-30 November

Pop e’s schedule in Kenya,Uganda, and the CentralAfrican Republic

PAGE 16PHILOMENA N. MWAU R A ON PAGE 15

CONTINUED ON PA G E 3

50th anniversary of the Synod

The authorityof service

On Saturday, 17 October, PopeFrancis defined the Synod as “one ofthe most precious legacies of theSecond Vatican Council”. The HolyFather said this in an address he de-livered in the Paul VI Hall at thecommemoration of the 50th an-niversary of the Synod’s institution.In his address, he also discussed theauthority of service. “Those who ex-ercise authority”, he said, “are called‘ministers’, because, in the originalmeaning of the word, they are theleast of all. It is in serving the peopleof God that each bishop becomes,for that portion of the flock entrus-ted to him, vicarius Christi”.

Marc Chagall, “We d d i n g ”

In marriage, “liberty and fidelity donot oppose one another, but rather,they support each other”, Pope Francissaid at the General Audience onWednesday, 21 October. Speaking tothe many faithful gathered in StPeter’s Square, he spoke of “thepromise of love and fidelity that aman and woman make to oneanother”. The following is atranslation of the catechesis that theHoly Father gave in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning!In the last meditation we reflectedon the important promises thatparents make to children, fromwhen they are first thought of inlove and conceived in the womb.

We could add that, upon closerexamination, the entire family real-ity is founded on that promise.Consider this carefully: the familyidentity is founded on the promise.One could say that the family liveson the promise of love and fidelitythat a man and a woman make toone another. This includes thecommitment to welcome and raisetheir children; but it is also carriedout in caring for elderly parents, inprotecting and tending to theweakest members of the family, inhelping each other develop theirown qualities and accept their ownlimitations. The conjugal promiseexpands so as to share in the joysand sorrows of all fathers, mothers,

children, with generous opennesswith regard to human coexistenceand to the common good. A familythat is closed in on itself is like acontradiction, a mortification of thepromise that gave birth to it andenables it to live. Never forget: theidentity of a family is always apromise that expands, and it ex-pands to the whole family and alsoto all of humanity.

In our time, honouring fidelityto the promise of family life ap-pears to be very much weakened.On the one hand, because a misun-derstood right to seek one’s ownsatisfaction, at all costs and in anyrelationship, is exalted as a non-negotiable principle of freedom.

On the other hand, because theconstraints of relational life andcommitment for the common goodare entrusted exclusively to the re-quirements of law. But in reality, noone wants to be loved only fortheir assets or by constraint. Love,as well as friendship, owe theirstrength and their beauty to thisvery fact: that they engender abond without taking away freedom.Love is free, the promise of thefamily is free, and this is its beauty.Without freedom there is nofriendship, without liberty there isno love, without free consent thereis no marriage. Thus, liberty and fi-delity do not oppose one another,

At the Canonization Mass on Sunday

The lowest place

PAGE 11

PAGE 8/9

Pope announces new dicasteryfor laity, family and life

On Thursday afternoon, 22 October, at the beginning of the generalcongregation of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father made the follo-wing announcement: “I have decided to establish a new dicastery res-ponsible for laity, family and life, which will replace the PontificalCouncil for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family. ThePontifical Academy for Life will be joined to the new dicastery. To thisend, I have constituted a special commission that will prepare a textcanonically delineating the competencies of the new dicastery. The textwill be submitted to the Council of Cardinals for discussion at theirnext meeting in December”.

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page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 October 2015, number 43

VAT I C A N BULLETINAUDIENCES

Monday, 19 October

Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, FSCB, ofMother of God in Moscow, RussiaTuesday, 20 October

Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thot-tunkal, Major Archbishop ofTrivandrum for Syro-Malankaras,IndiaH.B. Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrakof Alexandria for Copts, Egypt

CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E

The Holy Father appointed BishopRoque Paloschi as Archbishop ofPorto Velho, Brazil. Until now hehas been Bishop of Roraima (14O ct.).

Archbishop Paloschi, 58, was bornin Progresso, Brazil. He was or-dained a priest on 7 December 1986.He was ordained a bishop on 17 July2005, subsequent to his appointmentas Bishop of Roraima.

The Holy Father appointed BishopPablo Virgilio Siongco David asBishop of Kalookan, the Philip-pines. Until now he has been titularBishop of Guardialfiera and Auxili-ary of San Fernando (14 Oct.).

Bishop David, 56, was born inBetis, Guagua, the Philippines. Hewas ordained a priest on 12 March1983. He was ordained a bishop on10 July 2006, subsequent to his ap-pointment as titular Bishop ofGuardialfiera and Auxiliary of SanFernando, the Philippines.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop José Ángel Divas-són Cilvetti, SDB, titular Bishop ofBamaccora, from his office as VicarApostolic of Puerto Ayacucho,Venezuela. It was presented in ac-cord with can. 401 § 1 of the Codeof Canon Law (14 Oct.).The Holy Father appointed FrJonny Eduardo Reyes Sequera, SDB,as Vicar Apostolic of Puerto Ay-acucho, Venezuela, assigning himthe titular Episcopal See of Canapi-um. Until now he has been masterof novices (14 Oct.).

Bishop-elect Sequera, 63, wasborn in Caracas, Venezuela. Heholds a degree in theology and a li-cence in moral theology. He madehis perpetual vows for the order ofthe Salesians of Don Bosco and wasordained a priest on 8 December1979. He has served as: promoter ofvocations; local vicar and superior ofthe San Luca Seminary in Caracas;provincial counsellor and local su-perior of the Don Bosco College inValencia; provincial vicar and pro-vincial superior.

The Holy Father appointed Fr LuisAlbeiro Maldonado Monsalve from

the clergy of Medellín, Colombia, asBishop of Mocoa-Sibundoy, Colom-bia. Until now he has been parishpriest of Nuestra Señora del Rosarioin Bello and Episcopal Vicar for thenorth area of the archdiocese (15O ct.).

Bishop-elect Maldonado Mon-salve, 57, was born in Fredonia,Colombia. He holds a licence inspiritual theology. He was ordaineda priest on 5 July 1986. He hasserved in parish ministry and as:spiritual director of the major semin-ary; professor and chaplain at thePontifical University in Bolivia; ad-ministrator of the Padre Arcilapriestly society.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop Gabriel Mmole ofMtwara, Tanzania. It was presentedin accord with can. 401 § 1 of theCode of Canon Law (15 Oct.).The Holy Father appointed BishopTitus Joseph Mdoe as Bishop ofMtwara, Tanzania. Until now he hasbeen titular Bishop of Baanna andAuxiliary of Dar-es-Salaam, Tan-zania (15 Oct.).

Bishop Mdoe, 54, was born inLushoto, Tanzania. He was ordaineda priest on 24 June 1986. He was or-dained a bishop on 1 May 2013, sub-sequent to his appointment as titularBishop of Baanna and Auxiliary ofDar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

The Holy Father appointed FrEdgardo Cedeño Muñoz, SVD, asBishop of Penonomé, Panama. Untilnow he has been parish priest ofVirgen de la Medalla Milagrosa par-ish in Panama (15 Oct.).

Bishop-elect Cedeño Muñoz, 55,was born in Panama. He made hisperpetual vows for the Society ofthe Divine Word and was ordaineda priest on 28 October 1989. He hasserved in parish ministry and as:master of postulants; provincialcounselor of the Province of Colom-bia; provincial superior and regionaltreasurer; chaplain to the Sisters ofMary Queen of Peace School,Bogotá.

The Holy Father appointed FrGeorge Desmond Tambala, O CD, asBishop of Zomba, Malawi. Untilnow he has been definitor general ofthe Discalced Carmelite Fathers (15O ct.).

Bishop-elect Tambala, 46, wasborn in Zomba, Malawi. He madehis solemn profession for the Car-melites and was ordained a priest on13 April 1996. He holds a licence intheology. He has served in parishministry and as: master of postu-lants; professor of spirituality; pro-vincial superior and delegate for theCarmelites in Malawi; president ofthe Association of Superiors Majorof Malawi.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop Andrej Imrich, tit-ular Bishop of Castellum Titulian-um, from his office as Auxiliary ofthe Diocese of Spiš, Slovakia. It waspresented in accord with cann. 411and 401 § 2 of the Code of CanonLaw (15 Oct.).The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop Giuseppe Or-landoni of Senigallia, Italy. It waspresented in accord with can. 401 § 1of the Code of Canon Law (17 Oct.).The Holy Father appointed MsgrFrancesco Manenti as Bishop ofSenigallia, Italy. Until now he hasbeen vicar general of the Diocese ofCrema; parish priest and professorof theology (17 Oct.).

Bishop-elect Manenti, 64, wasborn in Sergnano, Italy. He holds alicence in theology. He was ordaineda priest on 28 June 1975. He hasserved in parish ministry and as:chaplain; spiritual director of theseminary of Crema; teacher at theDante Alighieri diocesan school;head of the diocesan centre for spir-ituality and director of the diocesanoffice for the family.

The Holy Father appointed MsgrJosé Melitón Chávez from the clergyof Tucumán, as Bishop of Añatuya,Argentina. Until now he has beenparish priest of El Salvador parish(17 Oct.).

Bishop-elect Chávez, 58, was bornin Romero Pozo, Argentina. He wasordained a priest on 29 November1985. He has served in parish min-istry and as: vicar forane; formator,vice-rector and then rector of themajor seminary of Tucumán; as-sessor of Catholic Action; vicar gen-eral; episcopal vicar for solidarity;member of the presbyterial counciland college of consultors.

The Holy Father appointed Fr JoséLuis Henao Cadavid from the clergyof Jericó, as Bishop of Libano-Honda, Colombia. Until now he hasbeen parish priest of Nuestra Señorade las Mercedes parish in Andes (17O ct.).

Bishop-elect Henao Cadavid, 61,was born in Andes, Colombia. Heholds a licence in canon law. He wasordained a priest on 15 December1979. He has served in parish min-istry and as: rector of the minorseminary in Jericó; defender of thebond, judge in the ecclesiasticaltribunal of Medellín; diocesan del-egate for the social and layapostolate; diocesan vicar; rector ofthe major diocesan seminary.

SPECIAL ENVOY

The Holy Father appointed Cardin-al Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríg-uez, Archbishop of Santo Domingo,as his Special Envoy to the celebra-tion of the Fifth Centenary of theCity of Cumanà, Venezuela, wherethe evangelization of South Americabegan. The celebration will be heldon 27 November 2015 (17 Oct.).

CARDINALS TA K E POSSESSION

On 18 October, Cardinal Berhaneye-sus Demerew Souraphiel, CM, Arch-bishop of Addis Ababa, Ethiopiatook possession of the Title of SanRomano Martire.On 18 October, Cardinal José LuisLacunza Maestrojuán, OAR, Bishopof David, Panama, took possessionof the Title of San Giuseppe daCop ertino.On 21 October, Cardinal CharlesMaung Bo, SDB, Archbishop of Yan-gon, Myanmar, took possession ofthe Title of Sant’Ireneo a Centocelle.

NECROLO GY

Bishop Salvador T. Modesto, titularBishop of Margum, and formerAuxiliary of San Carlos, the Philip-pines, at age 85 (11 Oct.).Archbishop Ignazio Cannavò, Arch-bishop emeritus of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela, Italy, at age93 (19 Oct.).Archbishop Alessandro Plotti, Arch-bishop emeritus of Pisa, Italy, at age83 (19 Oct.).

False information about the Pope’s healthThe unfounded news regarding the Pope’s health was spread on Tuesdayevening in a completely irresponsible way by Italian newspapers. Thou-sands of people in St Peter’s Square saw the Pope for themselves onWednesday at the General Audience and even the Substitute of the Se-cretariat of State, Archbishop Angelo Becciu (@AngeloBecciu) tweeted:“I saw the Pope last night. He is doing very well and in great shape!What’s all this uproar about his health?” . The Director of the Holy SeePress Office, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, made a statement during thenight, underlining that the information is entirely untrue. He continued,saying: “I am telling you this, after verifying with the appropriate sources,including the Holy Father”. The timing of this reveals an intent to mani-pulate and create unnecessary consternation.

number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3

At the General AudienceCONTINUED FROM PA G E 1

but rather, they support each other,both in interpersonal and social rela-tionships. Indeed, let us consider thedamage they cause, in the culture ofglobal communication, the escala-tion of unkept promises, in variousfields, and the condonation of infi-delity to the word given and to com-mitments undertaken!

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, fi-delity is a promise of commitmentthat is self-fufilling, growing in freeobedience to the word given. Fidel-ity is a form of trust that “wants” tobe truly shared, and a hope that“wants” to be cultivated together.Speaking of fidelity it comes tomind what our elderly folk, ourgrandparents, tell us: ‘In thosetimes, when one made an accord, ahandshake was enough, because

there was fidelity to promises made.And this too, which is a social fact,has its origin in the family, in a manor woman’s handshake, in order togo forward together, for their wholelife.

Faithfulness to promises is a truemasterpiece of humanity! If we lookat its bold beauty, we are frightened,but if we disregard its courageoustenacity, we are lost. No relationshipof love — no friendship, no form ofloving, no happiness in the commongood — reaches the height of ourdesire and of our hope, if this mir-acle does not come to dwell in thesoul. I say “miracle” because thepower and persuasion of fidelity, inspite of everything, do not end upenchanting us or astonishing us.Honouring the word given, fidelityto the promise, cannot be bought

vealed a decisive truth for the bondof the Lord and the Church, mean-ing that the Church herself findshere a blessing to safeguard andfrom which to always learn, even be-fore teaching it and regulating it.Our fidelity to the promise is alwaysentrusted to the grace and mercy ofGod. Love for the human family, forbetter or for worse, is a point ofhonour for the Church! May Godallow us to be worthy of this prom-ise. Let us also pray for the SynodFathers: may the Lord bless theirwork, performed with creative fidel-ity, with the confidence that He,first, the Lord — He first! — is faith-ful to his promises. Thank you.

SPECIAL GREETINGS

I greet the English-speaking pil-grims and visitors taking part into day’s Audience, including thosefrom England, Scotland, Ireland,Denmark, Norway, China, Indone-sia, Japan, Malaysia, Canada andthe United States of America. In aparticular way I greet the parti-cipants in the meeting of the Inter-national Diaconate Center. Godbless you all!

I address a cordial welcome toItalian-speaking faithful.

I exhort everyone in this monthdedicated to missions to accompanywith prayer and concrete help themissionary apostolate of the Churchin the neediest countries.

I direct a special thought to youngpeople, the sick and newlyweds. To-morrow is the liturgical memorial ofSt John Paul II. Dear young people,may his life’s witness be an examplefor your journey; dear sick people,may you bear with joy the cross ofsuffering as he taught us through hisexample; and may you, dear newly-weds, seek his intercession so thatlove may never be lacking in yournew family.

To prevent unauthorized possession

Property of minorities to be protected by Iraqi government

A Christian house in Iraq marked by Islamic extremists on the rightwith the symbol “n” for Nazarenes

Vatican Radiowebsite now in

Ko re a n

On Friday, 9 October, the day onwhich South Korea celebratesKorean Language Day, VaticanRadio opened a web page in thelanguage of the Asian country.The initiative gained momentumfollowing Pope Francis’ visit inthe summer 2014, and was organi-zed in collaboration with theCatholic Bishops’ Conference ofKorea and the Embassy of theRepublic of Korea to the HolySee. The website (http://kr.radio-vaticana.va) was launched at 10am in Rome (5 pm in Korea).With the addition of Korean,Va t i c a n Radio is now available in39 languages, and 13 different al-phab ets.

every society lives,without being ableto guarantee it inany other way. It isno accident that thisprinciple of fidelityto the promise oflove and of life iswritten in God’s cre-ation as a perennialblessing, to whichthe world is entrus-ted.

If St Paul couldaffirm that in the fa-milial bond there isalso mysteriously re-

At the General Audience, Pope Francis greeted Sr Matilde Del Col,

a Franciscan missionary of Mary, who turned 90 years old on

Tuesday, 20 October. Sr Del Col has worked in the Vatican for

40 years in the tapestry workshop. In September she celebrated the

70th anniversary of her religious profession.

and sold. They can-not be compelled byforce or shieldedwithout sacrifice.

No other schoolcan teach the truthof love, if the familydoes not do it. Nolaw can impose thebeauty and legacy ofthis treasure of hu-man dignity, if thepersonal bondbetween love andprocreation is not in-scribed in our flesh.

Brothers and sis-ters, it is necessary torestore social honourto the fidelity oflove: restore socialhonour to the fidelityof love! It is neces-sary to remove fromconcealment thedaily miracle of mil-lions of men and wo-men who repristinateits foundation in thefamily, of which

Iraq’s government will adopt apackage of measures to protect theproperty of Christians who haveleft the country, in order to preventtheir lands and homes from unlaw-ful changes in ownership duringtheir absence. Haidar al-Zamili, theIraqi Minister of Justice, an-nounced the new regulations in astatement that also provided detailson the measures under considera-tion.

In particular — Fides News Agencyrep orted — tighter control will beestablished for buying, selling andtransferring the ownership of prop-erties belonging to Christians, inorder to deter fraud and the possib-ility for unauthorized expropri-ation. Regarding the sale of prop-erty, negotiations must be conduc-ted by the owner of the property orby a delegated family member.Transactions regarding propertymust in any case be attested to withcertificates issued directly by theseller and buyer.

production of falsi-fied documents,making recovery bythe rightful ownersimpossible. Thephenomenon hastaken hold due tocollusion and coverups by corrupt anddishonest officials,who place them-selves at the serviceof individual im-posters and organ-ized groups of conartists. “Legalized”theft of the proper-ties of Christianfamilies is a collat-eral effect of the

In recent years, especially inBaghdad and in the area of Kirkuk,many lands and houses belonging toChristians who emigrated abroadhave been illegally confiscated fromtheir rightful owners through the

mass exodus of Iraqi Christians. LastJuly, Louis Raphaël Sako, the Patri-arch of Babylon for Chaldeans, ap-pealed to political and institutionalauthorities, calling for greater protec-tion.

page 4 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 October 2015, number 43

The general congregations continue

Many prayers for the SynodThe Church must never be an insti-tution that renders “invisible” thefamilies throughout the world whosuffer the denial of the most basicrights, such as the lack of work or ofa home, or from terrible issues suchas hunger and violence. On the con-trary, she is called to respond to themany expectations of the people, bywitnessing with mercy to the truthof Christ regarding mankind and thefamily. This was one of the manykey points presented at the Synodon Thursday morning, 15 October,during the 10th general congrega-tion. There were interventions by 43of the 262 Synod Fathers present atthe assembly, which was opened andclosed with prayers led by PopeFrancis, and was presided by Car-dinal Tagle. Cardinal Koch, Cardin-al Piacenza, Cardinal Turkson, Car-dinal Bagnasco, Cardinal Mafi, Car-dinal Kasper, Cardinal Mamberti,Cardinal Sturla Berhouet, CardinalBraz de Aviz, Patriarch Laham, andtwo Italian parish priests wereamong the speakers.

The interventions were explicitwith regard to the commitment tobe truly alongside every family, sup-porting each one. The primacy ofgrace was spoken of several times, aswas the need of pastoral fellowshipthat must not be exhausted, espe-cially in the decisive period of pre-paration for marriage. A carefulformation of young people who in-

to hear interventions on the thirdpart of the Instrumentum laboris. In-cluded among them were addressesby Cardinal Vingt-Trois himself,Cardinal Coccopalmerio, CardinalRobles Ortega, Cardinal SalazarGómez, Cardinal Alencherry, Car-dinal Marx, Archbishop AguiarRetes, Archbishop Lyrio Rocha, andArchbishop Arreguy Yarza.

There was discussion, from vari-ous parties, of pastoral experiencesregarding the many married couplesin need of special support, such asin the case of divorced people whoremarry civilly. It was noteworthythat specific pastoral ministry hasbeen instituted for them in somedioceses. The goal is to spirituallyaccompany these couples and guidethem to a full understanding ofCatholic teaching, and to do sowithout fixating only on whether ornot to grant requests for Eucharisticcommunion, but sharing their jour-ney, living beside them, understand-ing their problems.

On the topic of communion to re-married divorced people, it first hadto be noted that in some situations

there is need for specific discern-ment and examination. Such is thecase of persons who sincerely wantto change their illicit circumstances,but for whom it is impossible to re-move the obstacle of cohabitation,preventing them from achievingtheir intentions.

When these situations comeabout, a careful examination isneeded by a priest authorized by thebishop. It is thus appropriate to re-quire from these faithful an exem-plary Christian life, which particu-larly includes attending Mass andperforming works of charity.

There were many invitations to re-flect on the way that the Church canhelp heal the wounds of the modernfamily. In this regard, the need forconversion was highlighted, and thatof a new evangelization that involvesnot only those furthest removed butthe entire Christian community. Inorder to prevent the failure of manymarriages, the need for better pre-paration of engaged couples was in-sisted upon. For this reason, manySynod Fathers spoke of the urgencyof a more effective and precise peri-od of preparation for marriage. Inparticular, there was a proposal fororganizing an online course thatwould at least offer and present thebasic principles of the sacrament,also fostering a couple’s support sys-tem. It was also asked that pastorsbe always available to go to meetwith married couples and, with truepastoral creativity, to try to makethese people feel that someone islistening to them, accompanyingthem, advising them. This path ofdiscernment should be offered espe-cially to those who remarry after di-v o rc e .

In the course of the open discus-sions, it was also suggested that areference to migrant families be in-cluded in the final report. At theclose of the ninth general congrega-tion, the 100th birthday of CardinalLoris Capovilla was acknowledged.

nesday afternoon,14 October, byconfiding to theSynod Fathersthat many peopleare praying forthe Synod, fol-lowing it as it un-folds, accompa-nying them. Heshared thisthought, recount-ing that he hadreceived such as-surances thatmorning duringthe greetings atthe GeneralAudience. Fol-lowing his words,238 Synod Fath-ers, presided byCardinal Vingt-Trois, continued

John XXIII’s secretary turns 100 years oldOn 14 October, CardinalLoris Francesco Capovilla,who served for many yearsas Pope John XXIII’s person-al secretary, celebrated his100th birthday.

In honour of Cardinal Ca-p ovilla’s birthday, a freebooklet has been published,which briefly describes theC a rd i n a l ’s life experiencesthrough various texts, in-cluding a never-before-pub-lished homily by AngeloRoncalli given on 15 Septem-ber 1915. The booklet en-titled, Cento anni [100 years],was printed by the Cor-ponove Publishing House inB e rg a m o .

Pope Francis incardinatedCapovilla on 22 February2014.

Katie M. Berggren, “Like Minded”

and of true conversion. It was alsostated that it is important to speakthe truth in charity without makingcompromises to please the modernworld. Indeed, the truth cannot havetwo sides, one doctrinal and the oth-er pastoral. Just as there is no com-parison between truth and mercy.Moreover, prudence and spiritualdiscernment are other key words forbuilding truth in charity.

Therefore, it was emphasized, achange in Catholic doctrine is notcalled for, but certainly a change in

tend to wed was one of the most re-current topics of the discourses.

The discussion on preparation tothe Sacrament of Marriage alsobrought out the proposal that for-giveness be sought for the careless-ness and incapacity of responses, onmany occasions and in many par-ishes, to the issues of families, espe-cially those who have suffered apainful split. For this reason, it wasstated, truly prepared pastoral work-ers are needed, especially those whoare open and willing to listen.

It is essential that families in diffi-culty be never left to themselves.Many of the speakers pointed to apath of ever greater integration andparticipation in the life of the eccle-sial community, perhaps throughpenitential ways of reconciliation

spectives, with issues related to Is-lam, Buddhism, and the serious is-sue of polygamy. There was also arecommendation that the theologyof marriage be expanded in the con-text of ecumenical dialogue.

As previously indicated, the work-ers’ preparation for tribunal serviceis to be redesigned, particularly inthe wake of the recent procedural re-form, which entails greater respons-ibility and discernment along withscientific competence and humanity.

Lastly the tragedy of so manyChristian families in Syria wasbluntly raised. The question is howto help Christian families remain intheir homelands and not seek a bet-ter future abroad?

The Pope opened the work of theninth general congregation on Wed-

attitude toward those who,for various reasons, are atthe margins of Church life.It was also suggested that,rather than adapting to theadvancing system of secu-larism, or forming a club ofperfect people who avoidgetting dirty, to instead beable to enter into open dia-logue, while always main-taining one’s own Christiani d e n t i t y.

There were also refer-ences to responsible procre-ation and to the import-ance of adoption. Repeatedseveral times was the callfor a clearer language, un-derstandable to all.

The theme of mixedmarriages, in their positiveand negatives aspects, wasaddressed from various per-

A sketch of John XXIII and Loris Francesco Capovilla(Trento Longaretti, 2000)

number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 5

Fraternal delegates and auditors speak at the Synod

With a woman’s gazethe consideration and discernmentnecessary in certain situations. Inthe presence Pope Francis, and un-der the presidency of CardinalTagle, it was announced by the Gen-eral Secretary, Cardinal Baldisseri,that up to that point there had beeninterventions by 247 Synod Fathersin the various sessions, and that onecontribution had been submitted inwriting. Among the afternoon’s dis-cussions were those of CardinalTettamanzi, Cardinal Filoni, Cardin-al Caffara, Cardinal Menichelli, Car-dinal Danneels, Archbishop OsoroSierra and Archbishop Zékiyan. The249 Synod Fathers were presentedwith various pastoral experiencesand proposals for meeting crises andneeds of families. In particular, itwas highlighted that despite the crit-ical situations that a family mightface, the sacramental grace given inmarriage and which accordingly ex-tends to the family itself, is neveroffered only to be later withdrawn incertain circumstances. On the con-trary, it is man who either ignores ordoes not utilize this treasure, as wastaught by John Paul II. In fact, as itwas explained, it is unthinkable thatChrist would divorce his Church,and that God would thereby aban-don his family. It was pointed outthat in marriage, the sacrament nev-er dies and grace is never with-drawn, indeed it may be revived ifthere is a little faith, forgiveness andtruth between spouses and withtheir children. In this regard, it wasexplained that the vocation of mar-riage and family life are not ad tem-pus, and need, every day, to bechosen, renewed and confirmed, asis the case for the priestly vocationand for consecrated life. In themany countries where the Churchesare young and evangelization is re-

The session, which involved 262Synod Fathers, began with a gestureof ecumenism, as 12 fraternal deleg-ates were the first to speak. AllChristians — the underlying themeof the interventions — should finally,with a clear and common language,speak for and about the family, sothat the family may prove to be thepreferred path to unity. In this per-spective, a key role is that of mixedmarriages which, as reiterated notonly by Catholics, are never a prob-lem but rather an opportunity fordialogue and mutual understanding.

In expressing their point of view,particularly regarding issues closelyrelated to families, the delegates didnot hide their common commitmenttowards the full unity of all Christi-ans. Certain delegates, such asRobert K. Welsh, expressed thisspecifically. Welsh, a representativeof the Disciples of Christ, recountedhis personal story in this regard: hiswife is Catholic, as are his daughterand grandchildren. The eldest ofthem, Trace, is 14 years old and anexperienced altar boy. Welsh sharedthat he suffers greatly at not beingable to share in the partaking of theEucharist together. Hence he made aheartfelt appeal to achieve full unity.

The Orthodox proposed thecornerstones of the truth aboutChristian marriage as a sacrament.The representative of the Patriarch-ate of Constantinople noted that theChurch does not intend to imposelaws as a pressure group: instead shewants to make mankind feel notorphaned but loved by God even inthis new social environment that isconstantly changing. This continu-ous evolution was also indicated bythe Anglicans, but with the hopethat we never lose sight of the joythat comes precisely from being

people in a non-Catholic environ-ment are closely following the workof the Synod with study and prayer,the delegates brought to Pope Fran-cis and the Synod Fathers thefraternal greetings of the OrthodoxPatriarchs Bartholomew, Irenaeusand Daniel, Tawadros, and the Arch-bishop of Canterbury, among others.

The foremost link between the 12speeches of the fraternal delegatesand the 27 auditors was definitelythe issue of refugees displaced dueto violence in the Middle East.Thomas Schirrmacher, on behalf ofWorld Evangelical Alliance, pro-posed to the Pope the idea of devis-ing an organization in order to col-laborate effectively to ensure accept-ance and a future for the manyChristian families who have beenforced to flee from persecution andare now grappling with new socialcontexts, in which it is not easy tointegrate while maintaining their tra-ditions. This pressing issue was im-mediately resumed at the beginningof the series of the auditor’s discus-sions. The testimonies of manyChristian families were presented inthe meeting hall; testimonies of fam-ilies continuing to live their faithamidst persecution. One issue wasthat of the many Christian familiesliving in Nigeria under the violentthreats of Boko Haram.

The denunciation of all forms ofabuse and violence, especiallyagainst women, was raised severaltimes by auditors, and evoked par-ticularly the voices of families whobelong to or share in communityand missionary experience. Parti-cipants made the proposal for aclear appeal against human traffick-ing which victimizes first and fore-most women with children.

With the tender gaze of women, theSynod embraced the testimonies ofmany families on Friday morning, 16October, especially through thevoices of 23 women auditors, highlyaccomplished in the field, to whom,it was stated, one can always turn inorder to understand what to do,even and especially when confrontedwith myriad problems. Therefore,the 12th general congregation, whichtook up the entire morning, focusedon women and brought real storiesof families into the meeting hall.The discussions, in the presence ofPope Francis, were directed by Del-egate President Cardinal RaymundoDamasceno Assis.

ating speakers were: Suhaila SalimToma; the Marqus Odeeshos, an Ir-aqi couple; Berta María Porras Fal-lasa, a Costa Rican sister; MaríaMarcela Mazzini, an Argentine pro-fessor; and Lucetta Scaraffia, co-ordinator of our monthly “Wo m e nChurch World”.

Previously, the 11th general con-gregation, which took place onThursday afternoon, 15 October, hadbeen characterized by reflection onthe themes of mercy, formation, themission of the family, and also of

cent, Church teaching on marriageand the family must be clear andunderstandable. A suggestion wasproposed in this regard: given thediversity of many cultural, social andreligious situations, the bishops’conferences should be given the op-portunity to study and make propos-als that take into account specificsituations pertaining to marriage,which the Holy See would thenevaluate.

Christians. Without this joy oneruns the risk of boredom and there-fore of feeling completely irrelevant.Also highlighted was the importanceof finding the right words so as tobe understood by the family, espe-cially by young people who wouldlike to get married but are oftenconfused in an ever more secularizedworld.

Methodists stressed the commit-ment to accommodate couples whodo not have children, with specialmention of the courage to chooseadoption. The contribution of theBaptist Alliance focused on the cent-rality of Scripture, along with thesuggestion to clarify that, as statedin their hymn, Jesus is really a friend

The image of the Inn and theGood Samaritan was again proposedin one of the speeches, and broughtback the central issue of true accom-paniment for families. It was notedthat priests are followed throughouttheir mission, while married couples,in the final accounting, follow pre-marital courses which are often fastand end within a couple months. Ex-perience in this field brings forth areason to hope, as many families whotry to live the Christian faith, even inthe midst of difficulties, can bringgood to the predominant society.

The role and dignity of the eld-erly was also emphasized, thosewho, with their sincerity, as do chil-dren with their candour, contributeto an authentic model of family life.The issue of natural methods ofbirth control were proposed alongwith the commitment to oppose theanti-Christian culture that feeds on aglobalized economic and socialcrisis. The Sampo Generation, aterm used in South Korea that refersto giving up courtship, marriage andchildren, due to social pressure andeconomic problems, was addressedand defined in the meeting hall.Among the concrete initiatives forreviving the Christian proposal, wasan interdisciplinary team whichwould have as its protagonists laypeople, especially women, who aretoo seldom spoken of. Their con-crete role is often not recognized, bethey mothers, daughters, grand-mothers or wives.

It would be opportune, finally, forChristian families to be more unitedin offering their witness, and theirfundamental values, beginning withmutual respect, perhaps even usingthe time of their children’s baptismas a privileged place of catechesisand conversion. Among the particip-

to all and especially to thosein need. Lutherans offeredstrong encouragement to con-tinue on this well-establishedpath of dialogue.

For his part, the represent-ative of the Syrian Orthodoxfaith pointed out that theEucharist is not a reward nora compensation nor part of apunishment. The Coptics,while recommending a stead-fast attitude of tendernessand understanding, emphas-ized that it is good to reiter-ate the Church’s teachingwith regard to homosexualityand divorce.

While assuring that many

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With a woman’s gazeCONTINUED FROM PA G E 5

To truly reach wounded familiesand to prevent division betweenspouses, it is necessary that marriedcouples make a sign of fidelity tothe gift of God, but there is alsoneed for pastors and communitiesto become caretakers with tender-ness in the face of human weaknessand to offer the medicine of grace.It was emphasized that ministryought to bring astonishment andhealing mercy to the patientwithout betraying the truth. It isnecessary, therefore, to offer wel-come, understanding, supportiveparticipation, and generous integra-tion that become necessary valuesin forming disciples who are trans-formed into obedient and willingSamaritans. Without these atti-tudes, it was pointed out, one runsthe risk of building a divided king-dom: with the righteous on oneside and the sinners on the other.An invitation was made to reflecton the case of innocent spouseswho have been abandoned. Should

the person who has been aban-doned, and who had undoubtedlylived the grace of his or her spousalvocation, be — by virtue of theabandonment — compelled to a vo-cation of full chastity?

In regard to this issue, a SynodFather made reference to an East-ern practice, dating at least to thesixth century. In this practice, inparticular cases, the EasternChurch, while reiterating the indis-solubility of marriage and with thediscernment of the bishop, wouldallow a penitential rite for thosewho experience a failed marriagewith no possibility of reconstructingit, enabling them to remarry. Therewas an invitation to reflect on theissue with a more careful epikèia.Another Synod Father spoke of thehome of mercy, understood as theplace where God resides in us,where His Spirit dwells within us.The Hebrew word ra h u m i n , whichcorresponds to the Latin termm i s e r i c o rd i a , does not contain theword “heart”, but chooses anotherterm: “bosom, womb”. This is be-

cause, it was explained, the place ofmercy is the space where the ten-derness of the heart reigns, an at-mosphere that resembles thewarmth of the maternal womb. Ref-erence was then made to the thou-sands of people who sent questionsand suggestions for the Synod. Allof this, it was pointed out, camefrom their hearts, because Godlives there. They also spoke of thevictims of silence, those boys andgirls who have been victims of in-cest by parents or siblings. Thesepeople who were abused in theirchildhood should receive particularattention during the Synod’s dis-cussions. Thursday afternoon wasalso an opportunity for three audit-or couples to speak: the Villafanias,a couple couple employed by the“Evangelium Foundation” in thePhilippines; the Witczaks, a couplein charge of the “Worldwide Mar-riage Encounter International Ec-clesial Team” from the UnitedStates of America; and Paloni andCalabrese, an Italian married coupleengaged in pastoral missionary.

Reports of the circuli minores presented at the 14th general congregation

Listening and votingSmall group discussions were heldall day Monday and Tuesday morn-ing, 19-20 October, with regard tothe third part of the Instrumentumlaboris on “The mission of the familyto day”. The reports from the 13 lan-guage groups were then read aloudduring the 14th general congregationheld on Tuesday afternoon, 20 Oc-tob er.

There were 256 Synod Fatherspresent in the hall, with CardinalWilfrid Fox Napier presiding. TheAdsumus prayer was led by PopeFrancis, and the first speaker to fol-low was Metropolitan Hilarion, whobrought Patriarch Kirill’s greeting tothe Pontiff and the assembly. BishopHilarion, the Metropolitan ofVolokolamsk, highlighted that con-temporary society is characterized byan alarming crisis of traditional val-ues and that the stability of Christi-an families is also being underminedby the numerous conflicts that leadto mass migration and therefore tothe breakdown of bonds, and tomore opportunities for mixed mar-riages. Thus, he said, there is needfor common work in the Church todefend the family as a solid founda-tion of society.

After the Metropolitan, the 13 re-lators each presented the report oftheir respective language group. Therelators were: Archbishop Chaput,Archbishop Martin, Cardinal La-cunza Maestrojuán, Cardinal Pia-cenza, Bishop Brambilla, ArchbishopPorras Cardozo, Archbishop Cole-ridge, Archbishop Durocher, Arch-bishop Ulrich, Archbishop Kurtz,Archbishop Koch, Fr Dumortier,and Fr Arroba Conde.

The reports discussed difficultfamily situations, the admission ofdivorced and remarried faithful tocommunion, the pastoral care of ho-mosexuals, and responsible parent-

hood. On the issue of the divorcedand civilly remarried, there is gener-al agreement regarding the need toprovide more effective pastoral ac-companiment for these couples, andespecially for their children. Never-theless various groups expressed per-plexity in relation to what the In-strumentum laboris refers to as a“penitential path”.

Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Por-ras Cardozo expressed the uncer-tainty of Spanish group B regardingthis phrase, suggesting that “p erhapsit would be better to speak about it-ineraries of reconciliation, as thereare some irreversible situations thatcannot be subject to a penitentialpath without the possibility of over-coming this”.

Archbishop Charles JosephChaput remarked that Englishgroup D discussed, among otherthings, the importance of appropri-ate language. For example, it wasproposed that instead of “re f e r r i n gto people in difficult situations as

being ‘excluded’ from the Eucharist,we should say that they ‘abstain’”.

The German group also under-lined “the nexus of language,thought and action in view of a hu-man representation of sexuality”.“An adequate and improved lan-guage is decisive above all to guideadolescents and young people to-ward mature human sexuality”, saidBishop Heiner Koch. Regarding theissue of the divorced and remarriedparticipating in the Eucharist, theGerman group said that they hadconcluded that “there are no simpleor general solutions”. Our “discus-sions clearly demonstrated that clari-fications and in-depth anaylsis isneeded to better examine the com-plexity of such questions in light ofthe Gospel, of Church doctrine, andwith the gift of discernment”.

Archbishop Mark Benedict Cole-ridge of English group C high-lighted that “so much attention ispaid to families in trouble” and“there is not enough focus on theneed to support all families”. Thatbeing said, he continued, “those co-habitating are in a quite differentsituation from those who are di-vorced and civilly remarried”. Fur-thermore, he said, “we also agreed

that cohabitation, though very wide-spread in many cultures now, couldnot be considered a good in itself.We were prepared to recognize thatthere may be good in the relation-ship of those cohabitating ratherthan in cohabitation in some quasi-institutional sense”.

Cardinal Mauro Piacenza of Itali-an group B remarked that “atpresent it is not possible to establishgeneral criteria covering all cases,which are very diverse”. He addedthat “there are divorced and remar-ried faithful who apply themselvesto following the path of the Gospel,offering significant witnesses ofcharity. At the same time, it is un-deniable that in some circumstances,factors are present that limit the pos-sibilities of acting differently. As aconsequence, the judgement on anobjective situation cannot be as-sumed in the judgement on subject-ive ‘impunity’. The limitations andconditions thus become an appeal tothe discernment”, primarily of thebishop, which must be “accurateand respect the complexity of suchsituations”.

The report of English group B —as presented by Archbishop Diar-muid Martin — stressed that “thefamily is not just the object of evan-gelization but an active subject,agent and source of evangelization”.His group asked that a new para-graph on “Marriage, an Expressionof the Goodness of the Gift ofSexuality” be added.

French group A echoed the fearthat any discussion of irregular rela-tionships may be seen as recognitionor even approval of them. Archbish-op Laurent Ulrich of that Frenchgroup also stated that “others thinkthat ignoring these situations wouldindicate that people living in suchcircumstances would not be wel-comed. In turn, it would be verydifficult for us to recommend a pathof conversion to them”.

Regarding the methodology ofthe Synod, French group C repres-ented by Archbishop Paul-AndreDurocher stated that “like agronom-ists who talk about different meth-ods of irrigation, we have discussedthe method of our Synod. Is thiswell-suited to its purpose?”. In anycase, he said, “we have enjoyed thegreat amount of time given to us insmall groups. From our exchanges,the ministry of communion amongour bishops has strongly emerged”.

“The theme of mercy has runthoughout the Synod, challenging

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number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 7

The commemorative report of the Archbishop of Vienna

Let us return to Jerusalemonly a “consulting vote”, but also a“deliberative vote”. Pope Francis hasalways emphasized that the Synod isnot a parliament, which has a differ-ent nature.

Blessed Pope Paul VI institutedthe Synod of Bishops as a new ad-visory body at the level of the uni-versal Church. Of course the bish-ops, as members of the Synod, rep-resent their local Churches, withtheir lives, their joys and concerns.Likewise, the Pastors always alsorepresent the whole People of God.But the bishops are not representat-ives like deputies in parliament.Representation has a different mean-ing within the ecclesial structuregoverned by the principal of com-munion and known for faith.However, faith cannot be represen-ted but only witnessed to.

This is precisely what happenedthen in Jerusalem. The Apostlesbore witness to what they had seenand heard. Allow me to express awish for the future path of the Syn-od of Bishops: let us please take ourorientation from the Council of Jer-usalem! Let us speak in a less ab-stract and detached manner. Let usreciprocally bear witness to what theLord shows us and how we feel hisaction.

I was able to participate in theSynod of the New Evangelization.There were many very interesting in-terventions. But so few gave testi-mony to how we ourselves experi-ence the mission of evangelization.In Jerusalem Peter, Paul and Barna-bas spoke of events and experiences.We too often rest on theories, on the“coulds” and “shoulds”, almost nev-er speaking in a personal manner ofour mission experiences. Neverthe-less this is what our faithful expectof us!

Lastly, and this is precisely the de-cisive point: in Jerusalem the ques-tion was not whether it concerned aconsulting vote or a deliberativevote, but the discernment of the willand way of God. Heated discus-sions, even arguments and intensedispute are naturally part of the syn-odal path. It had been so in Jerus-alem. But the purpose of the de-bates, the purpose of the testimoniesis the common discernment of God’swill. Even when one votes (as at theend of every synod), it is not a

power struggle, the formation ofparties (to which the media so likesto refer), but the process of the com-munal formation of judgment, as wesaw in Jerusalem. The final out-come, so we hope, is not a politicalcompromise on the least commondenominator, but this added value,this surplus which the Holy Spiritgives, so it can be said, at the con-clusion: “It is the decision of theHoly Spirit and of us” (Acts 15:28).

In conclusion: Pope Francis hassaid from the beginning that all thejuridical structures of the Churchmust act so as to become “more mis-sion-oriented”, so that all may be in-spired to assume a missionary atti-tude so as “not to fall prey to a kindof ecclesial introversion” (EvangeliiGaudium, n. 27). Thus the Synod ofBishops, by the sole fact of its beingand its continuation on the path ofmaturation at the service of the Suc-cessors of Peter, is an extremely pre-cious grace, for which we mustthank the Holy Spirit, who sugges-ted to Blessed Paul VI to establish it50 years ago.

For the 50th anniversaryof the SynodOn Saturday, 17 October, in the Paul VI Hall, acommemoration was held for the 50thanniversary of the establishment of the Synod.The current Synod concludes on Sunday, 25October, with a solemn concelebration in StPe t e r ’s Basilica. Participating at the meeting,among others, were the Synod Fathers, fraternaldelegates and auditors currently taking part inthe 14th Ordinary General Assembly, in additionto the diplomatic corps accredited to the HolySee. Present were the General Secretary of theSynod, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, andUndersecretary, Bishop Fabio Fabene; RelatorGeneral of the Assembly, Cardinal Péter Erdő,Special Secretary, Archbishop Bruno Forte, andthe four presiding Delegates: Cardinal AndréVingt-Trois, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle,Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis, CardinalWilfrid Fox Napier. Cardinal Baldisseridelivered an address, which was introduced bythe documentary “Camminando insieme[Walking Together]” on the 50th anniversary ofthe Synod. Cardinal Schönborn then delivered acommemorative report, of which a translation ofexcerpts is published here. Then fiverepresentatives, one from each continent, alsogave addresses.

our pastoral ministry”, concludedItalian group B. “We are awarethat the mystery of the Incarna-tion fully expresses the salvificwill of God. This divine determ-ination has also been entrusted toour mission”.

At the close of the congrega-tion the first vote was held forthe election of the council of theSecretariat of the Synod. Therewere 261 Synod Fathers present.A second vote was held onThursday, 22 October, to elect 12members: three for Africa, threefor the Americas, three forEurope, and three for Asia andOceania. Three members will beadded by pontifical appointment.The General Secretary and Un-dersecretary of the Synod are exofficio members.

CHRISTOPH SCHÖNBORN, OP

Over the course of the last 50 years,the Synod of Bishops has certainlybeen one of the best instruments toimplement the directives of theSecond Vatican Council. In 1983Pope John Paul II was able to af-firm: “The synodal key to readingthe Council has become as it were aplace for interpretation, applicationand development of the Second Vat-ican Council. The rich list of sub-jects treated in the various Synodsalone reveals the importance of itsmeetings for the Church and for theimplementation of the reforms inten-ded by the Council”.

The Synod of Bishops is surelyonly one of the places for interpreta-tion and implementation of the re-forms desired by the Council. Allthe rich variety of the Church’s ex-pressions of life contribute to the re-newal the Council wished, and to abroader interpretation of it.

In the 50 years of its existence,there has been no lack of criticismof the Synod of Bishops or of its ef-ficiency. I do not need to list herethe various points of criticism ex-pressed from time to time. A theme

learned from experience and havebeen improved. Let us look withgratitude at the methodical changesbrought about under Pope BenedictXVI and Pope Francis.

Many important and valid com-ments have been written on the jur-

idical-canonical andecclesiological founda-tion of the Synod. Iam thinking especiallyof the lectio magistralisof 1983 by the thenCardinal JosephRatzinger on the“purposes and meth-ods of the Synod ofBishops”. Here, withhis customary clarity,he expressed histhoughts on the jur-idical and theologicalstatus of the Synod ofBishops throughoutthe Church. His ex-planations have lostnone of their value.

***The success of the

“Synod of Bishops” asan institution will bejudged on its capacityto promote “theC h u rc h ’s life and hermissionary outreach”(Evangelii Gaudium, n.32). The “Synod ofBishops” can truly bea driving force for thenecessary “passage” onall ecclesial levels“from a pastoral min-istry of mere conserva-tion to a decidedlymissionary pastoralministry” (ibid., n. 15).

Listening

often and still discussed is the ques-tion of the Synod’s authority, wheth-er it is an advisory body to supportthe Petrine ministry, or whether italso has full decision-makingpowers. Is the Synod of Bishops aform of co-government of the uni-versal Church? Or is it above all anexpression of collegiality, the effect-ive and affective collegiality amongthe bishops cum et sub Pietro? Therehas also been much discussion onthe method of the Synod. There isoften criticism of aspects of theworking method, and in the courseof the years, some things have been

Clearly the Synod of Bishops isnot a council. It must support thePope in his service to the Churchand, together with him, foster inthose who take part in it “the mis-sionary’s enthusiasm” so dear to StJohn Paul II (Redemptoris Missio, n.45) and to Pope Francis (EvangeliiGaudium, n. 265).

But how can the Synod supportthe Pope in the common missionarydynamic? Here too it may be ofhelp to look at the “original synod”of Jerusalem. For 50 years the ques-tion has been repeatedly asked as towhether the Synod should have, not

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number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 8/9

Pope Francis recalls the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops and likens the Church to an inverted pyramid

The authority of service

Your Beatitudes,Your Eminences,Your Excellencies,Brothers and Sisters,As the Ordinary General Assembly isin full session, this commemoration ofthe 50th anniversary of the institutionof the Synod of Bishops is, for all ofus, a cause for joy, praise and thanks-giving to the Lord. From the time ofthe Second Vatican Council until thepresent Assembly, we have experiencedever more intensely the necessity andbeauty of “journeying together”.

On this happy occasion I offer cor-dial greetings to Cardinal Lorenzo Bal-disseri, the General Secretary, the Un-dersecretary, Archbishop Fabio Fabene,the Officials, the Consultors and theother collaborators in the General Sec-retariat of the Synod of Bishops, thosewho are behind the scenes and worklate each evening. I also greet andthank the Synod Fathers and the otherparticipants in the current Assembly, aswell as all those present.

At this time we also wish to remem-ber those who, in the course of the last50 years, have offered their services tothe Synod, beginning with the success-ive General Secretaries: CardinalWładysław Rubin, Cardinal JozefTomko, Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotteand Archbishop Nikola Eterović. I also

this sort would never be sufficient toperceive the sensus fidei. But how couldwe speak about the family without en-gaging families themselves, listening totheir joys and their hopes, their sorrowsand their anguish?11 Through the an-swers given to the two questionnairessent to the particular Churches, we hadthe opportunity at least to hear some ofthose families speak to issues whichclosely affect them and about whichthey have much to say.

A synodal Church is a Church whichlistens, which realizes that listening “ismore than simply hearing”.12 It is amutual listening in which everyone hassomething to learn. The faithfulpeople, the college of bishops, theBishop of Rome: all listening to eachother, and all listening to the HolySpirit, the “Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:17),in order to know what he “says to theC h u rc h e s ” (Rev 2:7).

The Synod of Bishops is the point ofconvergence of this listening processconducted at every level of theC h u rc h ’s life. The Synod process be-gins by listening to the people of God,which “shares also in Christ’s propheticoffice”,13 according to a principle dearto the Church of the first millennium:“Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus tractaridebet”. The Synod process then contin-ues by listening to the pastors.Through the Synod Fathers, the bish-ops act as authentic guardians, inter-preters and witnesses of the faith of thewhole Church, which they need to dis-cern carefully from the changing cur-rents of public opinion. On the eve oflast year’s Synod I stated: “For theSynod Fathers we ask the Holy Spiritfirst of all for the gift of listening: tolisten to God, so that with him we mayhear the cry of his people; to listen tohis people until we are in harmonywith the will to which God calls us”.14

The Synod process culminates in listen-ing to the Bishop of Rome, who iscalled to speak as “pastor and teacherof all Christians”,15 not on the basis ofhis personal convictions but as the su-preme witness to the fides totius Ecclesi-ae, “the guarantor of the obedience andthe conformity of the Church to thewill of God, to the Gospel of Christ,and to the Tradition of the Church”.16

The fact that the Synod always actscum Petro et sub Petro — indeed, notonly cum Petro, but also sub Petro — isnot a limitation of freedom, but a guar-antee of unity. For the Pope is, by willof the Lord, “the perpetual and visiblesource and foundation of the unityboth of the bishops and of the wholecompany of the faithful”.17 Closely re-lated to this is the concept of “h i e ra rc h -ica communio” as employed by theSecond Vatican Council: the Bishopsare linked to the Bishop of Rome bythe bond of episcopal communion (cumP e t ro ) while, at the same time, hierarch-ically subject to him as head of the col-lege (sub Petro).18

***S y n o d a l i t y, as a constitutive element

of the Church, offers us the most ap-propriate interpretive framework for

understanding the hierarchical ministryitself. If we understand, as St JohnChrysostom says, that “Church andSynod are synonymous”,19 inasmuch asthe Church is nothing other than the“journeying together” of God’s flockalong the paths of history towards theencounter with Christ the Lord, thenwe understand too that, within theChurch, no one can be “raised up”higher than others. On the contrary, inthe Church, it is necessary that eachperson “lower” himself or herself, so asto serve our brothers and sisters alongthe way.

Jesus founded the Church by settingat her head the Apostolic College, ofwhich the Apostle Peter is the “ro ck”(cf. Mt 16:18), the one who must con-firm his brethren in the faith (cf. Lk22:32). But in this Church, as in an in-verted pyramid, the top is located be-neath the base. Consequently, thosewho exercise authority are called “min-isters”, because, in the original meaningof the word, they are the least of all. Itis in serving the people of God thateach bishop becomes, for that portionof the flock entrusted to him, vicariusChristi,20 the vicar of that Jesus who atthe Last Supper bent down to wash thefeet of the Apostles (cf. Jn 13:1-15). Andin a similar perspective, the Successorof Peter is nothing else if not the servusservorum Dei.21

Let us never forget this! For the dis-ciples of Jesus, yesterday, today and al-ways, the only authority is the author-ity of service, the only power is thepower of the cross. As the Master tellsus: “You know that the rulers of theGentiles lord it over them, and theirgreat men exercise authority over them.It shall not be so among you; but who-ever would be great among you mustbe your servant, and whoever would befirst among you must be your slave”(Mt 20:25-27). It shall not be so amongyou: in this expression we touch theheart of the mystery of the Church,and we receive the enlightenment ne-cessary to understand our hierarchicalservice.

***In a synodal Church, the Synod of

Bishops is only the most evident mani-festation of a dynamism of communionwhich inspires all ecclesial decisions.

The first level of the exercise of syn-odality is found in the particularChurches. After mentioning the nobleinstitution of the Diocesan Synod, inwhich priests and laity are called to co-operate with the bishop for the good ofthe whole ecclesial community,22 theCode of Canon Law devotes amplespace to what are usually called “o rg a n sof communion” in the local Church:the presbyteral council, the college ofconsultors, chapters of canons and thepastoral council.23 Only to the extent

that these organizations keep connectedto the “base” and start from people andtheir daily problems, can a synodalChurch begin to take shape: thesemeans, even when they prove weari-some, must be valued as an opportun-ity for listening and sharing.

The second level is that of Ecclesiast-ical Provinces and Ecclesiastical Re-gions, Particular Councils and, in aspecial way, Conferences of Bishops.24

We need to reflect on how better tobring about, through these bodies, in-termediary instances of c o l l e g i a l i t y, per-haps by integrating and updating cer-tain aspects of the ancient ecclesiasticalorganization. The hope expressed bythe Council that such bodies wouldhelp increase the spirit of episcopal col-legiality has not yet been fully realized.We are still on the way, part-way there.In a synodal Church, as I have said, “itis not advisable for the Pope to takethe place of local Bishops in the dis-cernment of every issue which arises intheir territory. In this sense, I am con-scious of the need to promote a sound‘decentralization’”.25

The last level is that of the universalChurch. Here the Synod of Bishops,representing the Catholic episcopate,becomes an expression of episcopal col-legiality within an entirely syno dalC h u rc h . 26 Two different phrases: “epis-copal collegiality” and an “entirely syn-odal Church”. This level manifests thecollegialitas affectiva, which can also be-come in certain circumstances “effect-ive”, joining the Bishops among them-selves and with the Pope in solicitudefor the People of God.27

***The commitment to build a synodal

Church — a mission to which we are allcalled, each with the role entrusted tohim by the Lord — has significant ecu-menical implications. For this reason,speaking recently to a delegation fromthe Patriarchate of Constantinople, Ireaffirmed my conviction that “a carefulexamination of how, in the Church’slife, the principle of synodality and theservice of the one who presides are ar-ticulated, will make a significant contri-bution to the progress of relationsbetween our Churches”.28

I am persuaded that in a synodalChurch greater light can be shed onthe exercise of the Petrine primacy. The

“One of the most precious legacies of the Second VaticanCouncil”: Pope Francis thus defined the Synod of Bishops in anaddress on Saturday, 17 October, in the Paul VI Hall, for thecommemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod’s institution.The Pope arrived at 9 am, accompanied by the Prefect of thePapal Household, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, and by theRegent, Msgr Leonardo Sapienza. Welcoming him was theGeneral Secretary of the Synod, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri;

Undersecretary, Bishop Fabio Fabene; Relator General of theAssembly, Cardinal Péter Erdő; Special Secretary, ArchbishopBruno Forte; and the four presiding Delegates: Cardinal AndréVingt-Trois, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, CardinalRaymundo Damasceno Assis and Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier;and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who also delivered acommemorative address. The following is the English text of PopeFra n c i s ’ a d d re s s .

Paul VI’s handwritten address, delivered on 29 September 1967for the first session of the first Synod of Bishops

ization of the Synod could “be im-proved upon with the passing oftime”.3 Twenty years later, St John PaulII echoed that thought when he statedthat “this instrument might be furtherimproved. Perhaps collegial pastoral re-sponsibility could be more fully ex-pressed in the Synod”.4 In 2006, Bene-dict XVI approved several changes tothe Ordo Synodi Episcoporum, especiallyin light of the provisions of the Code ofCanon Law and the Code of Canons ofthe Eastern Churches, which had beenpromulgated in the meantime.5

We must continue along this path.The world in which we live, and whichwe are called to love and serve, evenwith its contradictions, demands thatthe Church strengthen cooperation inall areas of her mission. It is preciselythis path of synodality which God ex-pects of the Church of the third millen-nium.

***What the Lord is asking of us is

already in some sense present in thevery word “syno d”. Journeying together— laity, pastors, the Bishop of Rome —is an easy concept to put into words,but not so easy to put into practice.

After stating that the people of Godis comprised of all the baptized whoare called to “be a spiritual house anda holy priesthood”,6 the Second Vatic-

take this opportunity to express myheartfelt gratitude to those — both liv-ing and deceased — who have contrib-uted so generously and competently tothe Synod’s work.

From the beginning of my ministryas Bishop of Rome, I sought to en-hance the Synod, which is one of themost precious legacies of the SecondVatican Council.1 For Blessed Paul VI,the Synod of Bishops was meant to re-produce the image of the EcumenicalCouncil and reflect its spirit and meth-o d.2 Pope Paul foresaw that the organ- Paul VI presiding at a celebration in the Sistine Chapel during one of the Synod Assemblies

Pope is not, by himself, above theChurch; but within it as one of thebaptized, and within the College ofBishops as a Bishop among Bishops,called at the same time — as Successorof Peter — to lead the Church of Romewhich presides in charity over all theC h u rc h e s . 29

While reaffirming the urgent need tothink about “a conversion of thepapacy”,30 I willingly repeat the wordsof my predecessor Pope John Paul II:“As Bishop of Rome I am fully aware[...] that Christ ardently desires the fulland visible communion of all thoseCommunities in which, by virtue ofGo d’s faithfulness, his Spirit dwells. Iam convinced that I have a particularresponsibility in this regard, above allin acknowledging the ecumenical aspir-ations of the majority of the ChristianCommunities and in heeding the re-quest made of me to find a way of ex-ercising the primacy which, while in noway renouncing what is essential to itsmission, is nonetheless open to a newsituation”.31

Our gaze also extends to humanityas a whole. A synodal Church is like astandard lifted up among the nations(cf. Is 11:12) in a world which — whilecalling for participation, solidarity andtransparency in public administration —often consigns the fate of entirepeoples to the grasp of small butpowerful groups. As a Church which“journeys together” with men and wo-men, sharing the travails of history, letus cherish the dream that a rediscoveryof the inviolable dignity of peoples andof the function of authority as servicewill also be able to help civil society tobe built up in justice and fraternity,and thus bring about a more beautifuland humane world for coming genera-tions.32 Thank you.1 Cf. FRANCIS, Letter to the General Sec-retary of the Synod of Bishops, CardinalLorenzo Baldisseri, on the elevation of theUndersecretary, Msgr Fabio Fabene, to theepiscopal dignity, 1 April 2014.2 Cf. BLESSED PAU L VI, Address for theOpening of the first Ordinary General As-sembly of the Synod of Bishops, 30September 1967.3 BLESSED PAU L VI, Motu proprioApostolica Sollicitudo (15 September1965), Proemium.

4 ST JOHN PAU L II, Address for the Con-clusion of VI Ordinary General Assemblyof the Synod of Bishops, 29 October1983.5 Cf. AAS 98 (2006), 755-779.6 SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lu-men Gentium (21 November 1964) 10.7 Ibid., 12.8 FRANCIS, Apostolic Exhortation Evan-gelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 119.9 Ibid., 120.10 Cf. FRANCIS, Address to the Leadershipof the Episcopal Conferences of LatinAmerica during the General CoordinationMe e t i n g , Rio de Janeiro, 28 July 2013,5,4; I D., Address on the occasion of ameeting with Clergy, Consecrated Personsand members of Pastoral Councils, Assisi,4 October 2013.11 Cf. SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudi-um et Spes (7 December 1965), 1.12 FRANCIS, Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 171.13 SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lu-men Gentium, 12.14 FRANCIS, Address at the Prayer Vigilfor the Synod on the Family, 4 October2014.15 FIRST VAT I C A N ECUMENICAL COUN-CIL, Dogmatic Constitution PastorAe t e r n u s (18 July 1870), ch. I V: Denz.3074. Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 749§ 1.16 FRANCIS, Address to the Third Ex-traordinary General Assembly of the Synodof Bishops, 18 October 2014.17 SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lu-men Gentium, 23. cf. FIRST VAT I C A NECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Con-stitution Pastor Aeternus, Prologue:Denz. 3051.18 Cf. SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lu-men Gentium, 22; Decree ChristusDominus (28 October 1965), 4.19 ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, Explicatio inPs. 149: PG 55, 493.20 Cf. SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lu-men Gentium, 27.21 Cf. FRANCIS, Address to the Third Ex-traordinary General Assembly of the Synodof Bishops, 18 October 2014.22 Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici, cann. 460-468.23 Cf. ibid., cann. 495-514.24 Cf. ibid., cann. 431-459.25 FRANCIS, Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 16. Cf. ibid., 32.26 Cf. SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENICALCOUNCIL, Decree Christus Dominus, 5;Codex Iuris Canonici, cann. 342-348.27 Cf. ST JOHN PAU L II, Post-SynodalApostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis(16 October 2003), 8.28 FRANCIS, Address to the Delegation ofthe Ecumenical Patriarchate of Con-stantinople, 27 June 2015.29 Cf. ST IG N AT I U S OF ANTIO CH, Epis-tula ad Romanos, Proemium: PG 5, 686.30 FRANCIS, Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 32.31 ST JOHN PAU L II, Encyclical Letter UtUnum Sint (25 May 1995), 95.32 Cf. FRANCIS, Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 186-192; EncyclicalLetter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 156-162.

carried out by professionals while therest of the faithful would simply bepassive recipients”.9 The sensus fideiprevents a rigid separation between anEcclesia docens and an Ecclesia discens,since the flock likewise has an instinct-ive ability to discern the new ways thatthe Lord is revealing to the Church.10

Such was the conviction underlyingmy desire that the people of Godshould be consulted in the preparationof the two phases of the Synod on thefamily, as is ordinarily done with eachLineamenta. Certainly, a consultation of

an Council went on to saythat “the whole body of thefaithful, who have ananointing which comes fromthe holy one (cf. 1 Jn 2:20,27), cannot err in matters ofbelief. This characteristic isshown in the supernaturalsense of the faith (sensusfidei) of the whole people ofGod, when ‘from the bish-ops to the last of the faith-ful’ it manifests a universalconsensus in matters offaith and morals”.7 Theseare the famous words infal-lible “in credendo”.

In the Apostolic Exhorta-tion Evangelii Gaudium, Iemphasized that “thepeople of God is holythanks to this anointing,which makes it infallible inc re d e n d o ”,8 and added that“all the baptized, whatevertheir position in the Churchor their level of instructionin the faith, are agents ofevangelization, and it wouldbe insufficient to envisage aplan of evangelization to be

page 10 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 October 2015, number 43

Biographies of the four saints canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday

Vincenzo Grossi Mary of the Immaculate Conception

Vincenzo Grossi was born inPizzighettone, Cremona, Italy, on 9March 1845. He was the second tolast of 10 children whose parentswere rich in faith and human val-ues. After receiving his First Com-munion, the young Vincenzo ex-pressed his intention to enter theseminary, attracted by the priestlyvocation. For family reasons he wasforced to postpone his plans in or-der to work in his father’s mill,combining this work with his com-mitment to study. He did all thisresolutely and joyfully, awaiting

“Go d’s time”. He entered the sem-inary on 4 November 1864 and wasordained a priest on 22 May 1869.

After several initial pastoral ex-periences, he was appointed parishpriest of Régona (a district ofPizzighettone) and then ofVicobellignano, where he remainedfor 34 years. Battling the ignoranceand poverty typical of Lombardtowns of the late 19th century, heworked especially with young chil-dren, whom he lodged, taught andtrained to acknowledge their dig-nity as children of God. He chosea life of poverty and solidarity withthose most in need. His union withChrist, priest and victim, the hall-mark of his mission and spiritual-ity, made him a man of apostoliczeal and deep prayer. He was dis-tinguished by outstanding ortho-doxy and fidelity to the Pope.

He often preached in othertowns in an effort to dispel ignor-ance of religion. In Vicobellignanohe demonstrated an ecumenicalspirit in his dealings with a protest-ant community, marked by respect,frankness and love for all. “D eeplyi m p re s s e d ” by the “great materialand moral poverty of young wo-men”, he founded the Institute ofthe Daughters of the Oratory.

Vincenzo Grossi died in Vicobel-lignano on 7 November 1917. TheRite of Beatification was celebratedin Rome on 1 November 1975.

Mary of the Immaculate ConceptionSalvat Romero was born on 20 Feb-ruary 1926 in Madrid, Spain, andbaptized the following day with thename of Mary Elizabeth. As a childshe attended the school of the IrishSisters in Madrid.

In 1936, with the outbreak of theSpanish Civil War, her family movedto Portugal, returning to Madrid af-terwards. During those years MaryElizabeth began to recognize hercalling to religious life. In 1944 sheentered the Institute of the Sisters ofthe Company of the Cross in Seville.The following year she was vested inthe religious habit, taking the nameof Sister Mary of the Immaculate ofthe Cross, and began the novitiate.

She was outstanding for her com-mitment, her spirit of sacrifice, herlove of poverty and her humblebearing. In 1947 she made her pro-fession of temporary vows. In recog-nition of her human and spiritualpreparation, she was entrusted witha number of positions of responsib-ility in the areas of education andtraining, and in the government ofthe Institute. In 1977 she was electedMother General of the Congrega-tion. She was reelected three timesin the difficult years following theSecond Vatican Council.

Mother Mary was particularlyconcerned for the permanent forma-tion of her Sisters, especially thosewho experienced moments of crisisand confusion in those years of greatuncertainty. Her serene and joyful

personality helped to create a cli-mate of trust and communion. Shegave proof of an intense religiousexperience marked by a lively aware-ness of God’s presence and the con-stant pursuit of his will.

In 1994 Mother Mary was dia-gnosed with cancer and was oper-ated on. She faced her illness withgreat spiritual strength and docilityto the will of God. She died peace-fully on 31 October 1998 in themotherhouse of Seville. The Rite ofBeatification was celebrated inSeville on 18 September 2010.

Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin Martin

The Gospel of the family is not foreign to Louis and Marie-Zélie Martin,who through their married life, as a couple and as parents, demonstratedthis in a very practical way. For this reason, their canonization is particu-larly significant, since it falls during the Synod dedicated to the vocationand mission of the family in the contemporary world. This was high-lighted at a press conference on Friday morning, 16 October, in the HolySee Press Office. At the press conference, Fr Jean-Marie Simar, rector ofthe shrine dedicated to Louis and Marie-Zélie Martin in Alençon, and FrAntonio Sangalli, vice-postulator of their cause, discussed the two mir-acles that allowed for their beatification and now canonization. Fr OlivierRuffray, rector of the Shrine of Lisieux, underlined the link between theholiness of Thérèse and her parents. Each was the result of the life of theother two, lived out in the love of God. And this, said Fr Romano Gam-balunga, postulator of their cause, is at the heart of the Synod.

Just days before, on 9 October, Pope Francis himself spoke about hisdecision to canonize Louis and Zélie Martin in an interview with Car-oline Pigozzi of Paris Match, calling them “an evangelizing couple whothroughout their life bore witness to the beauty of the faith in Jesus —both inside and outside the home”. The Martin family, he said “is knownfor having been welcoming and for having opened their doors and heartseven in a time of a bourgeois code of conduct which disregarded thepoor under the guise of ‘d e c o ru m ’. The couple, along with their five chil-dren, dedicated their energy, time and money to those who were in need.They are certainly a model of holiness and of the life of a couple”.

Louis Martin was born inBourdeaux, France, on 22 August1823. A man of deep faith and pray-er, he once desired to become amonk at the the Grand St BernardHospice, but, was discouraged be-cause he did not know Latin. In-stead, he became a watchmaker andsettled in Alençon.

Marie-Zélie Guérin was born inGandelain, near Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon, France, on 23 December

1831. She was a Alençon lacemaker.She too was attracted to religiouslife, but her precarious healthhindered her.

Providentially, Zélie met Louis onthe St Leonard bridge: she en-countered a young man whose noblefeatures, reserved bearing and digni-fied manner impressed her. A voicewithin quietly whispered: “This isthe man I have prepared for you”.They were married several months

cerned for others, generous to thepoor and inspired by an exemplarymissionary spirit, ever ready to helpwith parish activities.

Zélie died in Alençon on 28 Au-gust 1877 following a lengthy ill.Louis moved to Lisieux to secure a

better future for his five daughters.After offering God all his daughters,he endured with dignity a painfulillness. He died near Evreux on 29July 1894. Louis and Marie-Zéliewere beatified on 19 October 2008in Lisieux.

later in the Church ofNotre-Dame of Alen-çon, on the night of 13June 1858. They hadthe joy of bringing intothe world nine chil-dren; four died (in in-fancy), but neither griefnor trials weakenedtheir deep faith, sus-tained by daily Massattendance and filialdevotion to the VirginMary. Their youngestdaughter is St Thérèseof the Child Jesus ofthe Holy Face, Doctorof the Church; thecause of beatificationfor another daughter,Léonie (Sr FrançoiseThérèse, a Visitandinenun) was opened on 2July of this year.

Louis and Zélie Mar-tin are sublime ex-amples of conjugallove, of an industriousChristian family con-

From the Holy See Press Office

A model for the Synod

number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 11

At the Canonization Mass the Holy Father highlights that ambition is incompatible with Christian discipleship

The lowest placeFour new saints, examples of service in humility and charity

The Letter to the Hebrews makesthis clear by presenting Jesus as thehigh priest who completely sharesour human condition, with the ex-ception of sin: “We do not have ahigh priest who is unable to sym-pathize with our weaknesses, but wehave one who in every respect hasbeen tested as we are, yet withoutsin” (4:15). Jesus exercises a truepriesthood of mercy and compas-sion. He knows our difficulties firsthand, he knows from within our hu-man condition; the fact that he iswithout sin does not prevent himfrom understanding sinners. Hisglory is not that born of ambition orthe thirst for power; it is the glory ofone who loves men and women,who accepts them and shares in

their weakness, who offers them thegrace which heals and restores, andaccompanies them with infinite ten-derness amid their tribulations.

Each of us, through baptism, sharein our own way in Christ’s priest-hood: the lay faithful in the commonpriesthood, priests in the ministerialpriesthood. Consequently, all of uscan receive the charity which flowsfrom his open heart, for ourselvesbut also for others, and become“channels” of his love and compas-sion, especially for those who aresuffering, discouraged and alone.

The men and women canonizedtoday unfailingly served theirb ro t h e r s and sisters with outstanding

At the Angelus an appeal for the Holy Land

The courage for peace

There can be nocompatibility betweena worldly understand-ing of power and thehumble service whichmust characterize au-thority according toJesus’ teaching andexample. Ambitionand careerism are in-compatible withChristian disciple-ship; honour, success,fame and worldly tri-umphs are incompat-ible with the logic ofChrist crucified. In-stead, compatibilityexists between Jesus,“the man of sorrows”,and our suffering.

After Mass, the Pontiff recited theAngelus with the faithful in St Peter’sSquare. The following is a translationof the Pope’s words which weredelivered in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am following with great concernthe situations of heightened ten-sion and violence that are afflictingthe Holy Land. In this time thereis need for much courage andmuch strength and fortitude in or-der to say ‘no’ to hate and ven-geance and to perform gestures ofpeace. Let us pray for this, so thatGod may strengthen in all, govern-ments and citizens, the courage totake a stand against violence andto take practical steps in easingtensions. In the current context ofthe Middle East it is more decisivethan ever that peace be made inthe Holy Land: this is asked of usby God and the good of mankind.

At the close of this celebration Iwould like to greet all of you whohave come to pay homage to thenew saints, particularly the official

delegations of Italy, Spain andFr a n c e .

I greet the faithful from the Dio-ceses of Lodi and Cremona, as wellas the Daughters of the Oratory.May the example of St VincentGrossi sustain the commitment tothe Christian education of theyounger generations.

I greet the pilgrims from Spain,especially from Seville, and the Sis-ters of the Society of the Cross.May the testimony of Holy Maryof the Immaculate Conceptionhelp us to live in solidarity andcloseness with the neediest.

I greet the faithful from France,especially from Bayeux, Lisieuxand Sées: let us entrust the joys,expectations and difficulties of thefamilies of France and of all theworld to the intercession of theholy spouses Louis Martin andMarie-Zélie Guérin Martin.

I thank the cardinals, bishops,priests, consecrated people as wellas the families, parish groups ando rg a n i z a t i o n s .

Now let us address the VirginMary with filial love.

God. The kerygma, the heart of theGospel, testifies that his death andresurrection fulfilled the propheciesof the Servant of the Lord. SaintMark tells us how Jesus confrontedthe disciples James and John. Urgedon by their mother, they wanted tosit at his right and left in God’sKingdom (cf. Mk 10:37), claimingplaces of honour in accordance withtheir own hierarchical vision of theKingdom. Their horizon was stillclouded by illusions of earthly fulfil-ment. Jesus then gives a first “jolt”to their notions by speaking of hisown earthly journey: “The cup thatI drink you will drink... but to sit atmy right hand or at my left is notmine to grant, but it is for those forwhom it has been prepared” (vv. 39-40). With the image of the cup, heassures the two that they can fullypartake of his destiny of suffering,without, however, promising their

instinctive desire to exercise powerover others, and instead to exercisethe virtue of humility.

After proposing a model not toimitate, Jesus then offers himself asthe ideal to be followed. By imitat-ing the Master, the community gainsa new outlook on life: “The Son ofMan came not to be served but toserve, and to give his life as aransom for many” (v. 45). In thebiblical tradition, the Son of Man isthe one who receives from God“dominion, glory and kingship”(Dan 7:14). Jesus fills this imagewith new meaning. He shows us thathe enjoys dominion because he is aservant, glory because he is capableof abasement, kingship because he isfully prepared to lay down his life.By his passion and death, he takesthe lowest place, attains the heightsof grandeur in service, and bestowsthis upon his Church.

Italian parish priest, Fr Vincenzo Grossi, Spanish sister, Mary of the ImmaculateConception, and French married couple Louis Martin and Marie-Zélie GuérinMartin were canonized by Pope Francis during a Mass on Sunday, 18 October,in St Peter’s Square. During his homily, the Holy Father recalled that service “isthe way for authority to be exercised in the Christian community”. The following isthe English text of the Holy Father’s homily.

To day’s biblical readings present thetheme of service. They call us to fol-low Jesus on the path of humilityand the cross.

The prophet Isaiah depicts theServant of the Lord (53:10-11) andhis mission of salvation. The Servantis not someone of illustrious lineage;he is despised, shunned by all, aman of sorrows. He does not dogreat things or make memorablespeeches; instead, he fulfils God’splan through his humble, quiet pres-ence and his suffering. His missionis carried out in suffering, and thisenables him to understand thosewho suffer, to shoulder the guilt ofothers and to make atonement for it.The abandonment and sufferings ofthe Servant of the Lord, even untodeath, prove so fruitful that theybring redemption and salvation tom a n y.

Jesus is the Servant of the Lord.His life and death, marked by an at-titude of utter service (cf. Phil 2:7),were the cause of our salvation andthe reconciliation of mankind with

sought-after places of honour. Hisresponse is to invite them to followhim along the path of love and ser-vice, and to reject the worldlytemptation of seeking the first placeand commanding others.

Faced with people who seekpower and success in order to benoticed, who want their achieve-ments and efforts to be acknow-ledged, the disciples are called to dothe opposite. Jesus warns them:“You know that among the Gentilesthose whom they recognize as theirrulers lord it over them, and theirgreat ones are tyrants over them.But it is not so among you; butwhoever wishes to become greatamong you must be your servant”(vv. 42-44). These words show usthat service is the way for authorityto be exercised in the Christiancommunity. Those who serve othersand lack real prestige exercise genu-ine authority in the Church. Jesuscalls us to see things differently, topass from the thirst for power to thejoy of quiet service, to suppress our

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page 12 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 October 2015, number 43

Morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae MarthaeThursday, 15 October

Those who take awaythe keys

“One of the hardest things for all ofus Christians to understand is thefree gift of salvation in Christ”, be-cause there have always been “do c-tors of the law” who mislead by lim-iting the love of God to “small hori-zons”, when instead it is something“immense and boundless”. The mat-ter was first addressed by Jesus him-self, then by the Apostle Paul andmany other saints throughout his-tory up to the present day. Amongthese saints was also Teresa of Avila.On the day that the Church celeb-rates this Carmelite mystic — whowas born 500 years ago — Pop eFrancis spoke of how this woman re-ceived from the Lord “the grace ofunderstanding the horizons of love”.

On Thursday morning in theMass at Santa Marta, the Pope con-nected the Readings — from the Let-ter of Paul to the Romans (3:21-30a)and the Gospel of Luke (11:47-54) —to the extraordinary experience livedby St Teresa. She too, he explained,“was judged by the experts of herday. She did not go to prison, butwas barely saved, and was sent toanother convent where she was su-p ervised”. Moreover, he noted, “thisis a fight that persists throughouthistory”.

The history he referred to was in-cluded in both readings. The Poperecalled that both Paul and Jesus

ourselves today: Do I believe thatthe Lord saved me freely? Do I be-lieve that I do not deserve salvation?And if I do merit something do Ibelieve it is through Jesus Christand what he has done for me? It is agood question: Do I believe in thegratuitousness of salvation? And fi-nally, do I believe that the only an-swer is love, the commandment oflove, which Jesus says summarizesall the law and the teachings of allthe prophets?”. In this way the Popemade the invitation to renew “thesequestions today. Only in this waycan we be faithful to this love that isso merciful: the love of a father andof a mother, because God says thathe is like a mother to us; love, greathorizons, boundless, without limita-tions. Let us not be fooled by theexperts who put limitations on thislove.

Friday, 16 October

The seduction ofc h i a ro s c u ro

There is a strong and dangerous“v i ru s ” that threatens us, but there isalso a Father “who loves us somuch” and protects us. The subtleseduction of hypocrisy was thetheme of Pope Francis’ homily dur-ing the Mass celebrated at SantaMarta on Friday morning.

The Pope made reference to theday’s Gospel passage (Luke 12:1-7),where “Jesus was in the midst ofthousands of people” — such a mul-titude had gathered around him“that they trod upon one another” —and before “speaking to people, toteach them” as he normally did, Je-sus turned “to the disciples whowere there”. In the midst of such amultitude “he spoke to them abouta very small thing: leaven”.

The Pope likened the Lord’swarning — “Beware the leaven of thePharisees” — to that of “a doctorwho tells his staff, his aids: ‘Wa t c hcarefully so that all these people arenot infected by the virus’”. The“leaven of the Pharisees”, Francissaid, is “hyp o crisy”. Jesus alwaysspoke very frankly to them aboutthis hypocrisy, saying “to theirfaces”: “Hypocrites. Hypocrites: youare hypocrites!”.

But what, essentially, is the virusthat Jesus is referring to “in themidst of the multitude”? The Popeexplained: “Hypocrisy is that way ofliving, acting, and speaking that isnot clear” and that is presented inan ambiguous way: “maybe smiling,perhaps serious ... it is not light, it isnot darkness”. It is a bit like a ser-pent: “it moves in a way that doesn’tseem to threaten anyone”, and it has“the charm of chiaroscuro”. Hypo-crisy indeed has a charm to it, “thatof not saying things clearly; thecharm of lies, of appearances”. Like-wise, in the Gospels, Jesus makessome points on the behaviour of the“hypocritical Pharisees”, saying theyare “full of themselves, of vanity”and that they like to “stroll throughthe town square” to show that theyare important.

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At theCanonization

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humility and charity, in imitationof the divine Master. St VincentGrossi was a zealous parishpriest, ever attentive to the needsof his people, especially those ofthe young. For all he was con-cerned to break the bread ofGo d’s word, and thus became aGood Samaritan to those ingreatest need.

St Mary of the ImmaculateConception, drawing from thesprings of prayer and contempla-tion, devoted her life, with greathumility, to serving the least ofour brothers and sisters, espe-cially the children of the poorand the sick.

The holy spouses Louis Martinand Marie-Azélie Guérin prac-tised Christian service in the fam-ily, creating day by day an envir-onment of faith and love whichnurtured the vocations of theirdaughters, among whom was StThérèse of the Child Jesus.

The radiant witness of thesenew saints inspires us to perseverein joyful service to our brothersand sisters, trusting in the help ofGod and the maternal protectionof Mary. From heaven may theynow watch over us and sustain usby their powerful intercession.

seem “a little angry, and annoyed,one might say”. Where did Paul’smalaise come from? Francis said theanswer was that the Apostle “defen-ded the doctrine, he was a great de-fender of the doctrine, and the an-noyance came from these peoplewho did not tolerate the doctrine”.Which doctrine? “The gratuitous-ness of salvation”. Pope Francis saidthat God “saved us gratuitously, andhe saved all of us”. While there weregroups who said: “No, he saves onlythat person, that man, that womanwho does this, this, this and this ...who performs these acts, who ob-serves these commandments”. In thisway, “that which is free, the love ofGod, according to these peoplewhom Paul is speaking against”,ends up becoming “something wecan obtain: ‘If I do this, God is ob-liged to give me salvation’. This iswhat Paul refers to as ‘salvation byworks’”.

This is why the gratuitousness ofsalvation in Christ is so difficult tounderstand. The Pope continued,

ing, because you have taken awaythe key’, that is, the key of free sal-vation, of that knowledge”. In fact,the Pope remarked, these doctors ofthe law thought that you could onlybe saved by “observing all of thecommandments”, while “those whodid not do so were condemned”. Inpractice, Pope Francis said, with anevocative image, “they shortened thehorizons of God as if the love ofGod were small, small, small, small,to the size of each one of us”.

This, Pope explained, was “thestruggle that both Jesus and Paulfaced in order to defend the doc-trine”. To those who might objectand ask: “But father, are there notcommandments?”, Francis replied:“Yes, there are! But there is one thatJesus says is basically a synthesis ofall the commandments: love Godand love thy neighbour”. Thanks to“this attitude of love, we are worthyof the gratuity of salvation, becauselove is free”. For example: “If I say:‘Ah, I love you!’, But I have otherinterests behind that, it is not love,

saying that “we are used to hearingthat Jesus is the Son of God, that hecame out of love to save us and thathe died for us. But we have heard itso many times that we have becomeaccustomed to it”. When, in fact,“we enter into this mystery of God,of his love, this boundless love, thisimmense love”, we are left so “aston-ished” that “perhaps we prefer notto understand it: we believe that thestyle of salvation in which ‘we docertain things and then we aresaved’ is better”. “Of course”, thePope explained, “to do good, to dothe things that Jesus tells us to do,is good and should be done”; but“the essence of salvation does notcome from this. This is my responseto the salvation that is free, thatcomes gratuitously from the love ofGo d”.

This is why Jesus himself mayseem “a little bitter against the doc-tors of the law”, to whom he “saysstrong and very harsh things: ‘youhave taken away the key of know-ledge, you did not enter, and youhave hindered those who were enter-

it is interest. This is why Jesus says:‘The greatest love is this: to loveGod with your whole life, with allyour heart, with all your strength,and your neighbour as yourself’. Be-cause it is the only commandmentthat is worthy of God’s free salva-tion”. At which point Jesus adds:“In this commandment are all theothers, because it summons — it cre-ates all that is good — all the oth-ers’. The source is love; the horizonis love. If you have closed the doorand have taken away the key of love,you are not worthy of the free salva-tion you have received”.

It is a history that repeats itself.“How many saints”, the Pope said,“have been persecuted for defendinglove, the gratuitousness of salvation,the doctrine. So many saints. Let usthink of Joan of Arc”. The “s t ru g g l eto control salvation — only thosewho do these things are saved — didnot end with Jesus and Paul”. Nordoes it end with us. In fact it is astruggle that we carry within us aswell. The Pope offered advice, say-ing: “It can be good for us to ask

William Blake, “Eve tempted by the serpent” (1800)

number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 13

Jesus warns about them and re-peats the message, saying to all: “Donot fear, do not be afraid: just be-ware of the leaven of these people,because all that is hidden will bebrought to the light. Nothing iscovered up that will not be revealed,or hidden that will not be known.Whatever you have said in the darkshall be heard in the light, and whatyou have whispered in private roomsshall be proclaimed upon the house-tops”. In other words: hiding doesnot help, because in the end“everything will be clear”. Jesus saidthis, the Pope explained, “b ecausethe leaven of the Pharisees broughtpeople to love the darkness morethan the light”. The Apostle Johnstressed this point when he wrote:“Men loved darkness rather thanlight”.

Continuing his reflection thePope added that Jesus “draws atten-tion to trusting in God”. If it is truethat “this leaven is a virus that sick-ens” and kills — indeed, Jesus warns:“Beware! This leaven brings dark-ness. Beware!” — then it is also truethat there is someone “g re a t e r ”. It is“the Father in heaven”. When de-scribing the Father’s caring presence,Jesus said: “Are not five sparrowssold for two pennies? And not oneof them is forgotten before God.Why, even the hairs of your head areall numbered”. Then came his “finaladmonition: ‘Fear not; You are ofmore value than many sparrows!’”.

The Pope expanded precisely onthis aspect. “In the face of all ofthese fears”, he said, which are in-stilled by the “v i ru s ”, by the “leavenof Pharisee-like hypocrisy”, weshould be comforted by what Jesustells us: “There is a Father. There isa Father who loves you. There is aFather who cares for you”. In theface of the “seduction ofchiaroscuro, the serpent’s seduction”,Jesus reassures us, saying: “Do notworry, the Father loves you, he de-fends you. Trust in him. Do not beafraid of these things”. Thus, thePope explained, Jesus “began withthe littlest in the midst of the multi-tude, and concluded with thegreatest, with the Father who takescare of everything, even the littlest,so they do not get sick, and so theydo not spread this disease”. PopeFrancis highlighted that: “When Je-sus tells us this, he invites us topray”, he invites us to pray that wewill not fall “into this Pharisee-likeattitude that is neither light nor

darkness”, that is always just halfwayand “never reaches the light ofGo d”.

Therefore, the Pope concluded,“Let us pray a lot”. Let us ask theLord: “Watch over your Church,which is all of us: watch over yourpeople, over those who gathered andtrod upon one another. Watch overyour people, that they may love thelight, the light that comes from theFather, that comes from Your Fath-er”. We must, the Pope concluded,ask God to watch over his people“that we not become a hypocrites,that we not fall into the comfort oflife”, and that we “have the joy ofknowing that there is a Father wholoves us so much”.

Monday, 19 October

How and how much“Covetousness is a form of idolatry”to be fought with the capacity toshare, to give and to give oneself toothers. The thorny subject of the re-lationship between mankind andwealth was the focus of Pope Fran-cis’ meditation during Mondaymorning’s Mass at Santa Marta.

Beginning with the passage fromthe Gospel of Luke (12:13-21) thattells of the rich man concerned withstoring the crops from his harvest,the Pontiff pointed out that “Jesusstood firmly against richness”, but“not about wealth in and of itself”:God, in fact, “is rich” — he “p re s e n t shimself as rich in mercy, rich in somany gifts” — but “what Jesus con-demns is really the attachment top ossessions”. Indeed, he “clearlystates” how “very difficult” it wouldbe for a rich man, in other words, aman attached to possessions, toenter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The concept, continued the Pope,is repeated in an even stronger way:“You cannot serve two masters”. Inthis case, Francis emphasized, Jesusdoes not place God in opposition tothe devil, but God against wealth,because the opposite of serving Godis serving wealth, working forwealth, to have more of it, to be se-c u re ”. What happens in this case?The riches “become security” and re-ligion a kind of “insurance agency”:‘I’m insured with God here and I’minsured with riches here’”. But Jesusis clear: “This is impossible”.

In this regard the Pontiff also re-ferred to the Gospel passage “of theyoung man so good that Jesus wasmoved”, the wealthy young manwho went away “saddened” b ecause

he did not want to leave everythingin order to give it to the poor. “At-tachment to possessions is a form ofidolatry”, the Pope said. Indeed, weare faced with “two gods: God, theliving One, the living God, and thisgod of gold, in whom I place my se-curity. And this is impossible”.

The Gospel passage for the day’sLiturgy also proposed “two brotherswho argue over their inheritance”.This is a circumstance that we ex-perience even today: let’s consider,Francis said, “how many families weknow who have argued, who argue,who do not greet each other, whohate each other over an inheritance”.It happens that “what’s most im-portant is not love of family, love ofchildren, of brothers and sisters, ofparents, no: it’s money. This des-t ro y s ”. Everyone, the Pope said withconviction, “knows at least one fam-ily torn apart like this”.

Covetousness, however, is also atthe root of wars: “yes, there is anideal, but behind it is money: themoney of arms dealers, the money ofthose who profit from war”. Again,Jesus is clear: “Take heed, and be-ware of all covetousness: it is dan-g e ro u s ”. Covetousness, in fact,“gives us this security that is nottrue and it leads, yes, to prayer —you can pray, go to Church — butalso to having an attached heart,and in the end it winds up dam-aged”.

Returning to the Gospel example,the Pontiff traced the profile of theman spoken of: “You see he wasgood, he was a successful entrepren-eur. His company was given a plen-tiful harvest, he always had manyp ossessions”. But rather than think-ing of sharing with his workers andtheir families, he contemplated howto store them. He sought “alwaysm o re ”. Thus, “the thirst of attach-ment to possessions never ends. Ifyour heart is attached to possessions— when you have many — you wantmore. And this is the god of a per-son attached to possessions”. Forthis reason, Francis explained, Jesussays to take heed and beware of allcovetousness. And, by no coincid-ence, when “he explains the way tosalvation, the Beatitudes, the first is

poverty of spirit, that is, ‘don’t beattached to possessions’: blessed arethe poor in spirit”, those who “a renot attached” to riches. “Pe r h a p sthey have them” — the Pope ob-served — but so as to serve others, toshare, to enable many people tomove forward”.

Someone, he added, might ask:“Father, how is it done? What is thesign that I am not in this sin of id-olatry, of being attached to posses-sions?”. The answer is simple, and ittoo is found in the Gospel: “f ro mthe earliest days of the Church”there is “a sign: give alms”.However, that’s not enough. Indeed,if I give to those who are in need “itis a good sign”, but I must also askmyself: “How much do I give? Myleftovers?”. In this case, “it is not agood sign”. I have to realize wheth-er in giving I deprive myself ofsomething “that might be necessaryfor me”. In that case my gesture“signifies that love for God is great-er than my attachment to wealth”.

Therefore, Francis summarized,the “first question: Do I give?”;second: “How much do I give?”;third: “How do I give?”. In otherwords, do I give like Jesus, by giv-ing “with a loving caress, or like onewho is paying a tax?”. He thenasked: “When you help people, doyou look them in the eyes? Do youtouch their hand?”. We must notforget, the Pontiff said, that beforeus “is the flesh of Christ, it’s yourbrother, your sister. And in that mo-ment you are like the Father whonever leaves the birds of the skywithout food”.

Thus, Pope Francis concluded,“let us ask the Lord for the grace tobe free of this idolatry, the attach-ment to possessions”; let us ask himfor “the grace to look to him, so richin his love and so rich in his gener-osity, in his mercy”; and also for thegrace “to help others by giving alms,but as he does”. Someone could say:“But Father, he isn’t depriving him-self of anything...”. To be exact, theresponse is that: “Jesus Christ, beingequal to God, deprived himself ofthis, he lowered himself, he debasedhimself”.

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 12

Woman heads the PontificalUniversity of Salamanca

For the first time in the history of thePontifical University of Salamanca — andthe second time at any pontifical uni-versity — the rector is a woman: MyriamCortés Diéguez.

A solemn ceremony was held on 16September in the presence of the grandchancellor of the university, Bishop Car-los López Hernández of Salamanca. Cor-tés Diéguez, 51, is a celebrated scholarand a professor of canon law, with a re-cord of other important functions in theathenaeum, including dean and then sec-retary general (2004-2010), vice dean ofthe Faculty of Law, according to JoséBeltrán, editor-in-chief of the weekly,Vida nueva, in an interview entitled: “Awoman’s sensibility is needed outside ofthe sacristy”. These are the signs of thetimes discussed at Vatican II, as high-lighted by the new rector’s appointment.

page 14 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 October 2015, number 43

Message to the Third World Forum of Local Economic Development

In economicssmall is beautiful

The following is a translation of themessage Pope Francis sent to thosetaking part in the Third World Forumof Local Economic Development whichtook place in Turin from 13 to 16O c t o b e r.

Distinguished HonourableMr Piero FassinoMayor of Turin

I address my cordial greeting to you,to the Authorities and to all thosetaking part in the Third World For-um of Local Development, beingheld in Turin from 13 to 16 October.Very opportunely, its aim is to re-flect on and discuss the potentialit-ies of local economic development,that promote a different vision ofthe economy, of development, of therelationship with the earth andbetween people. May God grantlight and inspiration to this meeting,which is very important to imple-menting the 2030 Agenda, whichpromotes the protection of the envir-onment and integral human devel-opment. I should like to contributeto your endeavour by recalling someideas I expressed recently to theUnited Nations General Assemblyabout the Objectives of SustainableDevelopment, which represent hope

for humanity, on the condition thatthey are applied in an appropriatew a y.

The practical implementation ofthe 2030 Agenda is urgent and in-dispensable. The decisions adoptedby the International Community areimportant. However, they alwayscontain the temptation to fall into arhetorical nominalism with a tran-quillizing effect on peoples’ con-science. Moreover, the multiplicityand complexity of the problems re-quire the employment of technicalcalculations. However, this presentsa twofold danger, either to be lim-ited to the bureaucratic exercise ofmaking exhaustive lists of good res-olutions — aims, statistics, objectivesand indications, or to believe thatjust one theoretical and a priori solu-tion can answer all the challenges.

Political and economic action isprudent, guided as it is by a peren-nial concept of justice which alwaysbears in mind that, before and bey-ond the plans and programmes,there are real women and men, equalto the rulers, who live, struggle andsuffer, and who must be protagon-ists of their future.

Integral human development andthe full exercise of human dignitycannot be imposed. They are builtand achieved by each person, byeach family, in common with otherpeople and in a just relationshipwith the spheres in which human so-cialization is developed — friendship,communities, villages and municip-alities, schools, businesses and tradeunions, provinces, nations.

In this perspective, therefore, loc-al economic development seems tobe the most appropriate answer tothe challenges that a globalized eco-nomy presents to us but which oftenhave cruel results. The Third Forumintends, rightly, to present and todiscuss methods and policies relatedto the local scene in the global pro-cesses of development and to focuson the potential such methods andpolicies have, and on basic re-sources, at all levels, including theregional, national and international.I pointed out to the UN that thesimplest and most appropriate meas-ure and indicator for implementingthe new Agenda for developmentwould be the effective, practical andimmediate access of everyone to in-dispensable material and spiritualgoods: suitable housing, fitting andappropriately remunerated work,proper food and drinking water; re-ligious freedom and, more generally,freedom of spirit and education.Now, I will add that the only way toachieve these objectives truly and ina permanent way, is by beginning towork at the local level. In my meet-ings with popular movements andwith Italian cooperatives I recalledand developed these ideas, whichcan be summarized in two axioms:“small is beautiful”, and “small is ef-fective”.

The recurrent global crises haveshown how economic decisions that,

in general, seek to promote the pro-gress of all by generating new formsof consumption as well as the on-going increase of profit are unsus-tainable by the very nature of theglobal economy. It must also be ad-ded that they are immoral in and ofthemselves, since they leave asideevery question pertaining to what isjust and what really serves the com-mon good. Instead, public andprivate political and economic dis-cussions should question themselveson how to integrate ethical criteriain the systems and the decisions.The fundamental focus on the locallevel, as the Forum of Local Devel-opment wishes, seems to be one ofthe highroads to true ethical discern-ment and to the creation of econom-ies and businesses that are truly free:free from ideologies, free from polit-ical manipulation, and above all freefrom the law of profit at all costsand from the perpetual expansion ofbusiness affairs, in order to be trulyat the service of all and to reinteg-rate the excluded into social life.

Christian social thought in Italy,of figures such as Giuseppe Toniolo,Don Sturzo and others, followingthe guidelines traced by Pope LeoXIII in the Encyclical Rerum Novar-

um, offers an economic analysis that,beginning precisely with the localand territorial spheres, proposes op-tions and directions for the globaleconomy. Much of lay socialthought too, starting from differentpremises, also arrived at similar pro-posals. This vision of an economy,which goes from the local to theworld, has also been developed inother countries by many scholars. Ishall limit myself here to recallingErnst Friedrich Schumacher and hisfamous work “Small is Beautiful”.

Hon. Mr Mayor, I hope thatthese brief reflections will be a use-ful contribution to the debate and tothe Forum’s future work, in order tostrengthen local development andespecially to inspire the reform ofthe great global models. Therefore, Irenew my wishes for the successfuloutcome of your meeting, while I in-voke the Divine Blessing upon you,upon the other Authorities andupon the participants in the Forum,as well as upon the respective famil-ies and endeavours.

From the Vatican, 10 October 2015

FRANCIS

Pope Francis to climate changeconference in Bolivia

“I and the Village” by Marc Chagall (1911)

ScholasOccurrentes now

a pontificalfoundation

With a chirograph dated 15 Au-gust, Pope Francis has bestowedScholas Occurrentes the status ofan “autonomous pious founda-tion” of pontifical right, erectedas private legal entity within thecanonical system. Scholas Occur-rentes, the document reads, is aneducational initiative with itsroots in the programmes “Escuelade Vecinos” and “Escuelas her-manas”, which were developed inthe city of Buenos Aires and pro-moted by the then archbishop,Cardinal Bergoglio. Currently, itis structured as a worldwide net-work of schools that share assetsand common goals, giving specialattention to children of low-in-come families. According to civillaw in Spain, this programme hasobtained legal personality as anon-profit foundation. To date,Scholas Occurrentes has spreadto more than 70 countries on fivecontinents. The institution isheaded by two general managers:José María Del Corral and En-rique Palmeyro. Bishop MarceloSánchez Sorondo, Chancellor ofthe Pontifical Academies of Sci-ences and Social Sciences, wasappointed as Vice President ofthe foundation.

“The Pope greets with affection theorganizers and participants of theSecond World People’s Conferenceon Climate Change and Defense ofLife, which is taking place inCochabamba Tiquipaya, and heencourages them so that their re-flections and work may always beguided by the principles of an in-tegral and just economy that takesinto account the true good of thehuman person”. Cardinal PietroParolin, Secretary of State, sentthis message to participants of themeeting, which was held from 10 to

12 October in Bolivia. The confer-ence addressed the main challengesposed by the development and de-fence of the environment. Takingpart in the conference was Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of theUnited Nations, who declared thatin the fight against global warm-ing, “there is no Plan B, we mustact now”. The Secretary General,therefore, expressed the hope thatthe World Climate Conference inParis, scheduled for December, willreach its set objectives.

number 43, Friday, 23 October 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 15

women church world His mother kept all these thingsand pondered them in her heart

w w w. o s s e r v a t o re ro m a n o .v a

The family in AfricaChanges in family structures reflectthe enduring tensions between tradi-tional, Christian/religious and mod-ern values and structures. Althoughthere have been widespread accountsof families abandoning key tradi-tional practices in favour of modernones, the major trend remains thecreation of marriage and family or-ganization that draw on both tradi-tional and modern norms. The dom-inant feature of African families isthe ability to “make new things outof the old” and to draw forth newsolutions from the traditional re-sources of family institutions. Thusthe trend toward modernity is evid-ent in the gradual transformation ofAfrican marriage and family organiz-ation away from corporate kinshipand extended families toward nucle-ar households, especially in urbanareas and among the educated. Thisshift stems in part from the break-down of collective, kinship-orientedsystems of production and reproduc-tion.

Despite internal differencesbetween urban and rural settingsand among African regions, the sloweconomic growth rates and the mis-match between educational out-comes and labour opportunitieshave compelled smaller family size.Betty Bingome and Gilbert M.Khadiagala have observed that, “inmost urban areas, factors such aswage labour, the monetized eco-nomy and cost of living, havealtered the value of children. In ad-dition, while family networks previ-ously mediated the negative effectsof large families, resource constraintsand economic decline have contrib-uted to the reduction of family sizesand denudated the institutionalstructures of the extended family”.

However, a critical continuity inAfrican family patterns relates to thepersistence of polygyny, hence themuch anticipated decline in poly-gamous households by sociologistsis still far from a social reality inmost African societies. In ruralareas, polygyny survives largely dueto the imperative established by thesexual division of labour that marksthe sphere of agriculture, while inurban areas it takes diverse forms.

Another social change that is un-dermining kinship-based familystructure is the prevalence of single

parenthood, particularly among urb-an women. As increasing numbers ofwomen have joined the workforce,single and female-headed house-holds have become a discernible pat-tern on the African social landscape.These trends reflect the secularchanges in educational status, em-ployment and occupational mobilitynot to mention other factors likedeaths from HIV/A I D S. Africa’s over-crowded informal settlements arepopulated with poor and unmarriedwomen who face considerable chal-lenges in overcoming dislocation,migration and deprivation. In somecountries like Kenya, Ghana, SouthAfrica and Ethiopia, over one thirdof the heads of households are fe-male. Others are headed by grand-parents and children.

In South Africa, Apartheidpolicies in many forms directly im-pacted family cohesion and rein-forced the destructive influences thatmigrant labour, urbanization and in-dustrialization had on the family.Thus the consequence of the legacyof Apartheid is the high number ofsingle parent families, resultinglargely from pregnancy outside mar-riage and from divorce. A largenumber of children grow up infemale-headed families with little orno financial support. It has been ar-gued that the Black family in SouthAfrica has continued to suffer great-er disintegration than other familieson the continent.

For years, internal migration fromrural to urban areas has been the es-sential mechanism for job opportun-ities, social mobility and incometransfers. Nearly 32% of Sub-Saha-ran Africa lived in urban areas in1996, up from 11% in 1950. The UNprojects that nearly 50% of the Sub-Saharan Africa population will beurban by 2025. New family struc-tures have emerged due to the phe-nomenon of migration. Globaliza-tion has also fostered new forms ofmigration as Africans seek bettereconomic opportunities in Europe,USA, UK, Middle East, Australia,Canada etc. For the majority ofthese migrants, migration is part ofthe struggle against both debilitatingpoverty and implicit and explicitforms of political oppression.Africa’s record of civil war, conflict,and political instability has also to a

large extent contributed to migra-tion and the disintegration of theAfrican family. Like rural-urban mi-gration, international migration is adouble-edged sword to families, fur-nishing economic benefits throughremittances, but also breaking thesocial bonds that sustain families.

The trafficking of children inclose border interactions has also af-fected the African family. Traffickerskeep victims subservient throughphysical violence, debt bondage,passport confiscation and threats ofviolence against their families.Justice is often elusive for victims ofthis vice.

Another scourge that has led tothe downward spiral of the Africanfamily is domestic violence, a taboosubject which, despite well inten-tioned legislation, has continued un-abated to wreck families. Gender-based violence affects people of allclasses, creeds, races and ethnicities.The family and home which are sup-posed to be the safest space formen, women and children have be-come sites of struggle, pain, abuse,neglect and disintegration.

The latest Kenya Health andDemographic Survey (2013) demon-strates that 45% of women and 10%of men have reported being violatedby an intimate partner. Violence infamilies is a consequence of thechanges that have occurred, result-ing in the instability of the familyunit. Many marriages are now neo-local, where couples live far fromtheir families. Such families tend tobe individualistic and couples nolonger benefit from the counsel ofelders. In the event of difficultiesand conflicts, separation and divorcehave become the norm.

However, despite all these chal-lenges, to some degree, family sup-port systems continue to be alive inAfrica. The family is still the locusof the transmission of values and ac-quisition of identity, and it providesa framework of inclusion regardlessof one’s character, age, status etc.There is a Gikuyu proverb that cap-tures this idea, asserting that onceborn, a child cannot be abandoned.

* Associate Professor of Philosophy andReligious Studies and Director ofGender Equity and Empowerment atKenyatta University, Nairobi

PHILOMENA N. MWAU R A *

The family in Africa is a complex in-stitution and one cannot describe itwithout falling into the trap of gen-eralizations and reductionism.Nevertheless, the family in Africa isthe basic social unit founded on kin-ship, marriage, adoption and otherrelational aspects. The family is alsomarked by tensions between Africancultural values, Christian teachings,secularism, religions and other ideo-logies. The family is a unit of pro-duction, consumption, reproductionand accumulation. In its simplestform, it consists of a husband, wifeand children, and in its complex andmost common form it is extended toinclude grandparents, uncles, aunts,brothers and sisters who may havetheir own children and other imme-diate relatives. Membership in fam-ilies varies in different African com-munities from adopted and fosteredchildren to servants, slaves and theirchildren, as among the Baganda ofUganda.

In the traditional pre-colonial so-ciety, polygamy was practiced andsuch marriages contributed to theextension of family relationships byincorporating many people. The ex-tended family formed and still formsthe basis of all social cooperationand responsibility. In traditional so-ciety, the wider family was theprimary place where an individualexercised his or her freedom. The in-dividual existed in connection to alarger group, including his or herwider family.

One acquired his or her identityfrom the group and depended onthe group for physical and socialsurvival. Through various rites ofpassage, one progressively became afuller member of society and tookon a role in ensuring the survival ofthe group through marriage andpro creation.

The extended family provided theindividual with a personal and cor-poreal identity. One was assigned toa particular community and was as-signed distinct roles at various stagesof life on the basis of age, genderand social status. The cultural, so-cial and moral norms of the com-munity that were applied within theextended family helped an individu-al to grow into a productive and re-spected member of the community.Those norms served as a blueprintfor life.

The extended family was, andcontinues to be, the first religiouscommunity to which an individualbelongs. It was through parents,grandparents and other membersthat one learned about religious andspiritual heritage. It was possiblywhere one learned about God, spir-its, ancestors and the afterlife. Theextended family was and is also ameans of mutual support. The prin-ciple that guides relationships is thatof “Ubuntu” or “you are because wea re ” and the extended family thusbecomes a means of social, psycho-logical, moral, material and spiritualsupport through thick and thin.

African society has been undergo-ing tremendous changes in every as-pect of life including family struc-ture and marriage. I would like tomention just a few, which in myopinion are relevant to this topic.

page 16 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 October 2015, number 43

From 25 to 30 November

The Pope’s visit in Africa

The Bishops of Uganda and the Holy Father’s upcoming journey

Reconciliation with God and men

Martyrs of Uganda

It was announced on Saturday, 17October in the Holy See Press Of-fice that Pope Francis will travel tothe cities of Nairobi, Kenya; En-tebbe, Munyonyo, Namugongo,Kampala and Nalukolongo inUganda, and Bangui in the CentralAfrican Republic, during his visit inAfrica from 25 to 30 November.

Francis will depart from Rome’sFiumicino Airport at 7:45 am onWednesday, 25 November, and ar-rive later that day in Nairobi, wherea welcome ceremony will be held atthe State House. There, the Popewill visit the President of the Re-public and meet with local politicalauthorities and the diplomatic corps.The next day the Pontiff will parti-cipate in an ecumenical and interre-ligious meeting at the ApostolicNunciature and then he will celeb-rate Mass at the university campus.That afternoon he will speak toclergy, religious and seminarians atSt Mary’s School and visit the localoffice of the United Nations. OnFriday morning, 27 November, PopeFrancis will visit the poor area ofKangemi, and at Kasarani Stadiumhe will meet with youth and thenthe episcopal conference.

That afternoon the Holy Fatherwill travel to Entebbe, Uganda,where he will first meet with thePresident and political authorities.That evening, before retiring to theNunciature, he will go to Mun-

yonyo, where he will greet catechistsand teachers. The following day,Saturday, 28 November, the HolyFather will visit both the Anglicanand Catholic Shrines of the Martyrsof Namugongo. He will celebrateMass outside the Catholic Shrine.On Saturday afternoon there will bemeetings with young people and thebishops and clergy of Uganda, inaddition to a visit to the charitablecentre of Nalukolongo.

Pope Francis will depart for theCentral African Republic on Sundaymorning, 29 November. After visit-ing with the President of the Stateof Transition, as well as with govern-ment leaders and the diplomaticcorps, the Pope will visit a refugeecamp in Bangui. Sunday’s tightschedule also includes meetings withthe bishops and then Evangelicalcommunities, as well as a Mass withpriests, religious, catechists andyoung people in the Cathedral. Thatevening the Holy Father will admin-ister the Sacrament of Reconciliationto young people before a prayer vi-gil.

On Monday — the last day of thevisit — a meeting will be held withthe Muslim community at the cent-ral Mosque of Koudoukou, Bangui,and the Pope will celebrate Mass atBarthélémy Boganda Stadium. Hewill depart at 12:30 pm for Rome.

Francis is the fourth pope totravel to Africa.

Pope John Paul II greets children in front of the Residence of the Presidentof the Republic of Kenya in Nairobi

C a t h e d ra lof Bangui,

Central AfricanRepublic

infidelity, denial of mutual love,domestic violence, underage mar-riage, poor communication amongspouses, excessive dowry, child ab-

use, poverty, alcoholismand diseases, especiallyHIV/AIDS”. The Churchhas been committed tofighting the spread of theHIV virus since 1989, theyear in which the epi-demic began to spread inthe country. The firstpastoral letter on thesubject dates back to thatyear, and all of the 19dioceses in Uganda haveestablished “HIV/AIDS Fo -cal Point Offices” whichwork together with thesystem of health care co-ordination to maintainhigh standards of themedical services offered.According to data fromthe national health care

database, the health care organiza-tions of the Catholic Church havetaken care of thousands and thou-sands of patients, although the num-ber is approximate since not all theorganizations record their informa-tion in the database.

In their message, the prelates alsostate that, “before the Holy Fathercomes, we are challenged to recom-mit ourselves to promoting the val-ues and sanctity of marriage and thefamily, and to rebuilding the moralfibre of our country”.

In this sense the martyrs ofUganda are the model to follow.These are faithful who adhered toCatholicism thanks to the work ofthe missionaries of Africa and wholater, essentially reduced to slavery,were killed for refusing to denouncetheir faith. The 22 martyrs were can-onized on 18 October 1964 by PopePaul VI in a solemn ceremony in StPe t e r ’s Basilica.

“In a country like ours, where unityand national consensus have eludedus for decades, the Pope comes as abridge builder.... This demands ofus to imitate Christ who came toserve rather than to be served, it in-vites us to be servants to one anoth-er”. This is stated in the pastoralmessage of the Bishops of Ugandain view of Pope Francis’ visit, from27 to 29 November. In the messagesigned by the President of theUganda Episcopal Conference,Archbishop John Baptist Odama,the bishops describe the Holy Fath-er’s visit as “a privilege”, recallingthat Pope Francis is the third pontiff

the missionaries”. It is thanks to thissacrifice, the bishops state, that theChurch in Uganda has become vi-brant, approximately 15 millionmembers strong. Moreover, theChurch in Uganda is “known for itscontribution to the social transform-ation of our country. Since the ad-vent of Catholicism in Uganda inthe early 19th Century, it hasprovided health services and educa-tion to the poor and rich alike”. Butin addition to these achievements,the message continues, the countryis also “beset by challenges to whichwe, as Church, need to pay particu-lar attention as we await the visit of

His Holiness the Pope”. Thebishops call particular atten-tion to the “alarming gap andcontradictions between thefaith we profess and the lifewe live, between the gospeland some traditional Africanpractices such as polygamy,cohabitation, trial marriage,witchcraft and human sacri-fice”. Moreover, they state,“the family is also affected by

Catholic Shrine to Ugandan Martyrs

to visit the African coun-try, after Paul VI andJohn Paul II.

For this reason, theprelates call upon thefaithful to unite in prayerfor this visit, “to do actsof charity towards thep o or” and “most import-antly, let us make everyeffort to reconcile andlove one another asChrist has loved us”. Thedocument continues: “Aswe look forward to thevisit of the Holy Father,let us pray for spiritualrenewal while gratefullyemphasizing the bless-ings, which include thegift of the Uganda Mar-tyrs and the sacrifice of