Priests should not conduct a debate about the October Family Synod through the press, Cardinal Nichols has said, following the publication of a letter signed by hundreds of priests, urging the synod to issue a “clear and firm proclamation” upholding Church teaching on marriage. In the letter, signed by almost 500 priests and published in this week’s Catholic Herald, they write: “We wish, as Catholic priests, to re-state our unwavering fidelity to the traditional doctrines regarding marriage and the true meaning of human sexuality, founded on the Word of God and taught by the Church’s Magisterium for two millennia.” In a statement, a spokesman for Cardinal Nichols said that the press was not the medium for conducting dialogue of this sort. “Every priest in England and Wales has been asked to reflect on the Synod discussion. It is my understanding that this has been taken up in every diocese, and that channels of communication have been established," the statement said. "The pastoral experience and concern of all priests in these matters are of great importance and are welcomed by the Bishops. Pope Francis has asked for a period of spiritual discernment. This dialogue, between a priest and his bishop, is not best conducted through the press.” During his general audience today, Pope Francis called for prayer not "chatter" ahead of the Synod. He said: "So here is what I, with my collaborators, have thought to propose today: to renew the prayer for the Synod of the Bishops on the family. We are taking up this commitment again next October, when the ordinary Assembly of the Synod, dedicated to the family, will take place. I would like for this prayer, and the whole Synod journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock, especially for persons and families that, for different reasons, are 'troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd' (Mt 9:36). "So, sustained and animated by the grace of God, the Church can be ever more committed, and ever more united, in the witness of the truth of the love of God and of His mercy for the families of the world, excluding none, whether within or outside the flock. I ask you, please, to not neglect your prayer. All of us – the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious, lay faithful – we are all called to pray for the Synod. There is need of this, not of chatter! I also invite those who feel far away, or who are not accustomed to do so, to pray. This prayer for the Synod on the Family is for the good of everyone. I know that this morning you were given a little prayer card, which you have in your hands. It might be a little wet. I invite you to hold on to it and keep it with you, so that in the coming months you can recite it often, with holy insistence, as Jesus has asked us." The prayer which the Pope distributed reads: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, In you we contemplate The splendour of true love, We turn to you with confidence. Holy Family of Nazareth, Make our families, also, Places of communion and cenacles of prayer, Authentic schools of the Gospel, And little domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth May our families never more experience Violence, isolation, and division: May anyone who was wounded or scandalized Rapidly experience consolation and healing. Holy Family of Nazareth, May the upcoming Synod of Bishops Re-awaken in all an awareness Of the sacred character and inviolability of the family, Its beauty in the project of God. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Hear and answer our prayer. Amen."