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Rereading the Roman Tea Leaves: The Francis Effect in the Synods on the Family LECTURE November 4, 2015 Presenter: James Bretzke, S.J. Response by: Susan Reynolds “Mercy, and not sacrifice,” are among the chief fundamental values of the Francis Effect in the Church which the pope envisions as a missionary field hospital that re-focuses its attention on responding to the deepest wounds of souls desperately in need of the healing ministrations of the Gospel.  In a real sense the two-part Synod on the Family has functioned as an extended and in-depth clinical trial over the medicine of mercy that Pope Francis has prescribed for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy soon to begin.  This presentation reflects on these themes by examining the recently concluded Synod on the Family in the context of last year’s much debated Extraordinary Synod and in light of Pope Francis’s September visits to Cuba and the United States. Sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry James Bretzke, S.J. is STM professor of moral theology. Susan Reynolds is an STM PhD student.