“The question is not whether we're here to change doctrine, but to make sure pastoral care takes account of real, actual, concrete situations of what each person is doing,” Fr. Thomas Rosica told journalists Oct. 10, quoting one of the synod participants.  

“The proclamation of the Gospel and the embrace of God's mercy are two equally valid and intrinsically related aspects of life.”

Fr. Rosica, the English-language assistant to the Holy See press office, read aloud snippets of the brief interventions given by unnamed synod participants in both last night’s and this morning’s general congregations during an Oct. 10 press briefing.

According to another synod father, “mercy toward sinners is not a form of weakness nor an abandonment of Church teaching.”  

“Unless we acknowledge openly people's situations, we will not be able to address those situations clearly,” they said, adding that “we have to learn to speak the truth in love in many situations, because in many situations people are completely powerless over what has befallen them.”

Yet another participant stressed that in order to view the Church’s doctrine on marriage in the light of mercy requires both “attention to the pastoral dimension and the application of the Church's teaching.”

Others made such comments as: “mercy cannot be encountered unless it is measured against an eternal law,” and “one must seek truth in order to encounter mercy, and the Church must seek truth when confronting the theme of marriage.”

For another participant, “mercy means giving people a challenge; it is not covering reality with gift wrap.”  

The overwhelming emphasis on the link between mercy and doctrine came as the synod fathers shifted into the second phase of their discussion.

Pope Francis officially opened the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Oct. 4, with the event closing on Oct. 25.

Divided into three parts, each week dedicated to one of the three sections of the instrumentum laboris, or working document. Participants spent the first week of the meeting discussing the document’s section titled “Listening to the challenges of the family.”

The subsequent sections are “Discernment of the family vocation” and “The mission of the family today.”

In the briefing, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., said that mercy was a theme “very spoken about” by the 75 synod fathers who made interventions in the previous two sessions.

Specifically mentioned was mercy as “closeness and tenderness” toward families and couples in difficulty, he said, but noted that “the truth of mercy and justice – don't oppose mercy with the truth,” was also addressed.

Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of of the Syro-Malankar Archeparchy of Trivandrum, was also present at the briefing.

In response to a question from a French journalist on whether an in-depth examination of doctrine would take place during the synod, the cardinal said that the synod “in fact is destined to be a pastoral one.”

And not just this, he said, “but all synods, because it gives some guidelines to the pastors and the people around that pastoral community.”

He said that showing the mercy of God, given through Christ, is part of the family’s mission; but stressed that in his personal opinion, this mercy always demands conversion on the part of the other.

“When we speak about God's mercy, it is also demanding a certain personal acceptance of being converted to that reception of mercy…it demands a point of conversion from the individual recipient.”

Cardinal Thottunkal explained that while it is important to understand and support each person in the reality they are living, it’s also necessary to help them receive God's mercy “in a more conducive atmosphere of conversion to the Lord.”

The Gospel “demands this as a condition” when it says that “the Kingdom of God is at hand, be converted,” he said.

Christ gave the same message when he told sinners: “I forgive you, but don't sin anymore,” the cardinal said, adding that the Gospel asks for everyone to have this disposition.

Other topics brought up by the synod participants were the indissolubility of marriage, the role of parents in educating their children, the importance of prayer and a missionary spirit within families, the importance of children, and a longer marriage preparation process.

“At the heart of the Gospel of mercy, the encounter and acceptance by others are intertwined with the encounter and acceptance of God himself,” the Pope said in his message for the 2016 World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

“Welcoming others means welcoming God in person!” he said, and addressed migrants and refugees directly, telling them not to let themselves “be robbed of the hope and joy of life born of your experience of God’s mercy, as manifested in the people you meet on your journey!”

Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees was presented to journalists during an Oct. 1 news conference in Rome.

The day will be celebrated in the Church Jan. 17, 2016, within the context of the Holy Year for Mercy. The title of the Pope’s message is “Migrants and Refugees Challenge Us. The Response of the Gospel of Mercy.”

In his message, the Pope highlighted the various challenges both migrants and refugees face in leaving their homes, as well as difficulties encountered by the countries who receive them.

He noted how migration today is growing at a global level, and that the exodus of people fleeing their homes challenges both individuals and communities, and can at times upset the traditional ways of life and the cultural and social horizons of the societies who welcome them.

On the other hand, the Pope also noted that migrants are increasingly “the victims of violence and poverty (who) are exploited by human traffickers during their journey towards the dream of a better future.”

Even if they survive the journey, migrants and refugees are often faced with “latent suspicions and fear,” as well as a lack of clear and practical policies that provide short or long term programs aimed at societal integration with respect for everyone’s rights, he observed.

Francis said migrants and refugees are above all brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from hunger, violence, poverty and an unjust distribution of the earth’s resources, and ought to be viewed as such.

Migration has become a structural reality, he said, explaining that our primary concern to the crisis ought to be providing programs that address the root causes of migration, and the changes it entails.

“The tragic stories of millions of men and women daily confront the international community as a result of the outbreak of unacceptable humanitarian crises in different parts of the world,” he said.

“Indifference and silence lead to complicity whenever we stand by as people are dying of suffocation, starvation, violence and shipwreck,” he said, adding that whether they happen on a large or small scale, “these are always tragedies, even when a single human life is lost.”

The Pope said that identity is not a secondary question in the matter, and noted how both those forced to migrate as well as the receiving countries are often forced to change some of their most distinct attributes, whether they like it or not.

He questioned how these changes can be viewed not as obstacles to development, but rather “as opportunities for genuine human, social and spiritual growth, a growth which respects and promotes those values which make us ever more humane.”

“How can we ensure that integration will become mutual enrichment, open up positive perspectives to communities, and prevent the danger of discrimination, racism, extreme nationalism or xenophobia?”

As an answer, Francis pointed to the biblical emphasis on welcoming the stranger, and said that in doing so “we open our doors to God…in the faces of others we see the face of Christ himself.”

While various organizations, institutions and movements have already made great efforts to welcome incoming migrants and refugees, debates continue on the conditions and limits to be set for receiving them, both in the international community, and in parishes communities, he observed.

In response to these issues we are faced with the question on how the Church can imitate the example and words of Jesus, Pope Francis said, explaining that the answer is “the Gospel is mercy.”

Mercy, he said, “nourishes and strengthens solidarity towards others as a necessary response to God’s gracious love.”

“Concern for fostering good relationships with others and the ability to overcome prejudice and fear are essential ingredients for promoting the culture of encounter, in which we are not only prepared to give, but also to receive from others.”

The Pope emphasized that migrants shouldn’t be seen solely on the basis of their status as regular or irregular, but above all as persons with dignity who are able to contribute the well-being of society.

Migrations, he said, “cannot be reduced merely to their political and legislative aspects, their economic implications and the concrete coexistence of various cultures in one territory.”

Francis assured the Church’s closeness to all who work to defend the right of each person to live in dignity, especially in exercising their right not to emigrate.

Processes aimed at helping persons to stay in their own countries first of all involve helping the countries that migrants and refugees are leaving, he said.

“In any case, it is necessary to avert, if possible at the earliest stages, the flight of refugees and departures as a result of poverty, violence and persecution.”

Doing this, the Pope noted, will demonstrate that cooperation, solidarity, international interdependence and the just distribution of the earth’s goods are essential for more concrete efforts.

Pope Francis also underlined the fact that public opinion “needs to be correctly formed, not least to prevent unwarranted fears and speculations detrimental to migrants.”

No one, he said, can claim to be indifferent in front of the new forms of slavery that buy and sell men, women and children as forced laborers in construction, agriculture, fishing or in various other markets, as well as those who force children to fight as soldiers.

“Today’s refugees are fleeing from these aberrant crimes, and they appeal to the Church and the human community to ensure that, in the outstretched hand of those who receive them, they can see the face of the Lord,” the Pope observed.

He closed his message by stressing the importance of the Gospel of mercy, and entrusted all migrants and refugees to the care of Mary and St. Joseph, who also experience “the bitterness” of their flight to Egypt, and extended his blessing to those who invest in the pastoral and social care of migrants.