Catholic clergy and laypeople will gather at the Vatican Oct. 4-29 for a synod, or summit of bishops and laypeople, to discuss synodality, with an emphasis on communion, participation and mission. While some might dismiss the highly anticipated event as a meeting on meetings, the term synodality under Pope Francis has expanded to reflect his Read more
Hong Kong Cardinal Stephen Chow has spoken about his vision for evangelisation in China. He emphasised sharing the love of God without the primary goal of converting individuals to Catholicism. “I think it is important that we say that Pope Francis made a distinction. Evangelisation is really to help people to understand the love of Read more
In addition to their three-day retreat outside of Rome, more than 350 members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops are expected to go on a pilgrimage “to the roots of the Christian faith,” visiting the Rome catacombs. Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication and president of the synod communication committee, told Read more
It has been reported that the regulations concerning media access to the discussions at the upcoming Synod assembly in Rome – first of two sessions that will be held over the next twelve months – have not yet been approved. Journalists can only hope that the hypothesis of imposing the pontifical secret (the highest kind Read more
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
Conventional wisdom holds that it takes a century for an ecumenical council to flower and bear fruit. Altering customs and thought habits, especially when linked to faith, takes a long time. Simply getting the word out of a council’s teaching and its implications can take decades. Then, there are people and institutions for which new Read more
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the conservative former Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith prefect, has voiced his deep apprehension about aspects of the upcoming Synod on synodality. In a candid interview with Spanish Catholic news website InfoVaticana, Müller (pictured) also expressed his concern about the current state of the Church. The interview follows the Vatican’s recent Read more
The Vatican announced on Thursday that two bishops from mainland China have been added as official delegates in the upcoming Synod on Synodality assembly. Bishop Antonio Yao Shun of Jining and Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of Zhoucun will travel from China to Rome to participate as full members of the Oct 4–28 Synod of Bishops Read more
A growing chorus within Catholic media is pressing Pope Francis not to shut down the Synod on Synodality under the veil of the Pontifical Secret. Rather, they are urging him to open up the much-anticipated Synod on Synodality deliberations to the media. The Catholic media professionals argue that given the global involvement in preparation for Read more