{UAH} Pope Francis triumphs at Bishops' Synod on Families

Qualified by media experts as the Pope who within just a couple of  months from  his election had succeeded to become the most popular person in the world, and now also seen as the most influential person in the globe, Pope Francis, who is also considered as a person in whose image many find their nostalgia of a very wistful longing for God, is again making history at the Synod! His ideas are sailing through without much difficulty and his vision is embracing the whole moral thought of the Synod which has been meeting in various linguistic groups to exchange at ease and so intellectually! Most of the Synodal Fathers including very many African bishops The sessions have been noted very positive and have helped the bishops to have a much broader global vision on family, marriage, sexuality, etc.. One African bishop even said they discussed most of Africa's problems in a very cordially fraternal ambiance. The same kind of satisfaction is also aired by delegates from India and the rest of Asia.

All this is just in line with the Pope's very cautious advice to the Synod: to listen to everyone, to insist on encouragement and not to give too much weight to difficulties and challenges! Of course the Pope is aware of the deadlock that befalls any long tirades of debate especially when everything is engulfed in the spirit of pessimism!

This time things have moved very fast in a quasi unanimous positive accord. And the Pope, who again insisted on working together in harmony so that each culture has its views presented in the debate and listened to, has scored points on all counts. The Synod has come out with excellent ideas on how to help families develop a common spirit of  praying as an individual group to achieve a certain degree of spirituality; how to help those families in difficulty whether with marriage, the upbringing of children, etc..; and how to pull from solitude those in abandonment following an unsuccessful marriage, etc...

African bishops have been impressed by the way the Pope has encouraged the Synod to listen to their voice in what regards what they call the three phases that characterize marriage on the continent : the customary, the civil, and the sacramental aspects of marriage. And how to attract the African population more on the sacramental phase which is the true essence of a Catholic marriage.

The Pope again gives satisfaction to the African group by hinting on a tacit policy that would grant authority and effort to the local churches to settle many of the problems concerning family, marriage, etc.. It's thought more power will move peripheral in a sort of an anticipated decentralization which the Pope would like to effect as a code of power sharing between Rome and the local churches.

This will help the Church to have a clear look at things like polygamy and homosexuality. But as far as the African group is concerned polygamy is seen as lack of respect for a partner and homosexuality is looked at as an imposition from somewhere.  The Africans also threw into observation the question of sects and their impact on many faithful whom they exploit morally, materially, and spiritually. 

The Pope has won much and this is also largely seen in the ever very much increasing numbers of people attending his Wednesday weekly audiences and the Angelus prayer on Sunday. On the two weekly occasions the Pope has seized the opportunity to call for prayers intended for the success of the Synod. Many tens of thousands of pilgrims are always present on these occasions. Recently there were delegations from Kenya, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, the Faroe Islands, the Middle East, Congo (DRC) who will apparently be present for the canonization of St Theresa's parents. The Pope is taking the synod Opportunity to proclaim saints of the Catholic Church both Louis Martin and wife Zélie Martin this coming Sunday ( 18/10/2015 ). Like their beloved daughter St Theresa of Infant Jesus the two parents are also going to be inscribed on the catalogue of Saints. They were a very exemplary couple in matters of piety and generosity. They lived a sound reputation of sainthood and five of their children, including St Theresa, became religious  (nuns ). And the Pope has opted for them to be an example to the Synod on Families. The canonization will bring to Rome thousands of pilgrims from France alone and thousands ofothers from the rest of the world. From France's Normandy region where the couple originated some 300 officially registered pilgrims have arrived in Rome. All French planes reserved for the occasion have been fully booked. The French government will be represented by the very powerful Minister of the Interior and the Mayor of Alençon city where the holy couple lived. The officially approved miracles for the canonization have providentially been centred on miraculous cures of children in Italy and Spain. In both circumstances the chidren have been cured from incurable diseases for which no medical remedy could be found. In canonizing the couple in the wake of the Synod the Pope has wanted to show how family is also a true path to sainthood. It's expected that in a near future a Rwandese couple, Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba, would also be made saints of the Church. they are said to have lived an exemplary life of piety and they were responsible for many charitable initiatives. Both were murdered during the Rwanda genocide (1994) together with six of their ten children!!!

Dr G.H. Kkolokolo ( Paris / France )

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