“Who are we to rectify the words of Jesus Christ?”

The End of Synod and the Real face of few powerful...

The Synod for the Family concluded on 25^th October 2015 giving a green sign to the Pope to take further step regarding “Holy communion” to the divorced and married again by “Civil Marriage”.

The expectation of Europeans, Americans both north and south from the Synod for the Family was something notable, because they expected some immediate solutions from the Synod. En reality, the Synod did not give a disappointment, as a bishop from Brazil commented that after the Conference in Aparecida in Brazil; “the great achievement of the Aparecida was that there has been no setback”

Pope Francis, who is trying to look the world from the eyes of Jesus, first of all, called the Cardinals, bishops and participants of the Synod to have mercy towards the world and people. The Synod was nothing but Pope Francis’ one of the “authentic transformative efforts” in the Church despite the Church’s Tradition, Infallibility, its dogmatism and ideological stand. He understood well that before the love and mercy of God, the ideological teaching of the Church is secondary.

As usual the pyramidal church especially few sectors within the church especially from Europe for whom the synod was convoked do not like to leave it domain and many local ordinaries resisted the transformative efforts of the Pope, but Pope is strong in his conviction that any formula, doctrine that become weapon or exclusive and damning element they cease to be Catholic. 

It is normal that there are diverse of opinions and views within the participants of the Synod and most often the conservatives are powerful than others. At the same time, this is the time to be open to the situation of the society. Most of the Church members wanted to defend the doctrines and norms but very few are interested in finding the Spirit of God in today’s society and defend the human person by applying the unconditional gift of love and forgiveness that comes from God. Hence, Pope said, when the formulas and the doctrine become weapon or exclusive and damning element they cease to be Catholic. And it is not a time of condemnation and rejection.

If the Church wants to excommunicate the divorced who have married with another partner through Civil marriage, it does not actually excommunicate them from the Christian community, the Church itself exclude from those people. Hence, it is time to rethink the motherly character of the Holy Church in the world, because the Church is for people and it is not established to condemn anyone but it made to convey the mercy of God. As Pope often said, the Church wants to cure the wounds of the World with the medicine of God’s mercy.

After all these reflections, some of the Bishops resist to understand the mercy of God, for example a bishop from Spain (Bishop of San Sebastian José Ignacio Munilla made a comment; “Who are we to rectify the words of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to give Holy Communion to remarried divorced people” His comment seems logical but it is an intellectual manipulation of God’s words and it is against the teaching of the Gospel.

Because, the bishop commented further that, it is impossible to give Holy Communion to divorced and remarried. The reason, according to him was, it contradicts the faith of the Church; union between the husband and wife which is God’s grace and divorce and new marriage is adultery. Therefore the Spanish bishop commented in one of the public media; Who are we to rectify the words of Jesus Christ? He added, “It is impossible, the Synod may say it and that the Pope can say but we do not have authority over the word of God”.

This is the real mind and heart of the several Church authorities. Whatever may be their resistance against the transformative efforts of Pope Francis based on Jesus’ mission let us try to find the meaning of the words from the prayer that Jesus gave: “...forgive us our sins and as we forgive others...”. (John Buckthese.ocd)