Secretary General of Synod of Bishops wants change in Church teaching on marriage

In an exclusive interview with the Christian weekly magazine Tertio which appears this Wednesday, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, says it is time to update church marriage doctrine, for example in connection with divorce, the situation of divorcees and people who are in civil partnerships.

"The Church is not timeless, she lives amidst the vicissitudes of history and the Gospel must be known and experienced by people today," says Baldisseri.

"It is in the present that the message should be, with all respect for the integrity from whom the message has been received. We now have two synods to treat this complex theme of the family and I believe that these dynamics in two movements will allow a more adequate response to the expectations of the people", says the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.

He also notes that "Familiaris Consortio" of John Paul II, the last great ecclesiastical document on this subject is 33 years old.

Cardinal Baldisseri confirmed in interview that the Pope Francis wishes the local bishops to be seriously involved in the global governance of the church and a new balance between centralization and local autonomy.

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