Top 7 proposals from the Synod on the Family

The Synod on the Family is now over. The final document
includes 94 points with dozens of proposals. It has a positive tone and it
gives a hopeful message to families facing hardships.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE The document describes some of the challenges families face. It
does so by saying that hardships can also be seen as an opportunity.

Bishops ask Christians to cultivate a hopeful understanding on
painful realities like loneliness and marital failure.

The Synod concluded that helping people is not the same as
telling them everything is ok. Rather,
it means having the courage to listen to their pain, embrace them, and
seek ways to heal their wounds.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION

One of the ideas that came up in the Synod, time and time
again, is that marriage preparation must be improved. There is agreement that
offering only six classes before the wedding is not enough. Also, couples who
have been married for years, should be
more involved in helping younger couples, in some of the challenges they face.

The document also calls for families to foster an ongoing
relationship with other Catholic families, not just every now and then, but
rather as a firm pillar.

OPEN TO LIFE AND SEX
EDUCATION

Bishops suggested that parents must be involved in the sexual
education of their children and not leave it up to others to educate them on
the matter.

This kind of education is key, they say, for their stability
and for the success of their future marriage.

The document adds that teaching compromise and love is
essential. Especially when it comes to understanding that children are the
fruit of love.

COHABITATING COUPLES

The document also addresses couples who aren't married but live
together in stable relationships.

It says that many of them live in fidelity and openness to
life, which are elements of marriage. Thus, they call for special attention so
they can walk towards the path of marriage.

EDUCATING CONSCIENCES

Here's what the Pope said in his closing speech at the Synodand

POPE FRANCIS

The Church’s first duty is not to hand down condemnations
or anathemas, but to proclaim God’s mercy, to call to conversion, and to lead
all men and women to salvation in the Lord.”

For divorced people who have remarried and want to return to
the sacraments, the Synod proposes that a priest help them develop awareness
through reflection, so they can understand their personal situation before God.

Specifically, it says that conversation with a priest, in
the internal forum, contributes to the formation of a correct judgment about
what hinders the possibility of a fuller life in the Church and the steps that
can favor it and make participation grow.”

The Synod document recalls what Pope John Paul II saidand A
person being unjustly abandoned is not the same as someone who has destroyed a
marriage.

HOMOSEXUALITY

As for gay people, the Synod states that Christ loved and
died for every person, without exception.” Therefore, every person,
regardless of sexual orientation, should be respected in their dignity, and
welcomed with respect, avoiding 'any brand of unfair discrimination.'”

It also says that one cannot draw analogies between
homosexual unions and God's plan for marriage and family.”

MIGRANT FAMILIES

The Synod did not ignore the struggles of those fleeing from
war and poverty. It discussed the challenges faced by families who had to leave
their country to start a new life.

The bishops ask that dioceses and parishes work to ensure the
dignity of migrants and refugees is respected.

It states they must help them while taking into account their
culture, beliefs, and traditions.

In short, the 94 points of the document are optimistic. It also
calls for women to be included in the decision-making processes of the Church
that parents not relinquish protection of their family that grandparents role
and their care is taken into consideration, and that families can find a proper
work- life balance.