The Vatican revealed on Thursday a key document to guide the next stage of discussions in the Synod on Synodality.
The working document, titled “Enlarge the space of your tent,” covers issues across a broad spectrum, from the clergy sexual abuse crisis to Christian unity. The text calls for “a Church capable of radical inclusion” and says that many synod reports raised questions about the inclusion and role of women, young people, the poor, people identifying as LGBTQ, and the divorced and remarried.
The 44-page working document is officially called the DCS (Document for the Continental Stage). It summarizes the reports shared with the Vatican by bishops’ conferences, religious congregations, departments of the Roman Curia, lay movements, and other groups and individuals.
Published on Oct. 27, the document aims to be “the privileged instrument through which the dialogue of the local Churches among themselves and with the universal Church can take place during the Continental Stage.”
It identifies the celebration of the Mass, whether according to the pre-Vatican II missal or the post-Vatican II liturgy, and access to the Eucharist, as “knots of conflict” in the Church and cites a great “diversity of opinion” on the subject of priestly ordination for women, which some reports called for and others considered “a closed issue.”
“Enlarge the space of your tent” is “not a conclusive document,” but meant to spark dialogue and arouse feedback on what should be the priorities for discussion during the first session of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023.
The text will operate as an outline for the next stage of synod discussions: The Continental Assemblies, to be held on different continents between January and March 2023….
Pope Francis recently announced his decision to extend the Synod on Synodality to 2024. Following the Continental Phase, the Synod of Bishops will meet in Rome in October 2023 and October 2024…
The above comes from an Oct. 27 posting in the National Catholic Register.
Is a continental stage kind of like a continental breakfast?
Take what you want, leave the rest and sometimes feel ill after.
I hope someone keeps the light on for us.
A continental breakfast is a piece of fruit, a muffin or toast with jam, and a cup of coffee.
You might be thinking of a buffet?
buffet, Some of these synods seem to be wasting away in Margaritaville. And, not everyone takes our pre-packaged months-old pastries. But, I’ll leave the light on for you.
Maybe you are jaded.
The document aims to be the privileged instrument within which the text calls for “a Church capable of radical inclusion.” One usually thinks of a radical as a person advocating a complete political or social change or supporting an extreme or progressive section of a political party. Shall we then conclude that the inclusion contemplated represents an extreme social change in the direction of LBGTQ+ acceptance, and if not, what? Surly the inclusion cannot extend to those of a traditionalist mindset, given T.C. So the inclusion is forced to extend deeply in a progressive direction, as befits the term “radical.” If such inclusion is the synodal aim, Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s claim that the Catholic Church is facing a hostile takeover does not seem unreasonable.
Matthew 28:16-20
I have done a little more reading, and found the document presents three reflection questions to which Continental Assemblies will need to respond after people have read and prayed over its content:
1. Which intuitions resonate most strongly with the lived experiences and realities of the Church in your continent? Which experiences are new, or illuminating to you?
2. What substantial tensions or divergences emerge as particularly important in your continent’s perspective? Consequently, what are the questions or issues that should be addressed and considered in the next steps of the process?
3. Looking at what emerges from the previous two questions, what are the priorities, recurring themes, and calls to action that can be shared with other local Churches around the world and discussed during the First Session of the Synodal Assembly in October 2023?
It is not clear to me, given the document’s call for radical inclusion, how much these questions are formed to facilitate this aim. Question 2, for instance, seems like an honest attempt to grapple with traditional vs. progressive conflicts. True, such grappling is done from a conceptual scheme, and one wonders if “radial inclusion” is the primary backdrop. Or is it the fundamentals of Catholic dogma?
Radical inclusion is a Catholic dogma.
John 6:37
No, radical inclusion is not a Catholic Dogma because radical inclusion is code for blessing LGBT sex and unions.
This is a trick of the devil intended to distract Catholics and to keep Catholics from spreading the Gospel and taking souls away from him.
Notice how he has distracted the evangelicals with the trans stuff.
No. It is not.
If some people or the devil try to exploit radical inclusion in that way, the Holy Trinity will not allow it.
All sex is sinful in the Catholic Church, except that done chastely in a sacramental marriage.
Not so. See Matthew Chapter 7, the whole chapter.
My comment was meant for John of Oct. 30 at 10:00 am. Christ accepts everyone if they are repentant and accept his teachings.
Franciscan University at Steubenville had to pay a huge settlement to a student sexually assaulted by a priest. When the synod is over, there will be no more sexual sins. That’s the church’s way of getting out of all this.
Many mainline Protestant churches have split apart, and some are reported to be dying, due to these anti-Biblical, policies, initiated and pushed by liberal religious leaders. Is the Catholic Church going down the same slippery slope? On the positive side– I read that recently, a city in Tennessee– Jackson– put strong restrictions on a group planning a Pride festival. The group making plans for a Festival with a Drag Show– all advertised as family friendly — outraged Jackson city residents. A group of Tennessee lawmakers and clergy leaders got a court order to specify that the event could not be held in a city park outdoors, for all to see, including kids– it had to be held at an indoor venue– with an age restriction of no one allowed under age 18. And the event could not be advertised as family friendly. Good for them.
My comment of Oct. 29th at 2:24pm was edited a great deal. I said originally, that policies of so-called “inclusion” have caused terrible problems for many churches. And some mainline Protestant churches have split apart, and are reported to be dying, because of it. A church cannot discard Biblical teachings and principles. Churches should welcome all people– but you cannot include sinful behaviors in a church.
Finally, there is a good acknowledgment that people did not understand the synodal process and did not trust it.
Some were afraid that it was about changing church teaching.
Radical inclusion is from Christ.
Read the whole document.
The Holy Spirit gives life to the Church.
You will begin to understand. Even through all the lack of understanding, superficiality, silliness and smoke of Satan trying to stifle the fruits of the Council, God reigns. Christ orders. Christ conquers.
The mission of the Church is to evangelize.
The Spirit and the Bride say “Come.”
Look past the anxiety of professional Catholics who make their living by criticizing the Church.
See what really has happened.
There will be martyrs. There will be people imprisoned.
People get ready.
Yes, the whole document must be read and pondered. I am only part way through but it is clear to me that summaries such as given in the article are inadequate for understanding. It would behoove everyone to study this document.
Thank you for reading it.
I’ll tell you this… if the pope approves gay sex or unions, even by way of a back door pastoral accommodation that preserves doctrine on paper but guts it in practice, I’m out of the church. If that happens, the church will clearly be a total fraud.
Amen bro. With you.
Did you think that through?
Me, too! Will look for a faithful Orthodox church, if that happens. Can’t take your family to Mass, and try to raise children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren– with false teachings, denial of Biblical truths, immorality– and apostacy! Will never accept women priests– nor a married, “secularized” kind of priesthood. No way.
When should this effort succeed where others have failed for two thousand years to destroy the church?
The Pope and the Vatican have already said no to those who want to have ceremonies to bless gay unions.
One diocese has gone ahead and developed a ceremony, although if you read carefully it does not include the Church blessing the union.
What you wrote is hugely concerning, not just for the ignorance of salvation that it shows but because of the past history of such a thing.
In the 1500s, the Catholic Church did not sell indulgences but one Archbishop in Austria did (kinda, sorta). One man (although he was not alone) rebelled against the Church because of it. The rest is history.
And the lie that the Catholic Church sold indulgences in taught in schools to this day: secular, Protestant and even Catholic schools.
Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar, who also was the Grand Commissioner of Indulgences in Germany for the Catholic Church, sold indulgences– which infuriated Martin Luther and many others of his era. The money from the sale of these indulgences was used to fund the new St. Peter’s Basilica being built in Rome. It was a very “naughty” scheme, from the Vatican! Our Church has had many unscrupulous clerical characters all through the ages, doing all sorts of “naughty” things. Another terrible thing, was the Inquisition– a horror beyond belief! Martin Luther escaped his punishment of being burned at the stake for heresy, due to protection by many friends and powerful German secular princes, and the German people in the North. They all were sick of the corruption in the Catholic Church.
Pope Pius V abolished the sale of indulgences in 1567. At the Council of Trent (1545-1563) during the Counter-Refornation, the Catholic Church tried to clean up and stop many abuses which the Protestants had criticized– and also, reaffirmed the teachings of the Catholic Faith.
Speaking of indulgences– we can all obtain indulgences– real ones!– for deceased loved ones, for All Souls’ Day and throughout November.
Praise to the Holy Spirit.
The Church has remembered who she is.
This is one of the signs of the springtime of Christianity.
If you read the document that St. Pope John Paul II wrote at the turn of the millennium, you will get more understanding.
Duc in altum.
In all of the parishes in my vicinity, there ain’t no springtime in the church. It’s winter. Nothing but Boomers in the pews.
Today at Mass, we have the Gospel story of Zacchaeus. Zaccheus was a corrupt tax collector, and people were horrified when Jesus said he wanted to stay at Zacchaeus’ home. However, Our Lord’s true motive was to convert Zacchaeus to the Lord, and change his whole life– which quickly happened. That is exactly what Jesus did, when dealing with sinners– seek to convert them. And that is exactly what our Church must do, in His Name. Our Church must never be misused as a place to merely “socialize” and “include everyone in the party.” We are called, in the Great Commission, to bring souls to Christ– and teach them His way to live, as Christians.
You sure added a lot to that story.
Not as much as Fr. James Martin, sj adds. He thinks it’s about Jesus reaching out to marginalized LGBT people and welcoming them and being among the crowd that realizes that LGBT people are already generously contributing to the church. But Fr. Martin makes everything about LGBT people. One track mind, that priest.
He has an LGBT outreach that you hear about because he has enemies on the Internet.
I have never bought one of his books or been to one of his lectures, so I do not personally know what he does.
I can see his Twitter and that is enough for me.
Pray for him.
And why you felt the need to bring him up on this thread may mean you are having a one track mind.
The sky is not falling.
Pray for everyone who is experiencing temptations.
No, I added nothing at all to the Gospel story of Zachaeus. I listened to the priest’s sermon at Mass last Sunday. How about you– did you read last Sunday’s Gospel, and listen to the sermon at Mass? Christ came to call sinners like Zacchaeus to repentance, not to invite Himself to dinner parties at their homes. He invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home in order to convert Zacchaeus, and change his life– and it all happened, very quickly!
Yes, when I read the Gospel, I see that the current translation that the Church uses is different than it used to be.
Zacchaus used to be seen as a sinner by the people but as pure of heart by the Lord. He was someone that was judged unfairly by the hypocrites but rewarded by the Lord.
The statement he made used to read “Zacchaeus stood his ground and said ‘I give half my belongings to the poor and if I have defrauded anyone in the least, I pay him back fourfold.”
jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, for this is what it means to be a son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to search out and save what is lost.”
Over the years I have noticed that the interpretation of this has changed and when I read the current translation, I see why.
The story of Zacchaeus has never changed, regardless of the translation. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho, a wealthy man, much-hated by the Jews. He cheated them out of their money, and kept some of it for himself. Zacchaeus was a sinner, yet Jesus changed his life. The Gospel story illustrates the power of Jesus to change the lives of sinners.
The new bible scholars are suggesting that Zaccheus was gay and that Jesus’ acceptance of him teaches acceptance of gays.
Bible “scholars”??!!?? If such profundity as this makes one a scholar, I should like to send in to get my doctorate. No doubt it is free of charge.
There are 1.3 billion baptized Catholics in the world. If all of them spread the Gospel to 7 different people this year, the whole population of the world will have heard the Gospel.
Of course, if only 1 million spread the Gospel to 10 people each year and their converts do also, it will take 5 years
Some are babies of course but “mouth of babes” is a real thing.
I remember a child in a stroller singing “Bringing in the Sheaves” and an elderly lady staring at him like she was seeing a ghost.
How many times when you witness does someone say “You don’t know what you just said to me?”
How much of your testimony (as our evangelical brethren say) have you shared with others, online and irl?
how many synods did Jesus Christ conduct?
He lived synod for 3 years, remember?
I went back to June 4 2022 and the article Rome Now Dedicated to the Amoris Laetitia Family and comments by Gabriella Gambino who advocates a pastoral approach than knows how to accompany everyone, “an attitude of welcoming and accompaniment towards the Father’s love.” I wonder if the editors of Cal Catholic could reintroduce this June 4 thread as an accompaniment to the present thread as one seems to inform the other.
Here is link to the June 4 story:
Is this one of those things where if you are stupid you can’t see it?
The smoke of Satan is going to swirl.
It is a sign that something is going to steal souls from him.