Second Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops

Last updated
Second Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Petersdom von Engelsburg gesehen.jpg
St. Peter's Basilica
Date24 November–8 December 1985
Convoked by Pope John Paul II
PresidentPope John Paul II
Attendance165
TopicsThe Twentieth Anniversary of the Conclusion of the Second Vatican Council
Documents and statements
 Final Report of the Second Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Chronological list of ecumenical councils

The SecondExtraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, was held in Vatican City from 24 November to 8 December 1985 on the topic of The Twentieth Anniversary of the Conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. [1] The synod was a gathering of 165 bishops and other participants to celebrate, verify, and promote the council, also known as Vatican II. [2] [3] [4] [5] The participants evaluated the implementation of the changes heralded by Vatican II in the past, and discussed how best to apply them in the future. The bishops discussed topics including secularism, evangelization, the universal call to holiness, formation of seminarians, catechism, liturgy, communion, the role of the laity, ecumenism, the preferential option for the poor, and Catholic social teaching. [6]

Contents

In the months leading up to it, it was widely expected that the synod would be a showdown between the conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and more liberal prelates, like the American representative, Bishop James Malone. [2] [3] This led to some calling the event "Ratzinger's Synod." [3] There was also speculation that the representatives of bishops' conferences would seek to gain more autonomy from the Vatican. [2] In the synod's final report, Pope John Paul II included three of the suggestions of the bishops that he welcomed the most: the creation of a catechism of Catholic faith and morals, a study of the theological nature of bishops' conferences, and the publication of a new code of canon law for the Eastern Catholic Churches. [2] The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches was published in 1990. A notable result of the synod was the 1992 publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church .

Background

The synod was announced on the evening of 25 January 1985, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, by Pope John Paul II at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. [2] [5] In making the announcement, the pope said:

"This year is the twentieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, whose first announcement, we well recall, was made by my predecessor John XXIII, of venerated memory, in this very basilica and on this same day, the 25th of January 1959." [2]

The Pope said his goal was to "'to relive in some way that extraordinary atmosphere of ecclesiastical communion.'' [3]

In mid-March, Archbishop Jan Pieter Schotte, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, sent a questionnaire to those attending the synod, including the presidents of episcopal conferences, and papal invitees. Cardinal Godfried Danneels was the relator of synod, and he read through the replies and created a summary. [2]

Chronology

Opening

Pope John Paul II JohannesPaulusSimonis1985.2 (cropped).jpg
Pope John Paul II

The synod opened with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the morning of 24 November 1985, the Feast of Christ the King. [2] [3] [4] The pope and 165 bishops, all wearing choir dress, processed through the basilica on the same path as during the opening ceremony of the first session of the Second Vatican Council. The bishops took their seats on elevated platforms facing the pope, amidst choirs singing liturgical music. [4] In his homily, Pope John Paul II encouraged the bishops to revive the Spirit of Vatican II, saying:

"We start the synod process in this eucharistic celebration with the same willingness to listen to the Holy Spirit, with the same love for the Church, with the same gratitude to Divine Providence that were present in the council Fathers twenty years ago. During the next two weeks all the members of the synod, among whom there are many people who lived in the exceptional grace of the council, they will walk together with the council to revive the spiritual atmosphere of this great ecclesiastical event and to promote, in the light of key documents then issued and the experience gained over the next two decades, the full flowering of new life aroused by the Holy Spirit and ecumenical attention at this, for the greater glory of God and for the coming of his Kingdom." [7]

Later in the homily, he expressed his desire for greater unity both within the Catholic Church and amongst all Christians, specifically acknowledging the presence of the observer-delegates from other denominations. [7] After Mass, Pope John Paul II gave his inaugural address to open the synod. In the address, the pope presented a spiritual theme, but did not deliver specific instructions, appearing to give the bishops flexibility in choosing the synod's direction. He encouraged them to forge new "vistas" for the Church's mission. [4] The pope said:

''In this time of ours, when from various sides the primacy of man is set up in opposition to the primacy of God, the Council in a convincing manner makes aware that the 'kingdom of man' can find its proper dimension only in the Kingdom of God." [4]

Many bishops praised the pope's opening address, appreciating his commitment to the ideals of Vatican II and his hope for its continued realization. [4] The American Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, described the speech as optimistic and encouraging, saying, "My hope is that the synod will motivate us all to continue this kind of reflection and evaluation." [4] In addition to the pope's speech, Cardinal John Krol, one of three delegate-presidents, also gave an opening speech, described by one Catholic magazine as "magnificent." Cardinal Gabriel-Marie Garrone, the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, gave a reflective address discussed the Second Vatican Council. [2] Following the opening ceremony, Pope John Paul II addressed the hundreds of young people who had gathered in St. Peter's Square, many of them congregated around a large wooden cross that the pope had gifted to the "youth of the world." [4]

Sessions

The sessions of the synod, which lasted from November 24 to December 8, included eight minute-long addresses by the bishops during the first four days, followed by a series of small group sessions, and a general discussion during the final days. [4]

On 5 December, an Ecumenical Prayer Service was held, with Pope John Paul II presiding over it and the fraternal delegates, who represented non-Catholic groups, present. In a short homily, the pope mentioned the appropriateness of praying for unity with "our friends" the fraternal delegates. He spoke about the necessity for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in reaching Christian unity. [5]

Babi Burke incident

On 4 December, Babi Burke, a 44-year-old American nurse and mother of four from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, staged a mock Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to protest the Catholic Church's exclusion of women from the priesthood. [2] [8] [9] Burke, wearing a draping black embroidered robe and a white woolen shawl, entered the basilica in the early afternoon with a small group of journalists and photographers. [2] [8] Carrying a lit alcohol lamp, she approached an altar under Bernini's baldachin, behind the main altar. [8] [9] At the altar, she removed her shawl and put on a priest's stole. She kissed the altar and blessed herself with the sign of the cross, and raised her arms in the gesture of fellowship. [8] Burke proceeded to bless and consume a communion host and raise a silver chalice of wine, drinking from it. [2] [8] [9] The host had been brought with her from the U.S. [2] As she mimicked the most sacred part of the Mass, two Vatican security guards ran towards her and removed her from the basilica, holding her arms. [2] [8] [9] As she was led away, Burke exclaimed, "I am Catholic. I am a woman. I belong here." [8] The whole incident lasted around five minutes. [8] [9] After being removed from the basilica, Burke was taken to the Vatican security headquarters. [9]

Following the incident, the chief Vatican spokesman, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, said that Burke had been released after questioning and no charges would be filed. The Rev. Carlo Caffarra, a spokesman for the synod, condemned the incident, saying, "Morally, it is a sacrilege because it is a serious disrespect of what is most holy in the Church, the sacrament of the eucharist, and it was carried out in a sacred place." Burke held a press conference on Saturday, 7 December, with Marie-Terese Soumoy, a Belgian former nun and a supporter of her cause. Both women were accredited as a reporters covering the synod, and were both members of the Center of Research and Action on Women and Religion. [8] At the conference, Burke delivered a prepared statement, saying,

"This act represents the reality that our dear leaders must not keep us in bondage to the traditional practices and utterances from generation to generation. Presently, there are 165 men deciding on the future of the Church, yet there are no women with a vote at this synod." [8]

Burke's colleague Soumoy then proceeded to speak, addressing the aftermath of the incident. She noted that the Vatican security guards has asked for her and Burke's identity papers and also confiscated film from a photographer who had taken pictures of the mock Mass. She also said that the questioning by the Vatican guards had not been rigorous. Soumoy stated that Burke did not desire priestly ordination herself, but was a "woman full of love" acting on behalf of other women who wish to become priests. [8] A written statement, which had been distributed to journalists after the event, stated,

"This act is a declaration that one of the fruits of Vatican II are the many prepared women called to ordained priesthood. They must be recognized and called into service for their church... Sexism is a sacrilege to the Gospel of Christ... [This act] is a short prayer of profession for the love of God and the church." [8]

Closing

On 8 December, Pope John Paul II gave his closing address and ended the synod. [4] Delegate-president Cardinal John Krol also gave a closing address, described by one Catholic magazine as "magnficent." [2]

Participants

There were over 165 participants in the synod, including cardinals, archbishops, and bishops (mostly heads of episcopal conferences, 25 heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, nine members of the Ordinary Council for the Secretariat, the Secretary General of the Synod, the Undersecretary, over a dozen members invited by Pope John Paul II, and 10 fraternal delegates. [3] [4] [5] [10] No women were invited to participate as voting members, though several of the observers were women. [8] [11]

In addition to Pope John Paul II, who served as president of the synod, there were multiple other classes of participants. Archbishop Jan Pieter Schotte, CICM, served as Secretary General, Cardinal Godfried Danneels was the Relator General, and the Rev. Walter Kasper was the Special Secretary. The delegate presidents were cardinals John Krol, Joseph Malula, and Johannes Willebrands. [10]

Though the number of bishops was much smaller than at the Second Vatican Council, the press corps was significantly larger. Archbishop John Patrick Foley, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications, reported that in addition to the 200 regular accredited members of the Vatican press corps, 600 accreditations were issued for the synod, half of which were from the United States. Press briefings were given daily in different languages, and the English briefings were given by the Irish priest Diarmuid Martin. Martin, then part of Archbishop Édouard Gagnon's staff at the Pontifical Council for the Family, [2] is today a cardinal and the Archbishop of Dublin.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Benedict XVI</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013

Pope Benedict XVI was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation, and he retained this title until his death in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Francis Law</span> Catholic cardinal

Bernard Francis Cardinal Law was a senior-ranking prelate of the Catholic Church, known largely for covering up the serial rape of children by Catholic priests. He served as Archbishop of Boston, archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, and Cardinal Priest of Santa Susanna, which was the American parish in Rome until 2017, when the American community was relocated to San Patrizio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Leo Burke</span> American cardinal of the Catholic Church (born 1948)

Raymond Leo Burke is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He is a bishop and a cardinal, and was a patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2014 to 2023. He led the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008 and the Diocese of La Crosse from 1995 to 2004. From 2008 to 2014, he was the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 papal conclave</span> Election of Pope Benedict XVI

A papal conclave was held on 18 and 19 April 2005 to elect a successor to John Paul II, who had died on 2 April 2005. Upon the pope's death, the cardinals of the Catholic Church who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave. Of the 117 eligible members of the College of Cardinals, those younger than 80 years of age at the time of the death of Pope John Paul II, all but two attended. After several days of private meetings attended by both cardinal electors and non-voting cardinals, the conclave began on 18 April 2005. It ended the following day after four ballots with the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Dean of the College of Cardinals and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Ratzinger was the first member of the Roman Curia to become pope since Pius XII, elected in 1939. After accepting his election, he took the name Benedict XVI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II</span> 2005 death and funeral of the 264th pope

On 2 April 2005, Pope John Paul II died at the age of 84. His funeral was held on 8 April, followed by the novendiales devotional in which the Catholic Church observed nine days of mourning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Péter Erdő</span> Cardinal, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary

Péter Erdő is a Hungarian cardinal of the Catholic Church who has served as the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camillo Ruini</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1931)

Camillo Ruini is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was made a cardinal in 1991. He served as president of the Italian Episcopal Conference from 1991 to 2007 and as Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome from 1991 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ignatius Moses I Daoud</span> Head of the Syriac Catholic Church from 1998 to 2001

Ignatius Basile Moses I Daoud was Patriarch of Antioch for the Syrian Catholic Church, a Cardinal Bishop, and Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfredo Ottaviani</span> Catholic cardinal

Alfredo Ottaviani was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII named him cardinal in 1953. He served as secretary of the Holy Office in the Roman Curia from 1959 to 1966 when that dicastery was reorganised as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of which he was pro-prefect until 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruno Forte</span>

Bruno Forte is an Italian Roman Catholic theologian and ecclesiastic, currently Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto.

The Year of the Eucharist is the name of the liturgical year from October 2004 to October 2005, as celebrated by Catholics worldwide. On 10 June 2004 Pope John Paul II announced the dedication of an entire year to the Blessed Sacrament and invited the entire Church to reflect upon the Eucharist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam</span> Syr-Malabar Catholic basilica in India

The St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica is a cathedral in Ernakulam, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1112, and is also known by the names Nasrani Palli, Anchikaimal Palli or Thekke Palli. The church is the headquarters of the Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, which is the Primatal See of the Syro-Malabar Church. Currently it’s closed down and under police protection due to dispute between the rebels in the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese and the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy</span> Catholic cardinal

Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy was an Indian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1985. His episcopical motto was Aedificare domum Dei which means "To build the house of God". He was the fourth cardinal from India and the first curial cardinal of Asia outside of the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dearden</span> American prelate

John Francis Dearden was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, and was created a cardinal in 1969. He previously served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1958. During his tenure in Pittsburgh, Dearden earned the nickname "Iron John" for his stern manner of administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugênio Sales</span>

Eugênio de Araújo Sales was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI on 28 April 1969. He served as archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years until his resignation was accepted in 2001, when he had already passed the maximum age for voting in a papal conclave. He was the Cardinal Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church and also the longest-serving living Cardinal of the Catholic Church from 16 February 2009 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achille Silvestrini</span> Italian Catholic cardinal (1923–2019)

Achille Silvestrini was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served in the Vatican diplomatic corps, either in Rome or abroad, from 1953 to 1990, and later as Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches from 1991 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Benedict XVI and ecumenism</span> Ecumenism discourse

Pope Benedict XVI, who led the Roman Catholic Church as Pope from 2005 to 2013, continued manouevring the Church through the dynamics of modernity, which the Church had begun engaging in with the Second Vatican Council. Because the question of religious pluralism is a key issue raised by modernity, ecumenism, the establishment of harmony and dialogue between the different Christian denominations, is a significant concern of a post Second Vatican Council Church. Pope Benedict XVI's approach has been characterised as leaning toward the conservative while still being expansive and engaged, involving the full breadth of Christendom, including the Orthodox Churches and Protestant churches, as well as freshly engaging with other Christian bodies considered by Roman Catholics to be more heterodox, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the Catholic Church, the Synod of Bishops, considered as an advisory body for the pope, is one of the ways in which the bishops render cooperative assistance to him in exercising his office. It is described in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as "a group of bishops who have been chosen from different regions of the world and meet at fixed times to foster closer unity between the Roman Pontiff and bishops, to assist the Roman Pontiff with their counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals and in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline, and to consider questions pertaining to the activity of the Church in the world."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops</span> Catholic Church Synod

The Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the first of two synods popularly referred to as the Synod on the Family, was held in Vatican City on 5–19 October 2014 on the topic of Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization. The Synod was a gathering of 253 bishops and other participants in preparation for a larger synod with the same theme in October 2015. The participants discussed problems facing the family today, including the effects of war, immigration, domestic violence, sexual orientation, polygamy, inter-religious marriages, cohabitation, the breakdown of marriage, and divorce and remarriage. In particular, the synod was marked by debate regarding the pastoral care of Catholics living in "irregular unions", including those civilly remarried after divorce, unmarried cohabitating couples, and especially gay Catholics. The synod was also noted for a new prominence of African bishops.

References

  1. ↑ Dias, Elizabeth (8 October 2013). "Pope Francis Calls Extraordinary Synod on Family and Marriage". Time Magazine. Retrieved 8 October 2013. ...the Vatican announced [...] Pope Francis will host an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to discuss [...] 'The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.' The meeting will take place in Rome, October 5–14, 2014...
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 McInerny, Ralph (1986-01-01). "An Extraordinary Synod". Crisis Magazine. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dionne Jr., E. J. (1985-11-24). "The Pope's Guardian of Orthodoxy". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Briggs, Kenneth A. Briggs (1985-11-25). "John Paul Opens Synod of Bishops". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Thomas, Washington Christopher (2015-04-24). The participation of non-Catholic Christian observers guest and fraternal delegates at the Second Vatican Council and Synods of Bishops a theological analysis. Gregorian Biblical BookShop. p. 158. ISBN   978-88-7839-309-7.
  6. ↑ "The Final Report of the 1985 Extraordinary Synod". Eternal Word Television Network. 1985.
  7. 1 2 "Homily of John Paul II". Holy See. 1985-11-24.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Dionne Jr., E. J. (1985-12-05). "U.S. Woman Protests With 'Mass,' in St. Peter's". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nurse Stages 'Mass' in Rome to Protest All-Male Priesthood". Los Angeles Times. 1985-12-04. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  10. 1 2 "II Extraordinary General Assembly (25 November-8 December 1985)". Holy See Press Office.
  11. ↑ McCarthy, Timothy G. (2012-04-16). The Catholic Tradition, Second Edition: The Church in the Twentieth Century. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 95. ISBN   978-1-62032-235-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.