Word: synods
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Over the past year an intensive debate about secularization has raged within the ranks of Roman Catholicism. Liberals say the church should plunge more deeply into social problems; conservatives contend such involvement has already gone too far. Late last week Pope John Paul, summing up an extraordinary synod of bishops in a modern Vatican meeting hall, called for a careful balance of both views. The church is the "mystical body of Christ," he said, thus emphasizing its spiritual quality, but it is simultaneously "at the service of the world...
This moderate approach also ran through a "Message to the People of God," a 1,500-word inspirational document that the bishops issued at the close of the synod. The statement called the church the "mystery of the love of God present in the history of men." It is necessary to "avoid evil sociological and political interpretations of the nature of the church," said the delegates. At the same time, they proclaimed, the church must respond to such issues as "lack of respect for human life," "economic disequilibrium," suppression of civil and religious liberty, racial bias and the arms race...
Since the end of Vatican II in 1965, the Popes have summoned eight synods, but previous ones discussed only specific themes, such as religious instruction and evangelization. Prior to the opening of this synod on Nov. 25, there were ill-informed rumors that the Pope wanted the meeting to roll back some of Vatican II's reforms. The bishops' "message" was designed to allay any such fears with a staunch endorsement of the council's work...
Another product of the synod was a 17-page, issue-oriented document summing up its deliberations and proposals. Responding to a strong sentiment among the bishops, the Pope agreed to release it this week. The detailed document calls for improved teaching about Vatican II throughout the church, further study of the place of national bishops' conferences and a deepened commitment to the poor. One noteworthy proposal, endorsed by the Pope in his closing speech, was for a churchwide catechism, or compendium of teachings, issued under Vatican auspices to clear up confusion about the beliefs of Catholicism...
...become the leader of the conservative wing of the U.S. hierarchy. Prominent among the progressives was Godfried Cardinal Danneels, 52, of Belgium, a disciple of his predecessor Leo Jozef Cardinal Suenens, one of the great liberals of the Second Vatican Council. John Paul's appointment of Danneels as the synod official assigned to summarize the discussions was one indication that the Pope is not quite so conservative as he is sometimes depicted. So was the Pope's bow toward ecumenism last week when he led worship with a group of non- Catholic observers that he had invited. In a significant...