Report from Rome
by Deb Rose-Milavec
Archbishop Charles Chaput (U.S.A), Archbishop Laurent Ulrich (France), and Archbishop Salvador José Miguel Piñeiro García Calderón (Peru) treated us to a love-fest today at the 1pm briefing.
Possibly a reasonable defense against a hungry press, we were plied with tales of good will and harmony among the small language groups (circuli minori) despite the differences across cultures and philosophies.
Everything is going along swimmingly.
Like the stunning silence from the seven person panel yesterday on the news that Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher took his allotted three minutes to talk about the need for women in decision-making and women deacons, there was a sense today that the wagons were circling, that conflicts and strong-arming tactics in small groups didn't exist, and that even a penetrating question by seasoned journalist could be deflected with little effort.
A little sugar, a lot of doubt
After all the sugar and the assurances, a few important take aways emerged that may prove to be defense strategies against Francis-inspired change.
1. Reporting on the responses of his small group, which has members from Pakistan, England, Kenya, Uganda, the U.S., etc., Archbishop Chaput questioned the diversity represented in the Instrumentum Laboris suggesting that it did not speak to the concerns of all Catholics, but was heavily skewed toward Western concerns.
Not a new charge by any means, this laudatory effort to expose cultural biases, especially in a document that purports to address the universal Church, would be equally problematic if it exploits the concerns of participants from Africa or other regions in order to deflect thorny cultural issues at home such as the treatment and pastoral care of divorced and remarried or LGBT Catholics.
2. When asked if there was a concern that changes in language reflecting renewed pastoral practices could be used by politicians in ways not intended, Archbishop Chaput responded saying that because the synod documents were in Italian and that the translations were sometimes quite poor, his group would be going through the documents "word by word" to make sure the language "will not reflect words that can be misused." He also suggested that some may not even know what they are voting for in the final document because of the language barrier and poor translations. Archbishop Ulrich followed suit saying, "We think there are some false friends in translations."
3. When asked about Pope Francis's comments regarding the "hermeneutics of conspiracy," a phrase used to call out prelates who are accusing him of conspiring to get his way, Archbishop Chaput admitted that there are lobby groups in the synod hall, that they shouldn't work against each other, but that it was natural and human, especially since they were there to "arrive at the truth."
Small Language Group Moderators and Relators
The small language groups chose their moderators and relators. Here is the list. A list of the people who are in each group has been promised.
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Moderators
French Group "A": Card. Gérald Cyprien LACROIX
French Group "B": Card. Robert SARAH
French Group "C": S.E. Msgr. PIAT, C.S.Sp. Maurice
English Group "A": Card. George PELL
English Group "B": Card. NICHOLS Vincent Gerard
English Group "C": S.E. Msgr. Martin Eamon
English Group "D": Card. Thomas Christopher COLLINS
Italian Group "A": Card. Francis MONTENEGRO
Italian Group "B": Card. Edward MENICHELLI
Italian Group "C": Card. Angelo Bagnasco
Spanish Group "A": Card. Rodriguez Maradiaga, SDB Óscar Andrés
Spanish Group "B": Card. ROBLES ORTEGA Francisco
German Group: Card. SCHÖNBORN, O.P. Christoph
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Relators
French Group "A": S.E. Msgr. Laurent ULRICH
French Group "B": Rev.do P. DUMORTIER, SI François-Xavier
French Group "C": S.E. Msgr. Paul-André DUROCHER
English Group "A": S.E. Msgr. Joseph Edward KURTZ
English Group "B": S.E. Mgr. Diarmuid MARTIN
English Group "C": S.E. Msgr. Mark Benedict Coleridge
English Group "D": S.E. Msgr. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Capt. Charles Joseph
Italian Group "A": P. Rev.do ARROBA CONDE, CMF Manuel Jesús
Italian Group "B": Card. Mauro Piacenza
Italian Group "C": S.E. Msgr. Franco Giulio Brambilla
Spanish Group "A": Card. LACUNZA Maestrojuan, OAR José Luis
Spanish Group "B": S.E. Msgr. PORRAS CARDOZO Baltazar Enrique
German Group: S.E. Msgr. Heiner KOCH |
Witnessing to some truths
Cardinal Marx and Bishop Bode believe we need an amended synod process.
Cardinal Marx believes the laity should be much more involved with Bishop Bode remarking, "If I want to perceive reality, I need to hear the voices of women." He also noted that although 17 couples have been invited, "The ratio of men and women in such a meeting is certainly not something that corresponds to reality."
Abbott Jeremias Schroder said that having a brother (who is not ordained) Superior General gain the right to vote at the synod was a "ray of light" but that the Superior Generals felt women religious who were Superior Generals should also have a vote. They discussed giving up half their voting seats to women religious Superior Generals, but then decided against it.
Their sense of justice came through and we can only wonder what might have been if they had let their intended witness play out.
Spinning straw into gold: Kate McElwee and Uta Stievers deliver the goods
A group of more than 50 women have been spinning straw into gold. They have worked diligently to turn
the invisible stories of diverse women, their experiences and theological analyses, into a golden opportunity for prelates to learn from women and to take advantage of their valuable insights as they shape the synod document on the family.
Kate McElwee and Uta Stievers delivered "Catholic Women Speak" to the synod hall today. Tina Beattie, editors like Sr. Diana Culbertson from the FutureChurch board and many others who contributed essays or helped edit the book are thrilled that the book has finally been "birthed" and put in the hands of the bishops at the synod.
Join our efforts to petition synod participants to support Archbishop Durocher's proposal to discuss restoring women deacons in the Church.
