Vatican City (AsiaNews) – What to do in a secularised world so that the faithful may live the Eucharist in all its aspects—from the personal to the social—taking part in inculturation and mission; what to do so that the Church may succeed in being more Eucharistic in its internal life and in its relations to other Christian denominations. These are issues the Church faces and Card Angelo Scola, general relator or rapporteur of the Synod, deals with them in 17 questions addressed to the circuli minores or study groups in which the participants to the 11th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod have been divided.

Each study groups got a copy of the relatio post disceptationem or post discussion report, i.e. a synopsis of what the Assembly has done so far, namely the 230 presentations and 150 evening observations and suggestions Synod Fathers made, those by Brother Delegates and the papers and conferences presented to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Synod.

Celebrating the Eucharist in our world

"Whether in the East or the West, the North or the South, local Churches live immersed, each in its own way, in a secularised culture (sometimes in a counter-culture) that is often indifferent to contemplation, free giving, and sharing. [Under such circumstances,] the Eucharist's sense of mystery and sacredness is in danger of being compromised."

"Yet, the secularised world is often deeply in search of beauty and truth. It cannot avoid questioning the ultimate meaning of life and death, of pain and joy; it still knows how to recognise the good when it is confronted by it."

"How to educate Christians about the Eucharistic faith," one of the questions addressed to the circuli, "especially as it relates to announcing and preaching the good news, to the catechesis and witness in a world that is globalised and secularised?"

Eucharistic gift and the rights of the faithful

The Eucharist "wants to be held and cherished by the Church as an irreplaceable and very precious gift" and so the report relates the "thoughtful discussions" over the relationship between "the Eucharist's own nature as a gift" and the faithful's "right to the Sacraments. "Hence, pastors must make sure as much as it is possible that they offer the regular Sunday celebration." This said "for the Synod Fathers there is a worrisome shortage of priests; this is why some raised the issue of the viri probati (tested men) and, notwithstanding cultural and language differences, the pressing need to better allocate the clergy around the world."

"Various Fathers from Eastern Churches spoke about their own tradition of married priesthood" and offered "elements for further careful consideration by the Latin Church to review the link between celibacy and ordained priesthood."

Other Synod Fathers—in light of celibacy's Christological, ecclesiological and eschatological reasons that are argued in Sacerdotalis coelibatus and of the views expressed at the Second Vatican Council—said that the  viri probati idea is a road that should not be taken".

Preparing for the Eucharist
The Eucharist is "a memorial to the entire paschal event. … Unfortunately, some faithful approach the Eucharistic celebration without due preparation and knowledge. Thus,  many Fathers spoke about the urgent need for a catechesis that shows the objective links between one's journey of faith and conversion and Eucharistic communion".

"With great insistence," Fathers mentioned the link between the Eucharist and repentance "and the need to receive regularly the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For this purpose, priests must make themselves more available," they said.

The Eucharist, marriage and those who have remarried after divorce

The need to educate the faithful about the link between the "intrinsic link between the Eucharist and marriage" was also brought up. "Several Fathers spoke about common law couples and baptised Christians married in civil ceremony or remarried after divorce, who have in doing so placed themselves in the distressing situation of not being able to receive the Eucharistic communion. They stressed that in light of this phenomenon a careful pastoral approach is needed, one that is informed by the many pronouncements of the Magisterium, one that is open and welcoming to these Christians.

Following this line of reasoning, two Fathers said the Church should explore the paths of mercy.

Others especially urged their fellow bishops to energetically promote the pastoral role of ecclesiastical tribunals, adopting if need be simplified mechanisms and procedures, creating them where they do not exist. More than one Father also insisted on the importance of resorting to the Spiritual Communion in such cases; others, though, said that such a step would not be a real remedy".

Sunday
Many Fathers stressed the need to "recover Sunday's profound meaning, none more so than  in secularised societies where it has lost much of its signficiance. Many also said how necessary it was to help the faithful rediscover that without Sunday life is not possible. On this subject, one Father raised the issue of Sunday work in many countries".

Young people
"Major cultural shifts have a strong influence on new generations; the young often have a hard time in trying to effectively understand the value of the Eucharist. In many countries young people stop attending Sunday mass right after confirmation". Yet, "a counter trend seems to be happening; there is a noticeable interest rising among the young in the Eucharistic adoration. And it is Christ who fascinates them."

The Eucharist as the mission's source
"The Eucharist is the source that gives life to the mission". The Eucharist "single outs the mission right away and identifies it with Christ's irreplaceable Good News so that the necessary promotion of man involved in evangelisation is not reduced to mere sociology."

"How can our celebrations help the faithful committed to mission and bear witness in all moments of life? asks one of the report's questions. How can we make the faithful aware of the relationship between the Eucharist and the missione ad gentes?".

The Eucharist's social role

The Eucharist is "a privileged source of justice, sharing, peace, reconciliation and forgiveness. Without its social role, inherent in the Eucharistic action, our celebrations will be too formal and stuffy. The Fathers emphasised the pressing need that those who receive the Eucharist also become responsible for the indigent from the developing world, especially the women and children."

The Eucharist and politics

Some Fathers observed that the Eucharistic Sacrament requires consistency in one's political choices when it comes to promoting a just society, one that is based on solidarity and respect of life and the family, especially among lawmakers and rulers".

Liturgical inculturation

For each local Church, how the Eucharist is experienced cannot be separated from local culture and history. Translating liturgical texts into local languages and incorporating local customs into the liturgy can be done; however, it must be done without changing the essence of our faith's mystery". What we need "are appropriate standards for understanding how that can be done".