Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • October 1 2021 7 228-539-9800 www.RiemannFamily.com Gulfport Pass Christian West Jackson County Biloxi Long Beach Hancock County In thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit, Blessed Mother and St. Jude, for prayers answered. BAB Thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Jude, for prayers answered. LD For prayers being answered, St. Joseph, St. Anthony, Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and St. Jude. AC Myriam Wijlens, a canon lawyer and Synod of Bishops consultor, told reporters that women need to “present themselves” and speak up “courageously” dur- ing this consultation phase. It will also be important to listen to what women from non-Western cultures are saying, she added. The handbook said even though dioceses will be asked to spend six months doing extensive outreach and consultation with as many people as possible, the syn- odal process “is not a mechanical data-gathering exer- cise or a series of meetings and debates.”  “Synodal listening is oriented toward discernment,” in which people listen to each other, to their faith tradi- tion and to “the signs of the times in order to discern what God is saying to all of us,” it said. Widespread participation is an important part of the diocesan process, the document said, with no one being excluded. “We must personally reach out to the periph- eries, to those who have left the church, those who rarely or never practice their faith, those who experi- ence poverty or marginalization, refugees, the exclud- ed, the voiceless, etc.” This will require creativity, especially in parts of the world where restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 are still in place, it added. All the feedback that is generated throughout the listening process should be gathered into a “synthesis” after each gathering, followed by a “synthesis” to be written for each diocese and ultimately for each bish- ops’ conference. Bishops’ conferences and the synods of the Eastern Churches will provide a synthesis of all the local feed- back to the Synod of Bishops, and all of that material will be the basis for the writing of two working docu- ments. Bishops and auditors will then gather with Pope Francis at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 to speak and listen to one another on the basis of the process that began at the local level. The handbook said the synthesis “does not only report common trends and points of convergence, but also highlights those points that strike a chord, inspire an original point of view, or open a new horizon. The synthesis should pay special attention to the voices of those who are not often heard and integrate what we could call the ‘minority report,’” it said. Bishops have an important role throughout the syn- odal process as “pastors, teachers and priests of sacred worship,” the handbook said. “Their charism of dis- cernment calls them to be authentic guardians, inter- preters, and witnesses to the faith of the church.” Vatican Synod Preparatory Document From page 1 Vatican: Racial, religious bigotry leads to human rights violations BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- World leaders must commit to rooting out the evil of racism, xenophobia and racial discrimination through meaningful legislation and action, said Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister. Addressing a high-level U.N. meeting Sept. 21, Archbishop Gallagher also said that violence against religious groups as well as prenatal diagnostics that lead to a denial of the right to life “because of disability, sex, or other traits” must not be ignored. “Universal human rights are indivisible and interdependent and thus cannot exist in opposition. Laws and norms that seek to root out discrimination and intolerance must therefore respect the right to freedom of opinion, thought, religion and con- science,” he said. The high-level meeting marked the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action , a U.N. document that proposed concrete measures to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The Vatican's commitment to fight racism, Archbishop Gallagher said, is “rooted in the erroneous and evil claim that one human being has less dignity than another.” To advertise in the Gulf Pine Catholic, call 228-702- 2109 for more information.