Dispatches

The Final Report of the synod on the family revealed that the synod has closed no doors all the main questions are still on the table and an absolute majority of the synod fathers are with Pope Francis in favor of a Church that like the Good Samaritan reaches out to care for all her ldquo wounde

The atmosphere is tense around the Vatican on the eve of the vote on the Final Report of the extraordinary synod on the family nbsp It has revived memories of what happened in the early days of the Second Vatican Council those who were here at that time tell me nbsp A number of synod fathers ha

Humanity is a long way from grasping all the potential of the Internet even in the so-called First World where we are all online 24 7 at least so we rsquo re told In recent years we rsquo ve begun to distinguish between nbsp digital natives younger people who rsquo ve known nothing but the digit

Right now a lot of work is being done behind the scenes at the synod of bishops in the Vatican as a team of eleven synod fathers assisted by expert staff sift through the hundreds of amendments and additions to the synod rsquo s interim-Report on the family and begin drafting its Final Report Giv

The synod is on the home stretch The drafting of the Final Report begins tomorrow Oct 16 The finished text will be presented to the plenary assembly on Saturday morning Oct 18 and voted on that afternoon There is a sense of great expectation even some anxiety as participants wait to read t

While very many synod fathers warmly welcomed and appreciated the midway report presented by the Relator General Cardinal Peter Erdo on Oct 13 a significant number expressed serious objections to parts of that interim text both in terms of content and style That text sought to summarize the ri

A new wind is blowing at the extraordinary synod of bishops on the family nbsp A wind that is bringing back lsquo the spirit rsquo and even lsquo the letter rsquo of the Second Vatican Council several synod fathers said nbsp It rsquo s a wind that reveals a clear desire for the Church to dia

One of the Vatican rsquo s top canon lawyers at the Synod of Bishops on the Family says the current process for the annulment of marriages in the Catholic Church could be streamlined and expanded to the benefit of very many people whose marriages have broken down This could be one of the positive f