Newsflash: The Church is STILL Catholic

For anyone freaking out about all of the news that's been coming out of the Family Synod at the Vatican regarding same sex relationship, adulterous communicants, and "living in sin," there are a few things to keep in mind.

1.  The document that was recently issued was a summary of the DISCUSSIONS that the bishops had.  It was in no way binding or doctrinal.  We should be glad that the bishops are open-minded enough to look at different possibilities and examine them before making a decision.

2.  A lot of what has been published is already what the Church teaches.  For example, the Church should be welcoming and accepting of those with a homosexual orientation.  The Church already teaches this.

3. We must be prayerful and ask that the Holy Spirit guide the bishops in their pastoral judgments.  From everything I've been gathering, the big news issues would be shifts in POLICY not doctrine.  Whether those policies will or won't change and whether it would be wise or unwise remains to be seen.

4.  We have to remember that the media will distort everything.  There is a narrative floating around that Pope Francis is someone who is a breath of fresh air who will change Catholic doctrine to be more in line with what the secular world wants.  Anything that supports that narrative is upheld.  Sometimes though, they are grasping at straws.  For those who don't remember, Pope Benedict XVI once said that a male prostitute who insists on using condoms so as not to infect his costumers is making a first step towards love because he is thinking about someone other than himself.  What did the media hear?  "The Pope said I can have the condom!"

Anyway, that is my understanding of what has been happening.  If I am wrong, please correct me.