Pope urges bishops to take creative approach to family, sexual issues

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has called for a creative, humble approach as the Vatican ponders why many in the Catholic Church have gone their own way in sexual and family matters such as contraception and divorce.

A Mass at St Peter’s Basilica yesterday launched a two-week meeting of 200 cardinals of the 1.2 billion-member Church and bishops from around the world, who know many in their flock, while considering themselves Catholic, still defy the Church’s teaching on sexual matters. The two-week synod, as the meeting is called, on the theme of the family will also be attended by 13 married couples.

The most contentious issues include bans on artificial birth control and on Communion for divorced faithful who remarry.

The synod, the first since Pope Francis’ election in March last year, is seen as a test for him and his vision of a Church that will be closer to the poor and suffering, and not “obsessed” by issues such as homosexuality, abortion and contraception.

The Catholic Church considers divorced Catholics who remarry to be living in sin. It has said those Catholics can receive Communion only by abstaining from sex with their new spouses.

Feedback from a survey the Pope had his bishops conduct last year confirmed the gap between pastors and parishioners on sexual matters.

Without elaborating, the Pope lamented that “pastors lay intolerable burdens on the shoulders of others”. His homily on Sunday spelt out the spirit he wants church leaders to bring to the synod.

“Synod gatherings are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas or to see who is more intelligent,’’ said Pope Francis. Rather, they are an opportunity to “work generously with authentic freedom and humble creativity”.

Conservatives want the synod to reinforce Vatican doctrine on sexual matters, while liberals hope the meeting will bring openness to the realities Catholic families are facing.

Throughout his one-year-old papacy, the Pope has stressed compassion and attention to the far reaches of his flock, including faithful who feel alienated from the institutional Church. The synod provides an occasion to reflect on pastoral care for couples living together without marriage, gay unions and children in those families.

The Pope also prayed for peace for families and the entire world. AP