Pope Francis has opened the synod on the family by calling for a Church that proclaims the truth, but which must be a bridge and not a roadblock.
In his homily at the opening Mass of the three-week synod at the Vatican, the Pope spelled out “God’s dream” for humanity.
“[This is] God’s dream for his beloved creation: to see it fulfilled in the loving union between a man and a woman, rejoicing in their shared journey, fruitful in their mutual gift of self.”
The Pope said the Church has a duty to proclaim truth “that is not changed by passing fads or popular opinions”.
At the same time, however, Francis told Church leaders they must not forget “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.
Quoting a 1978 reflection by Pope John Paul II, the Pontiff said: “Error and evil must always be condemned and opposed; but the man who falls or who errs must be understood and loved . . . we must love our time and help the man of our time.”
“The Church must search out these persons, welcome and accompany them,” Francis told the some 270 bishops gathered in St Peter’s Basilica for the Mass.
“A Church with closed doors betrays herself and her mission, and, instead of being a bridge, becomes a roadblock.”
The Pope spoke of “a Church which teaches authentic love, which is capable of taking loneliness away, without neglecting her mission to be a good Samaritan to wounded humanity”.
This Church carries “out her mission in charity, not pointing a finger in judgment of others, but – faithful to her nature as a mother – conscious of her duty to seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy; to be a ‘field hospital’”.
The Pope focused his reflections on three themes: solitude, love between man and woman, and family.
He also quoted his predecessor Benedict XVI twice, noting that “without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality” and that “forbidden pleasures lost their attraction at the very moment they stopped being forbidden”.
Sources