By Rachel Curry
The world sits in eager anticipation as it awaits the release of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, following last year’s headline-grabbing Synod of Bishops on the Family.
A total of 270 prelates from 120 nations descended on the Vatican last October to discuss the position of the family in the modern world, eventually voting on a final report to be presented to the Holy Father.
With bishops hailing from such a diversity of cultures, there is no doubt that reaching a consensus on the 94-paragraph report was difficult, but there is one thread that runs clearly throughout.
That is, that the family – founded on the indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman – holds a special significance in the life of the Church and is the foundation of our society at large.
The document does not contain any major changes to Church doctrine, as predicted by some, but it does open the door ever so slightly to a path back to the sacraments for divorced and remarried Catholics.
The much-discussed paragraph 86 speaks of such couples holding an “internal forum”, or private conversation, with their priest to help them move towards “a fuller participation in the life of the Church”.
Whether this includes receiving Communion is not made explicit.
On the other headline-grabbing topic of homosexuality, the report reiterates Church teaching that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, should have his or her dignity respected.
The concept of homosexual unions, however, is rejected as being “in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”.
The wide-ranging report also highlights the need for the Church to encourage couples living together outside of marriage towards the sacrament, and to involve more women in decision making and administration.
It denounces abortion, artificial insemination and surrogacy, euthanasia, the death penalty and pornography, and warns of the threat posed to families by mass forced migration.
While Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family will give the final word on these subjects, there is one person closer to home – right here in the Archdiocese of Perth – who can provide special insight into the Synod’s inner workings.
Western Australian family welfare expert Dr Maria Harries was one of a privileged 51 people worldwide invited to observe the Synod as an auditor.
An Adjunct Professor at Curtin University and Senior Honorary Research Fellow in Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Western Australian, Dr Harries has a wealth of experience assisting children and families.
She is the chairperson of Catholic Social Services Australia and a member of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council established by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Speaking to The Record Magazine about her observations at the Synod, Dr Harries said there was huge emphasis on the central place of families in the life of the Church and the difficult situations that families face.
“Because I’ve worked for so long with families in trouble, the messiness and troubles and trials of families were uppermost in my mind,” she said.
“The Church often presents the image of the ideal family – I call it the ideal; it’s realisable but it’s ideal – and I compare this to the memory and the knowledge I have around the terrible trials that families have.
“This comparison was brought to light very strongly by the bishops from the Middle East, the bishops from Asia, particularly Syria, and our bishops (who) talked about the issues facing refugee families.
“These are all people who are struggling to even be together, to have a home, let alone to realise what ideal family life is actually about.”
On the controversial issues of divorced and remarried Catholics receiving Communion and recognition for homosexual people, Dr Harries said tensions were apparent throughout the Synod.
She believed these issues were “resolved in a way that provided opportunities for ongoing thought and reflection” and would be further explored by Pope Francis.
The theme of the openness of the Church strongly pervaded the Synod, Dr Harries added, which prompted comparisons to the Second Vatican Council.
“There was a big resistance, a big worry among some bishops about the thought that there might be a challenge to Church doctrine,” she said.
“But there was a general openness to how do we engage better as a Church, how do we become more transparent, how do we appear less bureaucratic, how do we engage young people, how do we use the media to benefit (and) how do we do what Pope Francis wants us to do and be a Church with open arms rather than a Church that punishes? And that was fantastic.”
While some critics have dismissed the Synod as not breaking any new ground, it is clear from Dr Harries’ observations that the Church is responding to the challenges families face today.
To find out the exact form of that response, we will have to wait for the final word from Pope Francis.
From page 10 and 11 from Issue 1: ‘The Year of Mercy: Seeking an Encounter with Christ’ of The Record Magazine