A well-worn jest about Ireland goes like this: A lost tourist in Limerick asks for directions to Dublin, and the convoluted directions leave the tourist utterly bewildered. Finally, the tourist gazes into the distance, resigned to the fact that reaching Dublin is impossible. At this point, the local utters the famous words, “Well, if I Read more
Over the past three years, I have been speaking to many groups about the notion of synodality and what it might mean (and not mean) for that community of disciples we refer to as the Catholic Church. In the discussions, one question is invariably put to me, and it amounts to this: If you were Read more
Every summit of bishops called by Pope Francis has been ripe with expectations about the possible reforms — and novelties — that it might introduce in the over 2,000-year-old institution. The pope’s latest effort, the Synod on Synodality, now underway and continuing through the end of 2024, has already fomented ardent debate on some of Read more
“What is it about women and the Church?” Sister Patty Fawkner SGS, recently asked. Writing as a member of the just completed Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia, she spoke of her experience during the moment of “protest” once the motion on women failed to get the required vote. But her very reasonable Read more
There’s a common saying in faith-based community organising: “Nothing about us, without us, is for us.” It’s also a particularly important axiom to reflect on as we continue the journey through the synodal process. Over the last twelve years as a community organiser, I’ve come to see first-hand how an emphasis on building relationships brings Read more
The Bishops’ Conference of the Nordic Countries recently wrote an open letter to the German Bishops’ Conference to voice concerns over the Synodal Path now underway in Germany. They ‘“let rip” at the Germans. The Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland Church leaders’ letter is an excellent example of one group of bishops seeing the Read more
Before the pandemic, the Potter’s House of Denver had plenty of use for its 3,500-seat sanctuary in the southeast corner of the Colorado capital. In early January, the megachurch announced it was selling its building and continuing to hold services online, as it had been doing for nearly two years. Pastor Toure Roberts said the Read more
The declining number of believers in Europe, the Church’s struggle to continue playing a role in Western society, the debate over priestly celibacy and new views about sexuality… Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich – the 63-year-old Jesuit who leads the Archdiocese of Luxembourg and who is president of COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the Read more
Sometimes you need to catch your breath when a Vatican official’s speaking echoes a theologian’s writings. Which way is this going to go? Not long ago, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, echoed a 50-year-old passage from a book by … wait for it … Swiss theologian Hans Küng. Speaking on Spain’s church-owned Read more
Never in our lives have we experienced such a global phenomenon. For the first time in the history of the world, all of humanity, informed by the unprecedented reach of digital technology, has come together, focused on the same existential threat, consumed by the same fears and uncertainties, eagerly anticipating the same, as yet unrealized, Read more