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Synod on the Family

Synod On The Family Expectations Of A Diocesan Bishop

We thank the Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland, for this article

 

Johan Bonny, Bishop of Antwerp, Belgium, has written of his expectations of the forthcoming synod.

It is a longish document but well worth reading in its entirety. The following excerpts are meant to only give a flavour of what he has written.

 

Read Full Article: SYNOD_ON_FAMILY_ENG

 

Collegiality
The bond between the collegiality of the bishops and the primacy of the bishop of Rome that was manifest during the Second Vatican Council must be restored and without delay.


It represents the key to a new and better approach to many of the questions facing the Church. In my opinion, it is part of the task of a bishop today to work towards the restoration of the bond between collegiality and papal primacy. It goes without saying that a more collegial approach cannot guarantee solutions to every problem. Collegiality is not the easiest approach. It has the potential to expose new tensions and cause further rifts. Potential differences of opinion and lack of clarity are part and parcel of shared deliberation and decision-making. Indeed, the experience of other Churches and Church communities should invite realism in this regard. But I remain convinced that the Catholic Church is in urgent need of a new and steadier platform of collegial dialogue, particularly in the domain of marriage and family life. It is my hope that the forthcoming Synod will contribute thereto.

 

Conscience

 

As a consequence of this polarisation, [following Humanae Vitae] conscience in Church teaching on relationships, sexuality, marriage, and family planning was relegated to the background and manifestly so. It lost its rightful place in healthy moral-theological reflection.

 

In the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, the judgement of personal conscience on methods of family planning features rarely if at all. The entire text is grounded in the truth of marriage and reproduction as taught by the Church, linked to the obligation of the faithful to make this truth their own and to comply with it. Based on natural law, certain acts are qualified as ‘good’ or ‘intrinsically evil’, independent of one’s personal surroundings, life experience or life history.

 

According to this methodology, there is little room for an honest and reasoned consideration of values in the light of the gospel and the Catholic tradition as a whole. In the chapters of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that deal with the sixth commandment (2331-2400) and the ninth (2514-2533) there is likewise little reference to the judgement of personal conscience. Such lacunae do an injustice to the comprehensiveness of Catholic thought.

 

What do I expect from the forthcoming Synod? That it will restore conscience to its rightful place in the teaching of the Church in line with Gaudium et Spes. Will this solve every problem? Of course not.

 

How one’s conscience ultimately arrives at a responsible decision is far from simple. What is a well-formed conscience? How can it know the law that God ‘has placed in our heart’? How does conscience relate to the teaching authority of the Church, and vice versa; how does the teaching authority of the Church relate to conscience? How can conscience ac- count for the ‘law of gradualness’ and the pedagogy of gradual progress in the growth process none of us can escape? How can conscience practice the virtue of ‘epikeia’ or ‘equity’ when the letter and spirit of the law find themselves at odds with one another? For men and women today who attach great importance to the formation of a personal and reasoned judgement of con- science, these are pertinent questions. While I don’t expect the Synod to provide an answer to all of them, I hope nevertheless that it will devote the appropriate attention to them.

 

Doctrine

 

In these last months of preparation for the Synod, I have heard or read the following on numerous occasions:
‘Agreed that the Synod should support greater pastoral flexibility, but it will not be able to touch Church doctrine’.

 

Some create the impression that the Synod will only be free to speak about the applicability of the Church’s teaching and not about its content. In my opinion, however, such an antithesis between ‘pastoral care’ and ‘doctrine’ is inappropriate in both theological and pastoral terms and it has no foundation in the tradition of the Church. Pastoral care has everything to do with doctrine and doctrine everything to do with pastoral care. Both will have to be dealt with during the Synod if the Church wants to open new avenues towards the evangelisation of marriage and family life in today’s society.

 

Church as travelling Companion

 

Someone recently – and rightly – pointed out that the Church demands so much attention and understanding for ‘extraordinary’ situations that the ‘ordinary’ couples and families have almost come to think of themselves as a forgotten group.

 

Such ‘ordinary’ couples do indeed de- serve better pastoral support and guidance from the Church, also in my own diocese. Their dedication and witness are of great value for the future of our Church community. They have much to teach the Church about what it means to form ‘a home and school of communion’ and to continue to work on it.

 

At the same time, however, I am struck as a bishop by how complex the reality of relationship formation, marriage and family life is today. I hear stories on daily basis of human failure and starting over, of weakness and perseverance, of standing one’s ground in the face of economic and social imperatives, of mutual care in difficult circumstances. These stories are also moving and they also speak to me about the gospel. How can the Church be their travelling companion?

 

What are my hopes for the Synod? That it won’t be a Platonic Synod. That it won’t withdraw into the distant safety of doctrinal debate and general norms, but will pay heed to the concrete and complex reality of life.
The following powerful passage from Pope Francis should provide a source of inspiration: ‘I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are staring and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: “Give them something to eat”’ (Mk 6:37)

 

‘Regular’ and ‘Irregular’ Situations

 

In its standard language, the Church speaks of ‘regular’ and ‘irregular’ situations. The distinction between them is based on moral-theological grounds and has consequences for canon law, including the domain of the sacraments. I do not intend to deny the legitimacy of the said distinction here. It remains in everyone’s interest that the Church helps people to discern what is in keeping with God’s intention for their lives and how they can grow in this regard. Moreover, it is also the Church’s task to bring the faithful together in an ordered community with rights and obligations for all. Nevertheless, we must also be extremely cautious in dealing with the distinction between ‘regular’ and ‘irregular’. Reality is often far more complex than a pair of contrasting concepts can embrace: good or bad, true or untrue, correct or incorrect. Such bipolar thinking seldom does justice to the whole story of people’s lives and the situations in which they find themselves.

 

To begin with, regular and irregular situations occur in the majority of Christian families. This mixture of situations, however, does not prevent family members from continuing to sup- port and appreciate one another, and fortunately so. The Church should not underestimate this family-rooted solidarity.
As a bishop, I have had to listen to a great deal of irritation in this regard: a brother who is angry because his sister who remarried is no longer being permitted to read during the Eucharist; a father asking for more understanding on behalf of his homosexual son who feels rejected by the Church; a grandmother who can’t understand why the pastor refuses to bless the relationship of her granddaughter with a divorced man. People ask questions about the choices and decisions of their relatives, are often saddened by them, would have preferred things to be different, but they do not abandon one another. For the people involved, such solidarity is an important sign of God’s fidelity to his people, no matter what happens to them. People in these situations sense that the Church should not lag behind vis-à-vis the support and hospitality they continue to offer one another within the family.

 

Divorced and Remarried

 

One of the issues raised in many countries is the problem of divorced people who have remarried and their exclusion from Eucharistic communion.

 

The Instrumentum Laboris states in this regard: ‘A good number of responses speak of the very many cases, especially in Europe, America and some countries in Africa, where persons clearly ask to receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. This happens primarily when their children receive the sacraments. At times, they express a desire to receive Communion to feel “legitimized” by the Church and to eliminate the sense of exclusion or marginalization. In this regard, some recommend considering the practice of some Orthodox Churches, which, in their opinion, opens the way for a second or third marriage of a penitential character [...] Others request clarification as to whether this solution is based on doctrine or is merely a matter of discipline’.

 

I would like to make three observations in relation to this topic.

 

The first focuses on the close connection Catholic doctrine currently makes between the sacrament of marriage and the sacrament of the Eucharist. There can be little doubt that both sacraments are related. The sacramental life of the Church is an organic whole in which one sacrament opens or re-opens access to the other. The question can be asked, nevertheless, whether the indissolubility of marriage between a man and a woman can be compared directly with the indissolubility of the bond between Christ and his Church. The ‘application’ to which Paul refers in his letter to the Ephesians is not an ‘identification’. Both ‘indissolubilities’ have different salvific meanings. They are related to one another as ‘sign’ and ‘signified’. Who Christ is for us and what he did for us continues to transcend all human and ecclesial life. No single ‘sign’ can adequately represent the ‘reality’ of his bond of love with humanity and with the Church. Even the most beautiful reflection of Christ’s love is characterised by human limitation and sinfulness. The distance between ‘sign’ and ‘signified’ thus remains considerable, and for us this is good for- tune and a blessing. Our weakness can never undo Jesus’ fidelity to the Church. From the indissolubility of his sacrifice on the cross and his love for the Church flows the mercy with which he comes to meet us time after time, particularly in the celebration of the Eucharist.

 

The Proclamation of the Gospel

 

Jesus did indeed die ‘all against one’ on the cross, but he did not live his life ‘one against all’. More than any other religious leader, Jesus opened his heart and his arms to people whoever they were and whatever their experience in life. There were no walls or boundaries around his mercy and compassion.

 

He went from village to village to be sure that no sick person would elude him, no leper seek him in vain, no sinner be left without forgiveness. He entered into dialogue with unexpected dialogue partners and accepted invitations to dine with people of questionable character. He wasn’t particular or exclusive in his choice of friends or table companions, not even in his choice of apostles. These are the tracks on which Jesus placed Church.

 

In its relationship with the world and the people who live in it, the Church should exhibit the same openness and compassion as its founder. It can fulfil its mission only via the path of dialogue. It has no other choice, if it wants to maintain its identity and credibility.

 

It is here, I am convinced, that the Church today is struggling with a deficit. We referred above to the sensus fidei. If many today sense a deficit in the Church, they will point to how clearly it reflects Jesus Christ. They have a hard time recognising the interaction of Jesus with the men and women he encountered in his day in the interaction of the Church with the men and women it encounters today.

 

They are particularly interested in this regard in the domain of love, relationship, sexuality, marriage and family, and that should come as no surprise. It is the domain that concerns them the most, the domain in which they find the greatest happiness and sometimes the greatest sorrow.

 

It is in this domain in particular that the Church must step away from its defensive, antithetical stance and seek anew the path of dialogue. It must dare once again to start with ‘life’ and then move on to ‘teaching’. The Church has nothing to lose in this regard. In dialogue with the world it can discover where God is at work here and now, and the challenges with which he his confronting both the Church and the world today.

 

A Synod with a Challenge

 

Marriage and family are not having an easy time in this part of the world. We know this from experience. The number of marriages that don’t survive is extremely high. Young people are hesitant when it comes to marriage, in both the civil and the church contexts. The number of children per family is extremely low (in contrast to new families of overseas origin). The number of suicides is alarmingly high, particularly among the young. Marriage as an institution enjoys little support from the government or from the socio-economic sector. The gulf between rich and poor families is steadily widening. Statistics are available to substantiate all these claims.

 

This does not mean that other parts of the world have no problems or no ‘other’ problems, but we cannot deny our own problems. Without honesty there is little chance of moving forward. Courageous dialogue is better than no dialogue.

 

PARTICIPANTS IN THE SYNOD

 

Vatican City, 9 September 2014 (VIS) – The following is a list of participants in the Third General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to “Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation”:
 
A. LIST OF SYNOD FATHERS ACCORDING TO ORDER OF PARTICIPATION
 
I. President
 
FRANCESCO, Supreme Pontiff
 
II. Secretary GENERAL
 
- Cardinal Lorenzo BALDISSERI
 
III. DELEGATE presidentS
 
Cardinals André VINGT-TROIS, archbishop of Paris, France, Luis Antonio G. TAGLE, archbishop of Manila, Philippines, Raymundo Damasceno ASSIS, archbishop of Aparecida, president of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil.
 
IV. RELATOR GENERAL
 
Cardinal Péter ERDŐ, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Hungary, president of the Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (C.C.E.E.)
 
V. SPECIAL SECRETARY
 
- Archbishop Bruno FORTE of Chieti-Vasto, Italy
 
VI. COMMISSION FOR THE MESSAGE
 
President
- Cardinal Gianfranco RAVASI, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Vatican City
 
Vice president
- Archbishop Victor Manuel FERNÁNDEZ, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Argentina
 
VII. THE ORIENTAL CATHOLIC CHURCHES
 
Synod of the Coptic Catholic Church
 
His Beatitude Ibrahim Isaac SIDRAK, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, Head of the Synod of the Coptic Catholic Church
 
Synod of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church
 
His Beatitude Grégoire III LAHAM, B.S., Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, Head of the Synod of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church
 
Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church
 
His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III YOUNAN, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Head of the Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church
 
Synod of the Maronite Catholic Church
 
His Beatitude Cardinal Bechara Boutros RAÏ, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Head of the Synod of the Maronite Catholic Church
 
Synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church
 
His Beatitude Louis Raphaël I SAKO, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Head of the Synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church
 
Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church
 
His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX TARMOUNI, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Head of the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church
 
Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church
 
His Beatitude Sviatoslav SHEVCHUK, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč, Head of the Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church
 
Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church
 
His Beatitude Cardinal George ALENCHERRY, major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, resident of the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church
 
Synod of the Syro-Malankars
 
His Beatitude, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis THOTTUNKAL, major archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, president of the Synod of the Syro-Malankar Church, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (C.B.C.I.)
 
Synod of the Romanian Church
 
His Beatitud, Cardinal Lucian MUREŞAN, major archbishop of Făgăras şi Alba Iulia of the Romanians, Head of the Synod of the Romanian Church
 
Council of the Ethiopian Church
 
- Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew SOURAPHIEL, C.M. of Addis Abeba, president of the Council of the Ethiopian Church, president of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs of Ethiopia and Eritrea
 
Council of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, U.S.A.
 
Archbishop William Charles SKURLA, metropolitan of Pittsburgh of the Byzantines, president of the Council of the Ruthenian Catholic Church
 
Council of the Council of the Slovak Church
 
Archbishop Jan BABJAK, S.J., metropolitan of Prešov for Catholics of Byzantine rite, president of the Council of the Slovak Church
 
 
VIII. PRESIDENTS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCES
 
AFRICA
 
ANGOLA and SÃO TOMÉ
 
Archbishop Gabriel MBILINGI, C.S.SP., of Lubango, Angola, president of the Symposium des Conférences Episcopales d'Afrique et de Madagascar (S.C.E.A.M.)
 
BENIN
Bishop Eugéne Cyrille HOUNDÉKON of Abomey, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA AND SWAZILAND
Archbishop Stephen BRISLIN of Cape Town, Kaapstad, South Africa
 
BURKINA FASO AND NIGER
Archbishop Paul Yembuado OUÉDRAOGO of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
 
BURUNDI
Bishop Gervais BANSHIMIYUBUSA of Ngozi
 
CAMEROON
Archbishop Samuel KLEDA of Douala
 
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Archbishop Dieudonné NZAPALAINGA, C.S.SP., of Bangui
 
CHAD
Bishop Jean-Claude BOUCHARD, O.M.I., of Pala
 
CONGO (Republic of)
Bishop Louis PORTELLA MBUYU of Kinkala
 
CONGO (Rep. Democrática del)
Bishop Nicolas DJOMO LOLA of Tshumbe
 
COTE D'IVOIRE
Archbishop Alexis TOUABLI YOULO of Agboville
 
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Bishop Juan MATOGO OYANA, C.M.F., of Bata, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA
Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew SOURAPHIEL, C.M., of Addis Abeba, president of the Council of the Ethiopian Church
 
GABON
Bishop Mathieu MADEGA LEBOUAKEHAN of Mouila
 
GAMBIA AND SIERRA LEONE
Bishop Patrick Daniel KOROMA of Kenema
 
GHANA
Bishop Joseph OSEI-BONSU of Konongo-Mampong
 
GUINEA
Bishop Emmanuel FÉLÉMOU of Kankan
 
INDIAN OCEAN (C.E.D.O.I.)
Bishop Maurice PIAT, C.S.SP., of Port-Louis, Seychelles
 
KENYA
Cardinal John NJUE, archbishop of Nairobi
 
LESOTHO
Archbishop Gerard Tlali LEROTHOLI, O.M.I., of Maseru
 
LIBERIA
Bishop Anthony Fallah BORWAH of Gbarnga, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
MADAGASCAR
Archbishop Desire TSARAHAZANA of Toamasina
 
MALAWI
Bishop Joseph Mukasa ZUZA of Mzuzu
 
MALI
Bishop Jean-Baptiste TIAMA of Sikasso
 
MOZAMBIQUE
Bishop Lúcio Andrice MUANDULA of Xai-Xai
 
NAMIBIA
Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti NASHENDA, O.M.I., of Windhoek
 
NIGERIA
Archbishop Ignatius Ayau KAIGAMA of Jos
 
NORTH AFRICA (C.E.R.N.A.)
Archbishop Vincent LANDEL, S.C.I. of Béth., of Rabat, Morocco
 
RWANDA
Bishop Smaragde MBONYINTEGE of Kabgayi
 
SENEGAL, MAURITANIA, CAPO VERDE AND GUINEA-BISSAU
Bishop Benjamin NDIAYE of Kaolack, Senegal
 
SUDAN
Cardinal Gabriel ZUBEIR WAKO, archbishop of Khartoum
 
TANZANIA
Bishop Tarcisius NGALALEKUMTWA of Iringa
 
TOGO
Bishop Benoit Comlan M. ALOWONOU of Kpalime
 
UGANDA
Archbishop John Baptist ODAMA of Gulu
 
ZAMBIA
Archbishop Ignatius CHAMA of Kasama, apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of Mpika
 
ZIMBABWE
Bishop Michael Dixon BHASERA of Masvingo
 
AMERICA
 
ANTILLES
Archbishop Patrick Christopher PINDER of Nassau, Trinidad and Tobago
 
ARGENTINA
Archbishop José María ARANCEDO of Santa Fe da la Vera Cruz
 
BOLIVIA
Archbishop Oscar Omar APARICIO CÉSPEDES, Military Ordinary of Bolivia
 
BRAZIL
Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno ASSIS, archbishop of Aparecida
 
CANADA
Archbishop Paul-André DUROCHER Gatineau
 
CHILE
Cardinal Ricardo EZZATI ANDRELLO, S.D.B., archbishop of Santiago de Chile
 
COLOMBIA
Archbishop Luis Augusto CASTRO QUIROGA, I.M.C., Tunja
 
COSTA RICA
Bishop Oscar Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ GUILLÉN of Puntarenas
 
CUBA
Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo GARCÍA IBÁÑEZ, of Santiago de Cuba
 
ECUADOR
Archbishop Fausto Gabriel TRÁVEZ TRÁVEZ, O.F.M., of Quito
 
EL SALVADOR
Archbishop Jose Luis ESCOBAR ALAS of San Salvador
 
GUATEMALA
Bishop Rodolfo VALENZUELA NÚÑEZ of Vera Paz
 
HAITI
Cardinal Chibly LANGLOIS, bishop of Les Cayes
 
HONDURAS
Cardinal Oscar A. RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA, S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa
 
MEXICO
Cardinal Francisco ROBLES ORTEGA, archbishop of Guadalajara
 
NICARAGUA
Bishop Sócrates René SÁNDIGO JIRÓN, of Juigalpa
 
PANAMA
Archbishop José Domingo ULLOA MENDIETA, O.S.A., of Panamá
 
PARAGUAY
Bishop Catalino Claudio GIMÉNEZ MEDINA, of the Schoenstatt Fathers, bishop of Caacupe
 
PERU
Archbishop Salvador PIÑEIRO GARCÍA-CALDERÓN of Ayacucho
 
PUERTO RICO
Archbishop Roberto Octavio GONZÁLEZ NIEVES, O.F.M., of San Juan de Puerto Rico
 
REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Bishop Gregorio Nicanor PEÑA RODRÍGUEZ of Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia en Higüey
 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Archbishop Joseph Edward KURTZ of Louisville
 
URUGUAY
Bishop Rodolfo Pedro WIRZ KRAEMER of Maldonado-Punta del Este
 
VENEZUELA
Archbishop Diego R. PADRÓN SÁNCHEZ of Cumaná
 
ASIA
 
ARAB STATES
His Beatitude Fouad TWAL, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins
 
BANGLADESH
Archbishop Patrick D'ROZARIO, C.S.C., of Dhaka
 
CHINA
Archbishop John HUNG SHAN-CHUAN, S.V.D., of Taipei
 
EAST TIMOR
Bishop Basílio DO NASCIMENTO of Baucau
 
INDIA (C.C.B.I.)
Cardinal Oswald GRACIAS, Archbishop of Bombay, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (F.A.B.C.)
 
INDONESIA
Archbishop Ignatius SUHARYO HARDJOATMODJO of Jakarta
 
IRAN
Archbishop Thomas MERAM of Urmyā, Urmia, Rezayeh of the Chaldeans, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
JAPAN
Archbishop Peter Takeo OKADA of Tokyo
 
KAZAKHSTAN
Archbishop Tomash PETA of Mary Most Holy in Astana
 
KOREA
Bishop Peter KANG U-IL of Cheju
 
LAOS and CAMBODIA
Bishop Louis-Marie Ling MANGKHANEKHOUN, Apostolic Vicar of Paksé (Laos)
 
MALAYSIA - SINGAPUR - BRUNEI
Archbishop John HA TIONG HOCK of Kuching, Malaysia
 
MYANMAR
Bishop Felix LIAN KHEN THANG of Kalay
 
PAKISTAN
Archbishop Joseph COUTTS of Karachi
 
PHILIPPINES
Archbishop Socrates B. VILLEGAS of Lingayen-Dagupan
 
SRI LANKA
Cardinal Albert Malcom Ranjith PATABENDIGE DON of Colombo
 
THAILAND
Archbishop Louis CHAMNIERN SANTISUKNIRAN of Thare and Nonseng
 
VIETNAM
Mons. Paul BÙI VĂN ĐOC, archbishop coadjutor of Thành-Phô Hô Chí Minh
 
EUROPA
 
ALBANIA
Archbishop Angelo MASSAFRA, O.F.M., of Shkodrë-Pult
 
AUSTRIA
Cardinal Christoph SCHÖNBORN, O.P., archbishop of Vienna
 
BELGIUM
Archbishop André LÉONARD of Mechelen-Brussels
 
BELORUS
Archbishop Tadeusz KONDRUSIEWICZ of Minsk-Mohilev, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Bishop Franjo KOMARICA of Banja Luka
 
BULGARIA
Bishop Christo PROYKOV, apostolic exarch of Sofia for Catholics of Byzantine Rite resident in Bulgaria
 
CROATIA
Cardinal Josip BOZANIĆ, archbishop of Zagreb, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
CZECH REPUBLIC
Archbishop Jan GRAUBNER of Olomouc, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Archbishop Paolo PEZZI, F.S.C.B., of Mother of God at Moscow
 
FRANCE
Archbishop Georges PONTIER of Marseilles
 
GERMANY
Cardinal Reinhard MARX, archbishop of Munich and Freising
 
GREAT BRITAIN:
 
ENGLAND AND WALES
Cardinal Vincent Gerard NICHOLS, archbishop of Westminster, England
 
SCOTLAND
Archbishop Philip TARTAGLIA of Glasgow
 
GREECE
Bishop Franghískos PAPAMANÓLIS, O.F.M. Cap., emeritus of Syros and Milos and of Santorini
 
HUNGARY
Cardinal Péter ERDŐ, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, president of the Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (C.C.E.E.)
 
INTERNATIONAL BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS
Archbishop Zef GASHI, S.D.B., of Bar, Serbia
 
IRELAND
Archbishop Diarmuid MARTIN of Dublin, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
ITALY
Cardinal Angelo BAGNASCO, archbishop of Genoa
 
LATVIA
Archbishop Zbigņev STANKEVIČS of Riga, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
LITHUANIA
Bishop Rimantas NORVILA of Vilkaviškis, deputy president of the Episcopal Conference
 
MALTA
Bishop Mario GRECH of Gozo
 
NETHERLANDS
Cardinal Willem Jacobus EIJK, archbishop of Utrecht
 
POLAND
Archbishop Stanisław GĄDECKI, archbishop of Poznań
 
PORTUGAL
Msgr. Manuel José MACÁRIO DO Nascimento CLEMENTE, Patriarch of Lisbon
 
ROMANIA
Archbishop Ioan ROBU of Bucureşti, Bucharest
 
SCANDINAVIA
Bishop Anders ARBORELIUS, O.C.D., of Stockholm, Sweden
 
SLOVAKIA
Archbishop Stanislav ZVOLENSKÝ of Bratislava
 
SLOVENIA
Bishop Andrej GLAVAN of Novo Mesto
 
SPAIN
Archbishop Ricardo BLÁZQUEZ PÉREZ of Valladolid
 
SWITZERLAND
Bishop Markus BÜCHEL of Sankt Gallen
 
TURKEY
Archbishop Ruggero FRANCESCHINI, O.F.M. CAP., of Izmir
 
UKRAINE
Archbishop Mieczysław MOKRZYCKI of Lviv of the Latins
 
OCEANIA
 
AUSTRALIA
Archbishop Denis James HART of Melbourne
 
NEW ZEALAND
Archbishop John Atcherley DEW of Wellington, president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania (F.C.B.C.O)
 
PACIFIC
Bishop Soane Patita Paini MAFI of Tonga, Fiji
 
PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND SOLOMON ISLANDS
Bishop Arnold OROWAE of Wabag, Papua New Guinea
 
IX. NOMINEES FROM THE UNION OF SUPERIOR GENERALS
 
Rev. Fr. Adolfo NICOLÁS PACHÓN, S.J., prepositor general of the Society of Jesus
 
Rev. Fr. Mauro JÖHRI, O.F.M. Cap., minister general of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
 
Rev. Fr. Mario ALDEGANI, C.S.I., father general of the Congregation of St. Joseph (Josephites of Murialdo)
 
X. HEADS OF THE DICASTERIES OF THE ROMAN CURIA
 
Cardinal Pietro PAROLIN, Secretary of State
 
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig MÜLLER, prefect of the Congregration for the Doctrine of the Faith
 
Cardinal Leonardo SANDRI, prefect of the Congregration for the Oriental Churches
 
Cardinal Angelo AMATO, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregration for the Causes of Saints
 
Cardinal Marc OUELLET, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregration for Bishops
 
Cardinal Fernando FILONI, prefect of the Congregration for the Evangelisation of Peoples
 
Cardinal Beniamino STELLA, prefect of the Congregration for the Clergy
 
Cardinal João Braz de AVIZ, prefect of the Congregration for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life
 
Cardinal Zenon GROCHOLEWSKI, prefect of the Congregration for Catholic Education
 
Cardinal Mauro PIACENZA, major penitentiary
 
Cardinal Raymond Leo BURKE, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
 
Cardinal Stanisław RYŁKO, prefect of the Pontifical Council for the Laity
 
Cardinal Kurt KOCH, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
 
Archbishop Vincenzo PAGLIA, bishop emeritus of Terni-Narni-Amelia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family
 
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, prefect of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”
 
Cardinal Robert SARAH, prefect of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
 
Cardinal Antonio Maria VEGLIÒ, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant Peoples
 
Archbishop Zygmunt ZIMOWSKI, bishop emeritus of Radom, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers
 
Cardinal Francesco COCCOPALMERIO, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.
 
Cardinal Jean-Louis TAURAN, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
 
Cardinal Gianfranco RAVASI, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture
 
Archbishop Claudio Maria CELLI, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications
 
Archbishop Salvatore FISICHELLA, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation
 
Cardinal Domenico CALCAGNO, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
 
Cardinal Giuseppe VERSALDI, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
 
XI. MEMBERS OF THE ORDINARY COUNCIL
 
Cardinal Timothy Michael DOLAN, archbishop of New York, U.S.A.
 
Cardinal Péter ERDŐ, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, president of the Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (C.C.E.E.)
 
Msgr. Bruno FORTE, archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Italy
 
Cardinal Oswald GRACIAS, archbishop of Bombay, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (F.A.B.C.), India
 
Cardinal Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
 
Cardinal Wilfrid Fox NAPIER, O.F.M., archbishop of Durban, South Africa
 
Cardinal George PELL, prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy, Vatican City
 
Cardinal Odilo Pedro SCHERER, archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil
 
Cardinal Christoph SCHÖNBORN, O.P., archbishop of Vienna, Austria
 
His Beatitude Sviatoslav SHEVCHUK, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč, Head of the Synod of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church, Ukraine
 
Bishop Santiago Jaime SILVA RETAMALES, auxiliary of Valparaíso, Chile, secretary general of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences (C.E.L.AM.)
 
Cardinal Luis Antonio G. TAGLE, archbishop of Manila, Philippines
 
Cardinal Donald William WUERL, archbishop of Washington, U.S.A.
 
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, president of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”, Vatican City
 
Archbishop Salvatore FISICHELLA, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, Vatican City
 
XII. PONTIFICAL APPOINTEES
 
Cardinal Angelo SODANO, dean of the College of Cardinals, Vatican City
 
Cardinal Godfried DANNEELS, archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium
 
Cardinal Walter KASPER, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Vatican City
 
Cardinal Angelo SCOLA, archbishop of Milan, Italy
 
Cardinal Carlo CAFFARRA, archbishop of Bologna, Italy
 
Cardinal Lluís MARTÍNEZ SISTACH, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain
 
Cardinal André VINGT-TROIS, archbishop of Paris, France
 
Cardinal John TONG HON, bishop of Hong Kong (Xianggang), China
 
Cardinal Orani João TEMPESTA, O. Cist., archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 
Cardinal Andrew YEOM SOO-JUNG, archbishop of Seoul, Korea
 
Cardinal Philippe Nakellentuba OUÉDRAOGO, archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
 
Cardinal Fernando SEBASTIÁN AGUILAR, C.M.F., archbishop emeritus of Pamplona and Tudela, Spain
 
Cardinal Elio SGRECCIA, president emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Italy
 
Cardinal Giuseppe BERTELLO, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Vatican City
 
Archbishop Giovanni TONUCCI of Loreto, Italy
 
Archbishop Edoardo MENICHELLI of Ancona-Osimo, Italy
 
Archbishop Carlos AGUIAR RETES of Tlalnepantla, Mexico, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences (C.E.L.AM.)
 
Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas COUTO of Delhi, India
 
Archbishop Victor Manuel FERNÁNDEZ, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Argentina
 
Bishop Alonso Gerardo GARZA TREVIÑO of Piedras Negras, Mexico
 
Bishop Edgard Amine MADI of Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo de los Maronitas, Brazil
 
Bishop Enrico SOLMI of Parma, president of the Commission for Life and the Family of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Italy
 
Bishop Pio Vito PINTO, dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, Vatican City
 
Rev. Fr. François-Xavier DUMORTIER, S.J., rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, Italy
 
Rev. Fr. Antonio SPADARO, S.J., Director of the journal “La Civiltà Católica”, Italy
 
Rev. Fr. Manuel Jesús ARROBA CONDE, C.M.F., professor of canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome, Italy
 
XIII. UNDER SECRETARY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
 
Bishop Fabio FABENE, Vatican City
 
B LIST OF OTHER PARTICIPANTS ACCORDING TO ORDER OF PARTICIPATION
 
I. COLLABORATORS OF THE SPECIAL SECRETARY
 
Msgr.Tony ANATRELLA, psychoanalyst, specialist in social psychiatry, consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Family, consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers, France
 
Rev. Gérard BERLIET, professor of Sacred Scriptures in the provincial seminary of Lyons, head of pastoral care of divorced and remarried faithful for the diocese of Dijon, France
 
Rev. Fr. Bruno ESPOSITO. O.P., professor and ordinary in canon law at the Pontifical University St. Thomas Aquinas, Italy
 
Rev. Fr. Alfonso FERNÁNDEZ BENITO, professor of moral theology and the sacrament of marriage in the “San Ildefonso” Higher Institute for Theological Studies, director of the Institute for Religious Sciences of Santa Maria de Toledo, Spain
 
Rev. Fr. Arul Raj GALI, C.S.C., national director of the “Holy Cross Family Ministries in India”, India
 
Jeffrey GOH, professor of systematic theology in the Archdiocesan Seminary of Kuching, Malaysia; judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Kuching, Malaysia
 
Rev. Maurizio GRONCHI, professor and ordinary in dogmatic theology at the Urbanian Pontifical University of Rome; consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Italy
 
Rodrigo GUERRA LÓPEZ, director general of the Centro de Investigación Social Avanzada [CISAV], Mexico
 
Jocelyne KHOUEIRY, member of the Episcopal Commission for the Family and Life, APECL, Lebanon
 
Helen Kyung Soo KWON, member of the executive committee of the “Helen Kim Scholarship Foundation” at Ewha Women's University, Korea
 
Rev. Fr. Sabatino MAJORANO, C.SS.R., professor of systematic moral theology at the Alphonsianum Academy, Rome, Italy
 
Christopher Laurence MENEY, director of the Centre for Life, Marriage and the Family of the archdiocese of Sydney, Australia
 
MIANO - DE SIMONE
 
Giuseppina DE SIMONE in MIANO, extraordinary professor of philosophy at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy in Naples, Italy
 
Francesco MIANO, professor and ordinary in moral philosophy at the “Tor Vergata” University of Rome and ex-president of Italian Catholic Action, Italy
 
Carmen PEÑA GARCÍA, specialist in marriage, professor in the faculty of canon law at the Pontifical University of Comillas, defender of the bond and promotor of justice of the Metropolitan Tribunal of Madrid, Spain
 
Rev. Fr. George Henri RUYSSEN, S.J., professor in the faculty of Oriental canon law in the Oriental Pontifical Institute of Rome, Belgium
 
II. AUDITORS
 
Messrs AS ZAMBERLINE
 
Arturo and Hermelinda AS ZAMBERLINE, heads of the “Équipe Notre-Dame” for the super-region of Brazil, Brazil
 
Messrs AZZO and HABEEB
 
Riyadh Albeer Naoom AZZO and Sanaa Namir Ibrahim HABEEB, witnesses of Christian family life in an Islamic context, Iraq
 
Messrs BOTOLO and KISANGA SOSAWE
 
León BOTOLO and Marie Valentine KISANGA SOSAWE, founders of the Communauté Famille Chrétienne, Democratic Republic of Congo
 
Zelmira María BOTTINI DE REY, director of the institute for Couples and Families of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina; president of the Latin-American Network of Institutes for the Family in Catholic Universities, Argentina
 
CAMPOS
 
George CAMPOS, director of Couples for Christ, Philippines, and Cynthia CAMPOS, member of Couples for Christ, Philippines
 
Inácio Amândio CHAÚQUE, formator of young couples, Mozambique
 
Joan CLEMENTS, director of the managing board of the World Organisation Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB), Australia
 
Messrs CONWAY
 
Stephen and Sandra CONWAY, regional heads for Africa de Retrouvailles, South Africa
 
Dr. Ute EBERL, head of family and matrimonial pastoral in Berlin, Germany
 
Messrs JESEN ACUÑA - ESCUDERO
 
Ms Pilar ESCUDERO DE JENSEN, member of the vicariate general for Pastoral Care of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile; member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity; member of the Schoenstatt Institute for Families, Chile
 
Luis JENSEN ACUÑA, member of the Bioethical Centre of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; president of the “Fundación Médico Cultural Porta Vitae”; member of the Schoenstatt Institute for Families, Chile
 
GATSINGA - TUMUHAYIMPUNDU
Dr Jean Dieudonné GATSINGA and Emerthe GATSINGA TUMUHAYIMPUNDU, responsible for young families in the Focolari movement for Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda (Rwanda)
 
Messrs HEINZEN
Mr Jeffrey HEINZEN, director of Natural Family Planning in the diocese of La Crosse, U.S.A. Mrs Alice HEINZEN, member of the Natural Family Planning Advisory Board of the Episcopal Conference (U.S.A.)
 
Dr Ilva Myriam HOYOS CASTAÑEDA, delegate procurator for the Defence of the Rights of Childhood, Adolescence and the Family, Colombia
 
Messrs KHOURY
 
Sélim and Rita KHOURY, heads of the Office for Family Pastoral Care in the Patriarchal Curia of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon
 
María LACALLE NORIEGA, director of the Francisco de Vitoria Centre for Family Studies and Social and Economic Studies; secretary general of the Spanish Society for Bioethics and Biojustice, Spain
 
Rev. Cajetan MENEZES, director of the Apostolate for the Family in Bombay, India
 
Messrs PETRACCA CIAVARELLA and MIGLIONICO
 
Giuseppe PETRACCA CIAVARELLA and Lucia MIGLIONICO in PETRACCA CIAVARELLA, medical doctors, members of the National Advisory Council for Family Pastoral Care, Italy
 
Sister Margaret MULDOON, ex superior general of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Burdeos, Ireland
 
Francisco PADILLA, head of the Couples for Christ Movement Foundation for family and life, Philippines
 
Algirdas PETRONIS, deputy president of the International Federation for Catholic Families. Director of the Family Centre of the archdiocese of Vilnius, Lithuania
 
Messrs PIROLA
 
Romano and Mavis PIROLA, directors of Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council, Australia
 
Messrs ROUSSY
 
Olivier and Xristilla ROUSSY, heads of the apostolic branch of Amour et Vérité, France
 
Messrs SCHULTZ
 
Steve and Claudia SCHULTZ, members of the International Catholic Engaged Encounter (U.S.A.)
 
Michèle TAUPIN, president of the Espérance et Vie movement, France
 
Jeannette TOURÉ, national president of the Association of Catholic Women in Cote d'Ivoire [AFEC], Cote d'Ivoire.
 
C. LIST OF FRATERNAL DELEGATES
 
Ecumenical Patriarchate
 
His Eminence ATHENAGORAS, metropolitan of Belgium
 
Patriarchate of Moscow
 
His Eminence HILARION, president of the Department of External Church Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, Russian Federation
 
Coptic Orthodox Church
 
His Eminence BISHOY, metropolitan of Damietta, Kafr Elsheikh and Elbarari, Egypt
 
Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch
 
His Eminence Mar YOSTINOS, archbishop of Zhale and Bekau, Lebanon
 
Anglican Communion
 
His Grace Paul BUTLER, bishop of Durham, England, Great Britain
 
Lutheran World Federation
 
Mr Ndanganeni Petrus PHASWAHA, president of the Lutheran Evangelical Church in South Africa
 
World Communion of Reformed Churches
 
Rev. Benebo FUBARA-MANUEL, president of the Nigerian Communion of Reformed Churches, Nigeria
 
Baptist World Alliance
 
Valérie DUVAL-POUJOL, professor of biblical exegesis at the Catholic Institute of Paris, France.