The first assembly of the Synod on Synodality saw a number of world firsts, perhaps none more surprising than the inclusion of 54 women as voters in what had, until now, been a synod exclusively of bishops. One of them was Sydney’s Professor Renée Köhler-Ryan, National Head of the School of Philosophy and Theology at Read more
The giant Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro sparked chatter last week when it was fitted with a projected image of a Taylor Swift T-shirt, who launched the Brazil leg of her Eras Tour on Nov. 17. The 124-foot statue of Jesus, with outstretched arms that span 92 feet, can be seen from Read more
In the wake of recent events in Christchurch involving the fringe group “Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer” and their alleged exorcisms, a critical examination of the Church’s stance on pre-Vatican II Latin Mass rites is both timely and necessary. This group’s actions have them being accused of operating as a law unto themselves, disrespecting Read more
We are now in the “between time”—when we can reflect on the synthesis of the first session, and prepare ourselves for the second session. I anticipate that the secretariat for the synod and the synod office of the [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] will be sending some resource material for us to use with our Read more
The results of a national survey of Catholic priests released by The Catholic Project on Nov. 7 revealed an interesting dynamic in U.S. Catholic life. In the terminology used in the survey questions, young U.S. Catholic priests tend to be theologically traditional and politically conservative, particularly compared to older priests. Meanwhile, U.S. Catholics as a Read more
You don’t teach college students as long as I did without being asked from time to time to give relationship advice. And you don’t teach literature to college students as long as I did without being often tempted to offer relationship advice based on the real-life applications of good literature. One thing I’ve found myself Read more
It’s no secret that the Roman Catholic Church is deeply divided right now, perhaps as much as it’s ever been in the six decades since the end of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The fractures are most obvious on social media where even priests, bishops and cardinals preach from cyber pulpits all along the theological Read more
Without doubt, the best line to emanate from the Synod on Synoldality is “Excuse me, Your Eminence, she has not finished speaking.” That sums up the synod and the state of the Catholic Church’s attitude toward change. In October, hundreds of bishops, joined by lay men and women, priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers met Read more
In amongst the plethora of daily visitors, the finishing touches are being put on Gaudi’s magnificent Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. In Paris, Notre Dame still dons the tourist maps, despite a horrific fire that ripped through the iconic cathedral in 2019 and the painstaking restoration works underway ever since. The hilltop citadel of Athens, the Read more
The first session of the Synod of Bishops’ assembly on the future of the Church has brought to the surface the gap that exists between Pope Francis’ idea of synodality and how some Catholic theologians understand it. Those Catholic bishops even include those theologians that have enthusiastically welcomed his pontificate as a much-awaited turn in Read more