Seventy two Synod participants gave three-minute interventions today. Rosica summarized them and below are some of the most promising from his list.
- Exclusionary language is to be avoided. The Church should not pity gay persons, but recognize them for who they are: our sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, colleagues, friends, etc.
- The domination of men over women must be eliminated. For many women and children, home can be a dangerous place, but our Churches can also be dangerous places.
- We need to welcome the huge numbers of unbaptized and ask, "Are we the masters or the servants of the Eucharistic table?" We need a Eucharist that "is not a prize for the perfect, but nourishment for the weak."
- The Instrumentum Laboris is too focused on the brokenness and not the joys of the family. We need a new anthropology where human nature is seen as good and beautiful and not fallen and broken.
- The family should teach the Church.
- On issues like divorce and remarriage, polygamy, and other cultural challenges, there is no universal solution. Instead there should be discussions and solutions at the regional and continental level.
- The Church should use form three of the general absolution as a clear signal for Catholics to "come home."
The Synod discussions are not closed
Both Archbishop Celli and Archbishop Durocher stressed the fact that the synod was wide open to input. Durocher shared his view of the natural tensions between bishops.
One of the things that strikes me as I listen to the bishops, is their
awareness of the growing gulf between the culture of marriage
and the teaching of Jesus. Some fear we are losing our way so they
react by emphasizing Church teaching. Others fear we will lose
touch with people who live in the culture and that we will no longer
have an impact in the culture. The teaching of Jesus is a gift for the
world. So how on the one hand do you hold onto the truth but also
dialogue with the world to provoke interaction?
That is why this [synod process] is an important exercise. We need
to bring together those who fear losing the teaching and those who
want to find a way to enter into dialogue with this world.
The Big Finale: Women
During a 90 minute press briefing no one on the seven person panel mentioned the
proposal that Archbishop Durocher made on the synod floor regarding women deacons and expanding women's roles, not even Archbishop Durocher himself. Omitting such an important story in a daily press briefing is difficult to understand.
Speaking to participants at the Synod of Bishops on the family Oct. 6, Archbishop Durocher said he dedicated his three-minute intervention to the role of women in the church -- one of the many themes highlighted in the synod's working document.
... he
said the synod should reflect on the possibility of allowing for female
deacons as it seeks ways to open up more opportunities for women in church life.
Where possible, qualified women should be given higher positions
and decision-making authority within church structures and new
opportunities in ministry.
Discussing a number of proposals he offered the synod fathers
to think about, he said, "I think we should really start looking seriously
at the possibility of ordaining women deacons because the diaconate
in the church's tradition has been defined as not being ordered toward priesthood but toward ministry."
He reminded the synod fathers that in the apostolic exhortation "Familiaris Consortio" in 1981, St. John Paul II basically told the church that "we
have to make a concerted and clear effort to make sure that there is no
more degradation of women in our world, particularly in marriage. And I
said, '
Well, here we are 30 years later and we're still facing these kinds of numbers.'"
He said he recommended one thing they could do to address this problem was, "as a synod, clearly state that you cannot justify the domination of men over women -- certainly not violence -- through biblical interpretation," particularly incorrect interpretations of St. Paul's call for women to be submissive to their husbands.
Read the whole article by Glatz.
She also also interviewed the Archbishop later in the day.
This is a stunning event and a stunning proposal. FutureChurch, always working to expand the roles and ministry of women, is launching a petition to support Archbishop Durocher's proposal during the synod and to make as many people aware of it as possible.