Feillet, Bruno <br/><br/>
Family Synod Questionnaire in the Context of Evangelization 

 -  2014.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 50 
<br/><br/> The survey, which was run in preparation for the Roman Synod of Bishops on family life, is a novelty : its questions are likely to bewilder. However, this survey is fully in line with Vatican II. Several areas of concern can already be listed : the transmission of values and the meaning of matrimony in the Christian faith, birth control, divorce and remarriage. What does the Church’s teaching on marriage tell us today regarding freedom of commitment, for instance ? The Bible constitutes a true “Copernican revolution” on marriage. On the subject of family planning, the dialogue is being renewed little by little between clergy and laity in the wake of Humanae Vitae. As a rule, this question, which finds no properly courageous and political voice, is seldom addressed in homilies. The distinction between the « law of gradualness » and the « gradualness of the law » is a useful one. So is the practice of confession, following the example of Alphonsus Liguori. The questionnaire especially points out the expressed suffering of divorced and remarried couples. In this regard, the embarrassment of the Church is apparent even in Rome where Cardinals are divided over the idea of a possible relaxation of the Church’s teaching. Certain pitfalls must imperatively be avoided such as separating Christ from the Church or debasing the sacraments. Finally, several other pressing family issues ought to be addressed in Rome during the Synod : domestic violence, premarital unions, civil partnerships and so on.