Instrumentum Laboris - Let's talk about it!

[yeshua]

Greetings,

Released in Cyrpus, Instrumentum Laboris discusses the plight of Catholics in the Middle East, and renews call for a general Synod of the Middle Eastern Bishops across the particular churches. I am curious as to what people here at CAF think of the document. It’s not long, and considering the poignancy it has for our individual communities, it’s worth the read. Below is the link, read away, and I’m looking forward to hearing some thoughts!

"The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness."Instrumentum Laboris

As a side, for those who don’t wish to read it in it’s entirety (there is some rehashing of history, though the perspective is worthwhile), I’d draw your attention to pg. 26, Section II. Ecclesial Communion, and maybe discuss your thoughts on the matter:

1. In inter-ecclesial relations among Catholics, this communion is manifested in each country by the various assemblies of patriarchs and bishops so that Christian witness might be more sincere, credible and fruitful. To foster a unity in diversity, a rigid or exaggerated confessionalism must give way to encouraging communities to cooperate among themselves, coordinate pastoral activities and manifest spiritual emulation and not rivalry. In this regard, some responses suggest periodically calling (perhaps every five years) an assembly of the entire episcopate of the Middle East.

And for the Maronites, the proceeding paragraph offers a very interesting rebuke (for those who have perused the recent Maronite Synodal documents):

1. In towns, the faithful of the various Churches sui iuris often frequent a Catholic Church different from their own, because it is nearest to them or one in which they feel most at ease. Such people are asked to maintain their attachment to their original community, i.e., the one in which they were baptized. At the same time, Christians should see themselves as members of the Catholic Church in the Middle East and not simply as members of a particular Church.

This harkened me back to Maronite synodal documents when it is stated, and I paraphrase, he who does not bind themselves to the Patriarchate and commit themselves to the liturgical life of the church of their heritage, 'ceases to be Maronite."

Anyway, just some starters for discussion.

 

[malphono]

Right at the moment, I just don’t have the wherewithal to read through all that text, but I do have a grasp of the basics. In any case, while I probably should keep quiet, I can’t resist a comment or two.

In general, my thought on this forthcoming synod is that is will be yet another phenomenal waste of time, money, and effort, just as was the last one.I’ve no doubt that PP Benedict XVI has the best of intentions, but what is a synod going to accomplish in fact? No doubt it will put out a lot of very nice text, which the political powers that be (which of course belong to the “dominant religion” in the region) will promptly relegate to what we used to call “file 13” (that is if they don’t just set it on fire).

Now, as for the correlation between item 56 and the admonitions of the (so-called) Maronite Synod, I’m not really sure where a “rebuke” comes in. Cutting to the chase, what this item 56 says is typically Roman Catholic and seems to boil down to: “people should be be faithful to their own Church, but in the end it’s all the same same anyway as long as they church they attend is under Rome’s control.”

OTOH, what the Maronite Synod said was pure hypocrisy since the Synod itself is very far from being committed to the heritage (liturgical and otherwise) of the Maronite Church. What they are, apparently, committed to is the path they have chosen: a never-ending stream of Novus Ordo-inspired neo-latinization which will, sooner or later, (and my money is on sooner), be the cause of the death of the Maronite Church. We, along with out Syriac brethren, survived Roman, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, etc, but we cannot (and will not) survive the Novus Ordo.

Well, so much for my farthing’s worth (remember there were 4 farthings to a penny, so that’s about 1/8th of a tuppence which is as close as I can get to :twocents, at least for now.

 

[mardukm]

As a side, for those who don’t wish to read it in it’s entirety (there is some rehashing of history, though the perspective is worthwhile), I’d draw your attention to pg. 26, Section II. Ecclesial Communion, and maybe discuss your thoughts on the matter:

I’ve only read about 1/4 of it. Paragraph 55 is laudable and its prescriptions necessary. The OO Churches periodically renew their commitment to each other as members of the OO Communion. I think such a periodic and explicit expression of commitment to unity as Catholics, especially with such diverse theological Traditions as Oriental, Eastern, and CoE in the Middle East. is very valuable.

And for the Maronites, the proceeding paragraph offers a very interesting rebuke (for those who have perused the recent Maronite Synodal documents):

This harkened me back to Maronite synodal documents when it is stated, and I paraphrase, he who does not bind themselves to the Patriarchate and commit themselves to the liturgical life of the church of their heritage, 'ceases to be Maronite."

Anyway, just some starters for discussion.

Interesting. Are there Maronites in the Middle East who are translating to other Churches?

Blessings

 

[malphono]

I’ve only read about 1/4 of it. Paragraph 55 is laudable and its prescriptions necessary. The OO Churches periodically renew their commitment to each other as members of the OO Communion. I think such a periodic and explicit expression of commitment to unity as Catholics, especially with such diverse theological Traditions as Oriental, Eastern, and CoE in the Middle East. is very valuable.

That’s all well and good, but it seems to me it’s not the point of this Synod. OTOH, as I implied earlier, I really don’t know what purpose the whole thing is supposed to serve in the first place.

Are there Maronites in the Middle East who are translating to other Churches?

There are probably some few, but it’s not really a problem in the Patriarchal Territories. But, of course, it is and has been for years, a problem (and major one) in the diaspora.

 

[5Loaves]

I’ve no doubt that PP Benedict XVI has the best of intentions, but what is a synod going to accomplish in fact?

Just a reminder that this is a response by His Holiness to the request of the Eastern clerics themselves to have a synod. I recall other places where this was addressed last year but here is at least one source that speaks of it:

9/19/2009: …The proposal for an special assembly of the synod for the Middle East was made to the pope last January by the Iraqi Bishop Louis Sako…