During the first press conference regarding the opening sessions of the Synod of Bishops on the Family, Archbishop Bruno Forte said no doctrinal changes in Church teaching will come about as a result of this synod because it is about addressing the Church’s pastoral approach to family issues, not changing the Church’s positions.

Vatican Radio is reporting on the remarks made during a press conference yesterday which was attended by Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office; Cardinal Péter Erdö from Hungary - who is the synod rapporteur; Cardinal André Vingt-Trois from France - one of the president delegates; and Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte - who is special secretary to the Synod.

Father Lombardi described the opening session of the Synod, which began with prayer and the singing of the Veni Creator Spiritus. Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the synod, welcomed everyone before Pope Francis gave his opening address to the Synod Fathers.

After a short break, Cardinal Péter Erdö gave the introductory address entitled “The Vocation of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World.” He summarized his talk as following the structure of the Instrumentum Laboris, which was the document promulgated after the conclusion of last year’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family.

Cardinal Vingt-Trois then addressed reporters and said his first impression of the Synod was that there is “a wide diversity of participants, geographically, which includes members form the Latin and Oriental Churches but all are hinged around the Pope.” He said that the Holy Father had reiterated what he had said before; he wants to tackle issues in an “open-minded way through prayer, meditation and dialogue.”

Archbishop Forte, in his remarks, said that the aim of the Synod was to “propose the gospel of the family” but also to “echo the hopes and pains of families around the world today” while calling for “openness to the Holy Spirit as well as prayer and humility before God.”

After their remarks, the prelates answered questions, one of which was about how much pressure the Synod Fathers feel from the constant media speculation.

Archbishop Forte responded by saying that last year some media had a “bi-polar interpretation” of what was happening at the Synod but that this was “not the perception inside the Synod.”

He added: “We are here to listen to the problems people have, we are more united than the media assumes. There are divergent views, which are ok, but this does not mean division. I feel we are on a marvelous spiritual pathway with God.”

He emphasized that the Synod was a pastoral one. “It will not lead to doctrinal changes, because it is about pastoral attention, pastoral care. We are about resonating pastorally,” Forte said.

Cardinal Erdö went on to say that there was so much interest in the Synod because of the nature of the issues being discussed and said the Fathers hope to develop the Church’s understanding of family by listening to each other and paying special attention to tradition.

The Vatican plans to hold a press briefing every day and announced that various Synod Fathers would be present at each one to answer questions from the media.

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