Annual World Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist |
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Q U I C K L I N K S |
Front Page: Synod closes with strong emphasis on eucharistic renewal  |
| Pope Benedict XVI delivers a speech during the first general session of the Synod of Bishops in the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican Oct. 3. (CNS photo from Reuters) |
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Synod of Bishops closed with a strong call for eucharistic renewal, urging a deeper understanding of the Eucharist among the world's Catholics but no major changes in church rules on priestly celibacy or shared Communion.
Pope Benedict XVI, who presided over the three-week assembly, formally closed the synod Oct. 23 with a Mass in St. Peter's Square. He thanked the more than 250 bishops for their input and invited Catholics to contemplate the Eucharist as the key to revitalizing their faith.
Catholics should also understand that "no dichotomy is admissible between faith and life," he said.
The pope expressed his deep sadness that four Chinese members of the synod were not allowed to travel to Rome for the assembly and said the church in China was still on a "suffering path."
On Oct. 22 the synod handed the pope a list of 50 propositions, or final recommendations, which acknowledged a priest shortage in some parts of the world but said eliminating priestly celibacy and ordaining married men were not the solution.
"I think it is significant that there has been a massive restatement of the tradition in the Latin Church of mandatory celibacy for priests," Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney told reporters.
In an unusual move, the pope immediately ordered the propositions published; normally they are considered confidential. He said he would use the bishops' recommendations in preparing his own document sometime in the future.
The synod also published a final message, which asked Catholics to allow the Eucharist to transform their lives and the life of the world.
The message expressed pastoral concern and sadness for the situation of Catholics who have divorced and remarried civilly without an annulment, but offered no relaxation in church rules that prohibit them from receiving Communion.
The synod's propositions echoed that statement, but suggested that some margin of flexibility might be found in further study of church law on the conditions for annulments.
The status of divorced and remarried Catholics was one of several sensitive pastoral issues raised by bishops on the synod floor, leading some to expect the synod to call for revision of church policies. But in the end the assembly recommended no significant changes.
Instead, the synod:
-- Praised the value of priestly celibacy and called for a greater push in vocations as the answer to the priest shortage. It said ordaining married men in the Latin church was "a road not to follow."
-- Reaffirmed that shared Communion with non-Catholic Christians "is generally not possible" and said an "ecumenical concelebration" of the Eucharist would be even more objectionable.
At a closing press conference, French Archbishop Roland Minnerath of Dijon, the synod's special secretary, said it was a mistake to have expected major changes on issues like divorced Catholics.
"Obviously, the aim of the synod is not to introduce doctrinal or disciplinary innovations in the life of the church, but to renew pastoral support for these situations," he said.
"We cannot change the rules," he said.
Overall, the synod offered a strong endorsement of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, saying they had greatly benefited the church. Abuses have occurred in the past, but have substantially diminished today, it said.
Despite recent speculation over wider latitude for celebrating the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Mass, the synod's final documents did not even mention that possibility.
The synod encouraged promotion of eucharistic adoration, but stressed that the practice should be seen in relation to Mass.
To promote better Mass attendance, the bishops recommended better liturgies, strong preaching and improved education of Catholics in their understanding of the Eucharist.
They also emphasized that while the Eucharist is the center of Christian life not everyone has an automatic right to receive it at all times.
The question of Communion and Catholic politicians received some attention at the synod. One final proposition called for "eucharistic coherence" and said Catholic lawmakers cannot promote laws that go against human good, justice and natural law.
But it indicated pastoral flexibility in determining whether specific politicians should receive Communion, saying bishops should "exercise the virtues of fortitude and prudence" and take into account local circumstances.
Archbishop Minnerath said the synod was not trying to single out politicians as a special group. Every Catholic is called to live the faith coherently and to consider that when it comes time for Communion, he said.
The synod's other recommendations included:
-- Better emphasis on the missionary aspect of the Eucharist.
-- Study and possible change in the order of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.
-- Possible relocation in the liturgy of the sign of peace exchange.
-- Reminding the faithful of the importance of genuflection or other gestures of adoration before the consecrated host.
-- Better awareness of the Eucharist's connection with social justice issues, including ecological concerns.
With the end of the synod came the close of the Year of the Eucharist convened by Pope John Paul II. The bishops said they hoped the special year might be "a point of departure for a new evangelization of our globalized humanity that begins with the Eucharist."
Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
