Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
| Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops | |
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| Date | 4–25 October 2015 |
| Convoked by | Pope Francis |
| President | Pope Francis |
| Topics | The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world |
| Chronological list of Ecumenical councils | |
The Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, popularly referred to as the Synod on the Family, took place from 4 to 25 October 2015 with the theme of "the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world." It was "reflect[ing] further on the points discussed" at the 2014 Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops "so as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines" for the pastoral care of the person and the family. The 2014 assembly of the Synod, called to define the status quaestionis (current situation) and to collect the participants' experiences and proposals, can be understood as a preparation for the 2015 assembly, but they are meant to "form a single organic unity." It took place in the Synod Hall in the Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City.
A preparatory session of the synod was held in 2014 to set the stage for the larger 2015 assembly. Called by Pope Francis, it was meant to "continue the reflection and journey of the whole Church, with the participation of leaders of the Episcopate from every corner of the world," and to be the first of "two stages, forming a single organic unity" with the 2015 assembly.
While there was wide agreement on a great number of issues, it "featured a vigorous, and occasionally nasty, back-and-forth over issues such as homosexuality and divorce." The debates featured a "kind of pitched battles between reformers and traditionalists" not seen since the Second Vatican Council. Divides were also seen between African bishops, who were seen to be more conservative, and German bishops, who were seen as more progressive.
Pope Francis described the 2014 assembly by saying that none of the Synod Fathers "questioned the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of Matrimony, namely: indissolubility, unity, fidelity, and openness to life. This was not touched." He added, however, that there was a difference between doctrine and discipline. While not mentioning Communion specifically, he said that the Church should "open the doors a bit more" and allow divorced and remarried Catholics to participate in the life of the Church.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, a participant in the 2014 session, described the divisions as one in which a mother says: "Watch out, be careful”, and the father says: "No, that's fine, go ahead.” Francesco Miano, a lay participant, said there was a tension between truth and mercy. The debates were also notable for the return of the phrase "the law of graduality," a phrase that had fallen out of favor but was deemed to be "back with a vengeance."
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