Gozo bishop Mario Grech called on the Church to use merciful language that brought healing when speaking about families.

Speaking during the third extraordinary general assembly of the Bishops’ Synod in Rome, Mgr Grech said:

“We must not change or twist the Gospel of the Family in such a way that would lead to its disfigurement. Today’s family, however, also quite commonly includes the following scenarios: the situation of a man and woman, both divorced and who now live together in a second relationship; or the case where a son or a daughter profess to be gay; or that given context whereby the exercise of responsible fatherhood proves to be a constant hurdle; relationships that are torn apart by failure; or the challenge of having to live in a framework which renders incomprehensible the very concepts of natural law…

“We need to know our families very well if we are to offer them the Gospel in a practical way.

“A good point of departure would be in our choice of language – may it be the language of a Church that is both merciful and brings healing.”

Bishop Grech said he faced the urgency of this need while listening to families of homosexuals as well as to homosexuals themselves who felt wounded by the language directed towards them in certain texts, for instance in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“These persons consequently struggle both with maintaining their faith alive as well as cultivating their sense of filial belonging to the Church. It is necessary to learn to speak that language which is known to contemporary human beings and who acknowledge it as a way of conveying the truth and the charity of the Gospel.”

Quoting Evangelii Gaudium he said: “If we wish to adapt to people’s language and to reach them with God’s word, we need to share in their lives and pay loving attention to them.”

Mgr Grech also called on the church to explore new paths along which to reach out to people who desired to belong to a church that was not a tollhouse.

He also said that the Church must offer meaningful accompaniment to everyone and develop forms of accompaniment for each person, suggesting a path forward that iwass conducive to real growth in faith and communion with the internal life of the Church.

The bishop’s address in full may be read in the pdf link below.