Last week at the Vatican, more than 250 bishops from across the world got together in a Papal Synod to debate the future of how the Catholic Church ministers to and envisions the family. The Church reflected on how doctrine could better reflect practical realities. The divorced, those co-habitating without marriage and gay Catholics were communities that saw a rare opening for a revision in how the Papacy perceives them.
The proposed changes in tone toward divorce and remarriage, and for welcoming gay Catholics in an early draft ultimately fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed to pass muster. Yet the proposals, and the votes, reflect a vast, simmering division amongst Catholicism's highest reaches. With the "Pope of the People" at the helm, the future of the Church is anything but stagnant.
Guests:
- Teresa Collett, consulator on the Papal Council for the Family and law professor at University of St. Thomas
- Christopher Hale, executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good