Diocesan Synod indicates way forward for the Church

Eliminating the pagan elements from feasts and encouraging women's greater participation in the Church are among the proposals submitted in the Diocesan Synod's first of eight documents.

Tackling the need for a common vision of the Church is the theme of this first document, published yesterday.

The paper makes a number of basic proposals which are then expanded in further detail in the remaining seven papers which delve into: culture, society and the Church; lay people; spreading the Word of God; the liturgy and the sacraments; deacons and justice; marriage and the family and young people.

Synod coordinator Joseph Galea Curmi said the documents, which will be published one at a time in the coming weeks, reveal the results of a wide consultation among 100,000 people.

The Synod was opened by the Archbishop, Mgr Joseph Mercieca, four years ago. He described the Synod as renewal for the Church in Malta.

A Commission for the Implementation of the Synod has also been set up, chaired by André Camilleri, to ensure the changes recommended in the documents are carried through.

Dr Camilleri explained that the documents were intended to guide the Church to recognise the "signs of the times" yet while certain proposals could be implemented immediately, others could not happen overnight.

This first document looks at the Church's historical background and asks forgiveness for any mistakes its members may have committed, while forgiving those who offended the Church in the past.

When asked if any of the Synod's eight documents dealt with the issue of child abuse in Church homes, a much debated topic at the moment, Fr Galea Curmi said a specific policy paper on cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity had been published in 1999.

"This paper was published just before we started working on the Synod and we felt it gave a clear enough picture of how the Church views the matter and established procedures," he said.

Among the proposals submitted in the first document is the need for a better network within the Church to ensure better communication and better use of resources.

The importance of twinning agreements between parishes on missionary work was also dealt with, as was the excessive spending on the holding of village feasts.

"All eight documents give a clear direction of where the Church should go and are the perfect tools for the formation of Christians," Fr Galea Curmi said.