In his interview ‘Church cannot ignore the reality of modern families’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, November 2), Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said that he believes the synod planted the seeds of hope for divorced and remarried Catholics who ‘genuinely’ wanted to follow in Christ’s footsteps despite their circumstances.
He seemed to forget that those expecting changes in Catholic teaching in the final report of the extraordinary synod of bishops on the family just encountered the ‘God of surprises’, to use Pope Francis’s expression. The final report of the synod aligns with Catholic teaching.
Mercy, inclusivity and respect for human dignity do not mean anything goes. Even bad actions sometimes have positive elements, which do not, of course, make the bad things good.
Mgr Grech said: “Strong arguments were put forward by the bishops for a more compassionate interpretation of Church teachings.”
Which “strong arguments”? He didn’t tell us. Some synod members tried to get a ‘rubber stamp’ on a misrepresentative interim report. The bishops said no.
The Gozo bishop continued: “Doesn’t this position weaken the Church’s teachings on the family?” Which position was he referring to? He didn’t tell us. The hot issues discussed were: Holy Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitation and how to reach out to same-sex attracted people.
The final report addressed them in a coherently Catholic way.
He said: “If a person arrives at the conclusion that his life is what God wants him to be, who am I to destroy this or judge him?”
This is contradicted by his own words: “Moral theology also gives us the tools to make a subjective analysis based on the individual’s circumstances.” Does “subjective analysis” not amount to a certain degree of judgement?
The final report from this year’s synod will be the basis for the discussion at next year’s ordinary synod. Let’s hope and pray for a discussion without the false choice of either standing for truth or standing for mercy. There cannot be mercy without truth. Truth is always at the service of mercy.