VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis opened Wednesday a special synod on the future of the Roman Catholic church by urging bishops and lay people from around the world to avoid being a “polarised parliament” or a “political gathering” but to “refocus” and “look mercifully at humanity.”

 Speaking in a homily during a Mass in St Peter’s Square to launch the synod that is expected to discuss sensitive issues such as priestly celibacy, the blessing of homosexual couples, the extension of sacraments to the divorced and the ordination of female deacons, the pontiff said that the Church “must  ever  look  to  the  present,  to  the  new conditions and new forms of life introduced into the modern world which have opened new avenues to  the  Catholic  apostolate”

“Jesus’ gaze that blesses invites us to be a Church that does not face today’s challenges and problems with a divisive and contentious spirit but, on the contrary, turns its eyes to God who is communion and, with awe and humility, blesses and adores him, recognizing him as its only Lord,” Francis said.

“We do not want earthly glory, we do not want to make ourselves attractive in the eyes of the world, but to reach out to it with the consolation of the Gospel, to bear witness  to  God’s  infinite  love,  in  a  better  way  and  to  everyone.”

  “Indeed,  as  (Pope) Benedict  XVI  said, precisely when speaking to a synod assembly, ‘the question for us is this: God has spoken, he has truly broken the great silence, he has shown himself, but how can we communicate this reality to the people of today, so that it becomes salvation?’  This is  the fundamental question,” the pope said.

“And this is the primary task of the Synod: to refocus our gaze on God, to be a Church that looks mercifully at humanity.  A Church that is united and fraternal, that listens and dialogues; a Church that blesses and encourages, that helps those who seek the Lord, that lovingly stirs up the indifferent, that opens paths in order to draw people into the beauty of faith.  A Church that has God at its centre and, therefore, is not divided internally and is never harsh externally.”

  “This is how Jesus wants the Church, his Bride, to be.  2.  After reflecting on the gaze that blesses, let us now look at the welcoming gaze of Christ.  While those who think themselves wise fail to recognize the work of God, Jesus rejoices in the Father because he reveals himself to the little ones, the simple, the poor in spirit.  Consequently, throughout his life, he takes on this welcoming gaze toward the weakest, the suffering and the discarded.  To them in particular, he addresses the words we heard: ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’”

  “This welcoming gaze of Jesus also invites us to be a welcoming Church. In such a complex time as ours, new cultural and pastoral challenges emerge that call for a warm and kindly inner attitude so that we can encounter each other without fear.”

  “In synodal dialogue, in this beautiful “journey in the Holy Spirit” that we are making together as the People of God, we can grow in unity and friendship with the Lord in order to look at today’s challenges with his gaze; to become, using a fine expression of Saint Paul VI, a Church that “makes itself a conversation” (Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam, 65).  A Church “with a gentle yoke” (cf. Mt 11:30), which does not impose burdens and which repeats to everyone: “Come, you who are weary and oppressed, come, you who have lost your way or feel far away, come, you who have closed the doors to hope: the Church is here for you!”

  “Brothers and sisters, holy People of God, in the face of the difficulties and challenges that lie ahead,  the  blessing  and  welcoming  gaze  of  Jesus  prevents  us  from  falling  into  some  dangerous temptations: of being a rigid Church, which arms itself against the world and looks backward; of being a lukewarm Church, which surrenders to the fashions of the world; of being a tired Church, turned in on itself.   Let us walk together: humble, fervent and joyful.  Let us walk in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint of poverty and peace, the ‘fool of God’ who bore in his body the stigmata of Jesus and, in order to clothe himself with him, stripped himself of everything.  Saint Bonaventure relates that while he was praying, the Crucified One said to him, ‘Go and repair my church’ (Legenda maior, II, 1).

 “The Synod serves to remind us of this: our Mother the Church is always in need of purification, of being ‘repaired.’ for we are a people made up of forgiven sinners, always in need of returning to the source that is Jesus and putting ourselves back on the paths of the Spirit to reach everyone with his  Gospel.”

 “Francis  of Assisi,  in  a  time  of  great  struggles  and  divisions,  between  temporal  and religious powers, between the institutional Church  and heretical currents,  between Christians and other believers, did not criticize or lash out at anyone.  He took up only the weapons of the Gospel: humility and unity, prayer and charity.  Let us do the same!   And if God's holy people with their shepherds from all over the world have expectations, hopes and even some fears about the Synod we are beginning, let us continue to remember that it is not a political gathering, but a convocation in the Spirit; not a polarized parliament, but a place of grace and communion.  The Holy Spirit often shatters our expectations to create something new that surpasses  our  predictions  and  negativity.  Let  us  open  ourselves  to  him  and  call  upon  him,  the protagonist, the Holy Spirit.  And let us walk with him, in trust and with joy.”

 jp