They are suggesting that "conservative" bishops have been excluded while more "progressive" ones have found favour.

The archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, has been identified by these bloggers as being on the "progressive" side.

Two lay people and two Bishops from New Zealand will travel to Rome to participate in the Catholic Church's discussion led by Pope Francis on Marriage and the Family, next month.

This is a significant number to represent a small country like New Zealand, especially a country with a small Catholic population.

"Francis has fished some of the new ones out from among the runners-up of the voting in the episcopal conferences," writes Sandro Magister.

"This is the case, for example, of the New Zealander John Atcherley Dew, whom he made a cardinal, and of Blase J. Cupich of the United States, whom he promoted as archbishop of Chicago, both active members of the progressive wing."

"The runners-up in the various countries also included leading personalities of the conservative wing, like Salvatore J. Cordileone in the United States, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama in Nigeria, Olivier de Germay in France, Héctor Rubén Aguer in Argentina, José Antonio Eguren Anselmi in Argentina, Klaus Küng in Austria, Juan Antonio Reig Plá in Spain," Magister says.

"Francis has not selected any of these among the synod fathers of his appointment."

It reflects Pope Francis' efforts in reaching out to the margins, including geographical ones, ensuring that the Church throughout the world has a voice in this global discussion. Add to that, Cardinal Soane Mafi, Bishop of Tonga, and Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Bishop Eugene Hurley, and Ms Maria Harres from Australia who will also be attending and there will be significant input from the Pacific.

"This cardinal has opposed Church teaching on marriage for years. Why did the pope handpick him for the Synod?" asks a headline on LIFESITE, referring to Cardinal Dew.

The blog is under the byline Voice of the Family,

Voice of the family is a conservative pro life blog.

While here he also gave a talk about New Zealand's Marriage Equality bill.

Source

• chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it
• voiceofthefamily.info
• catholic.org.nz
• Image: nzcatholic thevaticaninsider

The moral theologian is responding to an argument put forward by Cardinal Walter Kaspar proposing that it is possible for the Roman Catholic Church to adopt a pastoral principle similar to "oikonomia", as it is practised in the Eastern Church where in the "economy" of salvation the church permits spouses in consummated sacramental marriages to divorce and remarry as a way "to accompany people when they make their incremental approach to life's goal."

E Christain Brugger has the sent letter to 22 synod fathers of the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand saying that such an view "both misunderstands the Catholic doctrine of indissolubility and badly misrepresents the intentions of the Council of Trent." Full text of Brugger's letter

Brugger is professor of moral theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, United States, and a specialist on the Council of Trent.

He is writing book, expected to be published next year, dedicated to the teaching of the Council of Trent on matters of marriage.

The opposing argument is put forward by Giancarlo Pani S.J., professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Rome.

The nature this discussion is of a rather technical nature.

Source

• chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it
• Image: thejustmeasure.files.wordpress.com

The Synod will examine the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the context of Evangelisation.

More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world, are expected to attend the Synod.

It will take place in Rome 5- 19 October.

As well as being the president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference Dew is also president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania (F.C.B.C.O).

Other participants from Oceania are Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga and Bishop Arnold Orowae of Wabag, Papua New Guinea.

Lay people representing Oceania include:

• Joan Clements, director of the managing board of the World Organisation Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB), Australia, auditor (observer)
• Romano and Mavis Pirola, directors of Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council, Australia, auditor (observers)
• Christopher Laurence Meney, director of the Centre for Life, Marriage and the Family of the archdiocese of Sydney has been appointed as collaborator(expert) to the special secretary

More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world, are expected to attend the Synod.

In addition to 114 presidents of national bishops' conferences, 13 heads of Eastern Catholic churches and 25 heads of Vatican congregations and councils, the pope appointed 26 synod fathers.

Almost all of the 26 papally appointed voting members are from Europe. Of these, none of the 14 cardinals, eight bishops and four priests appointed by the pope is from North America or other English-speaking countries.

Among the nonvoting members of 38 observers and 16 experts appointed by the pope, the majority are laymen and laywomen, including 14 married couples, and they are more geographically diverse, with several coming from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, as well as Europe.

Full list of Appointments

Source

• The Vatican
• National Catholic Reporter
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: thedialogue.org