Despite some international media saying the Oceania Continent Synod response was released recently, CathNews has confirmed it has not been. Recently released was the report of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ of Oceania Conference (FCBOC). In January, a church group of about twenty representatives from across the Pacific gathered in Melbourne to synthesise the responses Read more
Dutch bishop, Robert Mutsaerts, is questioning the presence of God in the Synodal process, saying the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with it. “God is out of the picture in this damned synodal process,” he says. Mutsaerts is the auxiliary bishop of Den Bosch in the Netherlands. Critical of the working document for the Read more
The image of “the pilgrim People of God” used at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was intended to be a biblically-rich vision to replace the vision of the Church as an “unequal hierarchical society” (societas inaequalis hierarchica). Yet few organizations have such hierarchically clear levels. The clue is in the name: the Church claims to Read more
The working document for the Continental stage of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality was released Friday NZ time. Entitled “Enlarge the space of your tent,” the document was compiled from Synod submissions from throughout the world: bishops’ conferences, the Eastern Catholic Churches, religious orders, Vatican dicasteries and other Catholic organisations. Cardinal John Dew says this Read more
Pope Francis announced Sunday that the planned 2023 gathering of bishops has been extended and will now take place in two stages. There will be one session in October 2023 and a second in October 2024. Resistance from some Church hierarchy and accusations the synodal process hasn’t been representative of laity were behind the Pope’s Read more
A report on the 10-month US synod process has highlighted that Catholics are hurting from clergy abuse cases, and seek a church focused on lifelong spiritual, pastoral and catechetical formation as disciples. Participants were also concerned about the division between US Catholics and their bishops. They voiced a need for a welcoming church of “lived Read more
August can often be a quiet time in the news and opinion cycle. But the quiet was disturbed this year in Ireland with the publication on Aug. 16 of the synthesis document for Ireland’s contribution to the universal synod on synodality. The Irish Times, Ireland’s premier newspaper, led with the news on Aug. 17, proclaiming Read more
An early church deacon’s example saw 56 pilgrims from four countries gather in Mexico City on Saturday. They were there to celebrate St Phoebe’s feast day. St Phoebe is mentioned in the New Testament’s Letter to the Romans just once. She was an associate of St Paul and a female deacon of the early church. Read more
Common threads are emerging as dioceses and eastern Catholic churches release syntheses of the documents they’ve prepared for the 2023 synod on synodality. More adult faith formation and help with engaging young adults are important. So is revising the language used at Mass and other church ceremonies, say New Zealand and Australian Catholics. The New Read more
The report synthesising Ireland’s feedback on the synod on synodality is very clear. “Anyone with two eyes in their head can see that renewal in our church is clearly and urgently necessary. “The challenge is to find the good way of renewal,” says Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell. The Catholic Church in Ireland and across Read more