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
Pope Francis has been the subject of what seems like unrelenting criticism for several years. At times, it is difficult to keep up with the sheer volume of critiques and attacks on the Holy Father coming from Catholic media outlets, Catholic journalists, columnists and writers; as well as, more surprisingly, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests. Read more
Pink Shoes will arrive at the Vatican in October. From the far reaches of New Zealand to the very heart of Catholicism in Rome, the Pink Shoes Into The Vatican Campaign is making a bold statement on gender inequality within the Church. Led by Be the Change Aotearoa New Zealand, this grassroots initiative will take Read more
The call for synodality has been louder than ever, but does the Church truly understand what it means to listen, especially to those who have left its pews? Listening has become a recurring term in religious circles, particularly in discussions around synodality. But if the Catholic Church is serious about this form of governance, it 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
Pope Francis keeps repeating that the upcoming synod is not a parliament. For him, the synod is not a forum for competing positions to debate each other with a goal of developing new policies or effecting structural changes in the church. Similarly, when Pope John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council in 1962, he did Read more
Since he was elected in 2013, Pope Francis has been remaking the College of Cardinals in preparation for the next conclave that will elect his successor. He has made the college more international, less European, less curial, more pastoral and less ideological. Like every pope before him, Francis has been looking for men who reflect Read more