Cardinal says he hopes African issues make final list of propositions

Published: 2005-10-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As members of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist amended and refined their final list of propositions to present to Pope Benedict XVI, one African cardinal said he hoped some issues important for the church in Africa would make the final cut. The synod fathers have already distilled and pared down the working groups' original 287 propositions to a list of 50. But of the 256 official voting members, only 50 are from Africa. Whether issues such as polygamy and the appropriateness of African instruments and dance in dignified worship would survive the final revisions was anyone's guess. "Nobody knows what the final draft is going to look like," said Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana. One proposition on the Eucharist and polygamy did appear in a revised draft. It said the church's teaching on marriage requires that those entering the church break off polygamous relationships before receiving the sacraments. It said the church recognizes that this process may take time and requires a combination of "tenderness and firmness" on the part of pastors.

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