ROME — Shortly prior to the start of the third week of the Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on "The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World" more than 50 international Catholic organisations have once again published their appeal to the Synodal Bishops “Follow Pope Francis’ way of dialogue and reform!”

  All of these organisations are calling on the bishops to listen attentively to what they are saying so as to make the Church a more compassionate family.

  The Appeal outlines the fundamental problems experienced by Catholic families throughout the world:  

• The social and economic problems of the family should be widely discussed by the Synod, particularly those affecting the most vulnerable, children and women.

• Regarding the divorced and remarried and their admission to the Eucharist, the practice of the early Church should be adopted, as it is done in the Orthodox Church.

• Concerning the Motu Proprio (Apostolic letter) of Pope Francis on the canonical process of nullity of marriage we agree with and welcome the simplification of the procedure, but question the concept of annulment as such.

• Homosexual individuals and same-sex couples should be considered as full members of the Church with every right and every duty.

• ‘Humanae Vitae’ has not been accepted by the majority of the People of God; couples following their conscience must be respected.

• The Synod should send a clear and public message of repentance to the survivors of clerical sex abuse and their families.However much we hope for solutions to these many problems from the presently constituted Synod we assert that a major flaw of the Synod is its clericalised nature and especially the non-representation of the many Catholic family forms we experience in our contemporary world.

  The appeal was initiated by international reform movements, who are also organising two conferences in remembrance of the Second Vatican Council in Rome in November 2015.