Sex and the Synod

Many members of the Loyola community say they are hopeful that the Catholic church is starting a new conversation about sex, contraception, divorce and homosexuality, but the final message from the Vatican is still to come.

On Oct. 4, Pope Francis began a two-week meeting called “Synod on the Family,” which gathered bishops and cardinals from around the world to re-assess the church’s teachings on marriage, sex, contraception and other related sexual issues relevant in Catholic families today. These meetings will continue into October of 2015.

Brooke Amendola, psychology senior, said she agrees with the importance of these issues being addressed in the church.

“I went to church every Sunday growing up, and they never talked about contraception or any sex issues. This is an important issue that needs to be discussed,” Amendola said.

Pope Francis is bringing issues to the table that previously have not been discussed, such as homosexuality and contraception in the church.

Associate Chaplain Ken Weber said the inclusive nature of Pope Francis is something that people should be excited about.

“I am very pleased that the pope is leading the church in the effort to shift the culture away from who should be excluded toward one of reaching out in love to every person on earth,” Weber said.

Director of University Ministry Kurt Bindewald is also following the historical synod and the conversation on topics Pope Francis is leading.

“Pope Francis is reminding all faithful Catholics that the Church is Christ’s instrument for saving God’s people. It is not a place just for those who are already saved, thus he talks about meeting and ministering to people with mercy where they are — sins at all,” Bindewald said.

As proved by many states in the United States legalizing gay marriage, along with various countries across the globe, sexual intimacy is becoming an open topic.

One couple from Australia recently told a Vatican gathering of 200 prelates that sexual attraction has been the main support of their 55 year marriage. They explained that their sexual intimacy with each other has kept them extremely close and is the only difference between their marriage and the common Christ-centered marriage.

Pope Francis is not only working on re-examining how sex is taught and talked about in the church, but is also making strides to eliminate sexual abuse. Efforts to rectify this issue have made progress recently.

The Pope has elected a sex crimes prosecutor for the Vatican, Monsignor Robert Oliver, as well as appointed other individuals to high-ranking positions overlooking sexual abuse. Nine commission members — including four women — will put together a list for Pope Francis to approve of individuals, items and geographical locations they plan to implement into their efforts.

Catholics and bishops across the globe are allowed to submit ideas to Pope Francis related to these topics. Archbishop Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans has collected ideas locally and submitted these to the Vatican.

Pope Francis has addressed many major issues since he was first sworn in, but has received criticism in the last few months on underestimating sexual abuse. In light of these comments, Francis has appointed individuals to explicitly examine sexual abuse, as well as evaluate how sex is taught in churches and how appropriate sex should be seen to the typical Catholic.

After meeting with the bishops to discuss these sexual issues and how they can be made more relevant to today’s Catholics in the church, Pope Francis will soon put together a final document with recommendations.