ROME
Catholic Culture

At the Synod of Bishops, a clear common theme emerged from the reports of small groups that have been discussing the Synod’s working document: virtually every group said that the instrumentum laboris was overly preoccupied with the problems of marriage and family life, and did not provide enough encouragement and guidance for the faithful who are committed to living out their vocations in the family.

After an opening discussion in which prelates had the opportunity to speak briefly to the entire assembly, the Synod broke up into 13 small groups for more intense discussion. These groups, divided by language (4 using English, 3 Spanish, 3 French, 2 Italian, and 1 German) delivered their initial reports on Friday, October 9.

The most prominent theme running through the different reports was the need for a more positive approach to Christian marriage. There were also several complaints that the…