Vatican- bible summits findings include desire for female lecters, and media age technology- proclaimation of gospel, purpose of the church

(Journey in a Broken World; c.f. Reuters (Secular) 28/10/08; Catholic Culture 27/10/08)

Article by Marc Aupiais

Conclusions for the latest Synod of the Bible, include some awaited, even surprising results- from female lectors, to I-pod bibles.

More serious results include a push towards using technology to promote the Gospel... As well as the ideas of i-pod bibles, came those of radio, television, cinema, CDs DVDs, and internet sites among other ideas, as ways of promoting our world view, and our Gospel.

If Protestant Christians expected the church to change her two thousand year old doctrine on the bible, they were not bowed down to. The synod reiterated that while the bible is of such utmost importance, we are not a "book" religion, nor ever have nor will be- but a faith based on a Man, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Those who, against Catholic doctrine, believe not so much as bestowing the gospel on society, as in keeping their moral standards to themselves, will be disappointed, as the synod asked for a rediscovery of natural law in the forming of conscience, and of the effect on morals the inbuilt structures could have on getting Catholics to obey this universal group of laws. Natural Law itself, is more or less often referred to in civil society as conscience.

And perhaps the most important result of the synod, will be revolutionary, if it is allowed to permeate our beliefs. While Vatican II allowed for critical scholarship of the bible, where it was for the benefit of Faith, Benedict XVI, and the invited bishops and laypeople, want to make it clear that there is a great horizon of theology, when reading the bible that is solely understood in faith, and we must not close our eyes to faith, and to the faith when we read the bible. In fact, it was thought by those attending- that without the intervention of faith and the faith's theological insight, the sacred text of the divine scriptures becomes hard, if not impossible to understand properly.