On the occasion of the sovereign pontiff’s visit to France, franceinfo returns to the social issues which will be addressed in October at the Vatican during the synod, an assembly which will reflect on the future of the Church.
An exceptional two-day visit. Pope Francis is in Marseille on Friday September 22 and Saturday September 23. Since the Marseille city, he regretted once again that the Mediterranean has become “a huge cemetery” of migrants, before celebrating a mass at the Vélodrome stadium. On his return to the Vatican, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church will be confronted with other societal concerns. From October 4 to 29, the bishops will meet there for a synod – an assembly gathered to examine the problems of ecclesial life – during which they will reflect on the future of their Church, fractured around questions of gender and sexuality.
The discussions of this assembly are based on a working document published at the end of June by the Holy See. FResult of the consultation of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world, spread over two years, its conclusions are unequivocal: the Roman Curia (the Vatican administration) must question the inclusion of “people who do not feel well accepted in the Church”. Particularly LGBT+ people, women, but also victims of sexual and spiritual abuse. Here are the hot topics that the synod must tackle during the month of October.
Welcoming LGBT+ people: a subject that is still very divisive
The Catholic Church will address a question that divides it: what place for LGBT+ people? The Catholic catechism advocates on the one hand the welcoming of homosexual people “with respect, compassion and delicacy”, explains the website of the Conference of Bishops of France. But on the other hand, he describes these acts as“intrinsically disordered”, describes the same site.
“The Church welcomes the sinner, but not the sin”, summarizes the sociologist of Catholicism Josselin Tricou, interviewed by franceinfo. Men of the Church are strongly divided on the subject. “Baptism is rarely refused”specifies the sociologist, “but it arouses reluctance among priests if the person is openly in a gay or lesbian couple and refuses to give it up.”
“There is a very strong crystallization on the question of sexuality on the part of the Catholic Church, whose position appears out of step with society.”
Josselin Tricou, sociologist of Catholicismat franceinfo
Pope Francis has shown signs of openness since the start of his pontificate in 2013. “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord, shows good will, who am I to judge them? he declared, newly elected. His statement, unpublished, was not not translated into an evolution of doctrine. In January, the sovereign pontiff even reaffirmed the Catholic doctrine considering homosexuality a sin. This position is explained “probably due to Pope Francis’ fear of polarizing the faithful”uncompromising on one side, progressive on the other, according to Josselin Tricou, also author of a book-investigation on the masculinity of priests.
But the Catholic Church nevertheless seems to be evolving on the eve of the synod. For the first time in its history, the institution mentions the existence of the LGBT+ community in a public document, reports The cross. Enough to raise the hopes of a group that has been stigmatized for too long within the Church, believes Jean-Michel Dunand, founder of Communion Béthanie, a Christian and LGBT+ association. “It’s a strong signal, mbut it will take concrete words and actions during the synod”, warns Jean-Michel Dunand. He hopes that certain sensitive subjects will be questioned during the assembly, such as the ban on blessing homosexual couples, renewed by the Pope, recalls The cross.
The place of women: a “unanimous” concern of the faithful
“We can say, the decision to give the right to vote to 35 women [sur environ 300 votants, dont 70 laïcs] during the synod is magisterial”, exults Catholic feminist activist Anne Soupa, founder of the Skirt Committee, which advocates better integration of women in the ecclesial ecosystem. And for good reason, the measure is historic: until today, only one woman was authorized to vote during this assembly.
Under the leadership of Pope Francis, a paradigm shift has taken place on this issue. “Unanimously (…) all continental assemblies call for attention to the experience, status and role of women” is it indicated in theInstrumentum Laboris (traditional name of the preparatory document of the synod). The appointment of several women to positions of responsibility, including the Frenchwoman Nathalie Becquart as undersecretary of the synod, or the granting of the right to vote to 35 women during this assembly, testify to a renewed interest in the question.
“Until then, the popes had refused to grant this vote in the name of a differentialist ideology,” analyzes Anne Soupa. According to her, it is this same logic that confines women to their role as wife and mother. And at the same time makes any discussion on the ordination of women priests “blocked, because of the conservatives’ barrage”, advances the Christian activist. In this context, women’s right to vote at the synod is seen as “a promising start, but not an outcome”she nuances.
“Women have administrative and material responsibilities in parishes, but they must have closer access to the question of the sacraments.”
Anne Soupa, founder of the Skirt Committeeat franceinfo
All eyes are now on the possibility of appointing women deacons. “Can we consider it, and how?” questions the preparatory text of the synod. This status, exclusively reserved for men, authorizes the celebration of sacraments such as baptism, marriage and funerals, but not mass. In fact, women already carry out some of these functions, without the Church granting them the title of deacon. The prospect of its opening to women regularly punctuates the life of the Catholic Church: it was even the subject of a commission in 2016.
Despite these efforts, the issue remains unresolved and the pope has repeatedly opposed it. “Several writings mention women ordained priests and deacons in the first century, opposes the British theologian and priest James Alison. Nothing in the New Testament prohibits it, so it is not a question of institutional texts.” he emphasizes.
The treatment of abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy: a project, a course
Another subject of controversy within the Catholic Church: abuse committed by members of the clergy. Qualified by the authors of theInstrumentum Laboris of “open wound, which continues to inflict suffering on victims and survivors, their families and their communities”, the question still causes turmoil within the institution. In March 2021, the publication of the report of the Independent Commission on Abuse in the Church (Ciase) was an explosion. Around 330,000 people have been victims of sexual violence in the Catholic Church since 1950 in France, according to a “minimum estimate”.
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“I fear that this synod will be a flop”, augur Isabelle Chartier-Siben, doctor and president of the victim assistance association That is to say. A presentiment based on the Church’s reception of the work of the Ciase: at the end of 2022, a meeting planned between members of the commission and the Pope was canceled due to a busy schedule, reports The Parisian. In view of the outcry caused by the publication of the report – notably attacked on its methodology by the Catholic Academy of France – she doubts that it is a question of time and instead evokes deep antagonisms within the institution. “My hope is that this question does not lead to a schism in the Church,” declares Isabelle Chartier-Siben.
Across France, the effects of certain reforms could be felt in the coming years. The creation of a national canonical criminal court in December 2022 – an unprecedented initiative in the world, notes Telerama – is supposed to counter the omnipotence of bishops in cases of sexual assault on adults. “Until recently, bishops had all the powersexplains Isabelle Chartier-Siben. So if something happened in their diocese, they were the only ones who could handle complaints.”
From now on, these clergy should no longer be “judges and parties”according to the doctor, since they “will no longer be the only ones able to judge and/or transmit information to the Vatican.” This reform seems likely to meet the expectations of French Catholics. According to an Ifop survey-The cross, a year earlier there were almost nine out of ten who wanted powers to be better distributed within the Church. Another measure raising hopes: the lifting of pontifical secrecy, enacted in 2019. This, underlines The worldshould allow victims to be better informed of the sanctions decided against their attacker.