Vatican releases document on the challenges faced by the family in preparation for extraordinary synod of bishops
November 5, 2013 (Romereports.com) At the request of Pope Francis, the Vatican is getting ready for an extraordinary synod of bishops, where the challenges faced by the family will be discussed. ARCH. LORENZO BALDISSERI General Secretary of the Synod “The last document we cited on the family is the 'Familiaris Consortio' from 1981 so it's something from 32 years ago.” The purpose is to evaluate the pastoral approach of the Church on topics like sexuality, marriage and the family . To prepare for this meeting, the Vatican released a preparatory document for the Synod of Bishops. It includes a questionnaire with 38 questions on modern day issues like, divorced and civilly remarried couples, same sex couples, co-habitation before marriage and couple's openness to life and children. Based on the questionnaire, the Vatican is expecting a detailed summary from bishops, religious orders and Catholic groups by the end of January. In fact the Bishops Conference ...