The Real Scandal: Fear of Love

[We must aim] to love unconditionally all families, particularly those experiencing difficulties, since no family should feel alone or excluded from the Church’s loving embrace, and the real scandal is a fear of love and of showing that love concretely.

– Pope Francis
Excerpted from the end of the very last footnote
of the Pope's speech closing the 2015 Synod on the Family

Related Off-site Links:
Pope, Closing Synod, Calls for More Open-Hearted Church – Philip Pullella (Reuters via Yahoo! News, October 25, 2015).
Pope Francis’ Concluding Synod Speech Stresses Mercy Above Law – Francis DeBernardo (Bondings 2.0, October 25, 2015).
Catholic Bishops at Synod Call for a More Welcoming Church – Nicole Winfield and Daniela Petroff (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, October 24, 2015).
Bishops End Divisive Synod on Family – BBC World News (October 24 2015).
Pope Criticizes Conservative Bishops with "Closed Hearts" After Synod – Reuters via Aljazeera America (October 24, 2015).
Synod's Final Word to LGBT People: Lord Help Us! Those People Imagine They Should Be Welcome?! And Fa-mi-ly?! – William D. Lindsey (Bilgrimage, October 25, 2015).
Catholic Theologians Condemn Ross Douthat's Recent Piece on the Pope – Jim McDermott (America, October 27, 2015).
Same-sex Parents Invest More Time in Their Children, Study Says – Emily Dugan and Lucy White (The Independent, October 17, 2015).

UPDATES: At Synod Closing, Pope Stresses Inclusion, Open Hearts, Encounter, and Mercy – Francis DeBernardo (Bondings 2.0, October 26, 2015).
Synod on Family Produced Nothing New, Says Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese – Patsy McGarry (The Irish Times, October 26, 2015).
Why Are Some Catholics So Afraid of Change? – James Martin, SJ (CNN, October 26, 2015).
LGBT Advocates and Vatican Observers Respond to Synod on the Family’s Final Report – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, October 27, 2015).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Synod 2015 Quote of the Day – October 16, 2015
• Jim Smith on the "Tears of Love and Faith" of LGBTI People and Their Families
• Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality (Part 8)
• "Trajectory is More Important Than the Current Status"
• Quote of the Day – December 10, 2014
• Competent Parenting Doesn't Require "Traditional Marriage"
• One Catholic Gay Parent Who Isn’t Leaving the Church
• "That Utterly Profound In-Loveness"
• Catholic Hierarchy Can Overcome Fear of LGBT People

Image: Source.