Pope Francis on Friday said he was told the synod process was an “impolite word.” The comments, directed at the pope, came as he entered the Vatican audience hall for a meeting. Francis said as he entered the Vatican audience hall for the meeting, someone – using an Argentinean phrase that is not very polite, Read more
It’s been nearly 14 centuries since the monastery founded by St Hild of Whitby, a prominent abbess in 7th century Anglo-Saxon England, hosted the Northumbrian kingdom’s assembly. There they would discuss the date on which its Christian church would celebrate Easter. That assembly, or synod, would bring the kingdom’s church in line with the Catholic Read more
The validity of the Vatican’s Oceania Synod Continent phase of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality is being questioned by the report itself. “The Vatican’s fictional construct, a new continent it calls Oceania, may have been a step too far” a seasoned observer of Church politics told CathNews. The Vatican’s “Oceania Continent” occupies 33% of the Read more
As part of the synodal process, Archbishop of Perth Tim Costelloe urges bishops to listen non-defensively and understand “where people are.” Costelloe has spoken out in support of the synod process, calling it a “fantastic opportunity” for the Catholic Church to engage with the contemporary world. He has urged adding that the synod is inviting Read more
On the last day of their meeting at the Vatican this month, the seven-member Synod of Bishops’ preparatory commission had an audience with Pope Francis. Bishop Daniel Flores, who has been coordinating the synod process for the United States bishops, said the meeting was “very encouraging”. Francis speaks “very beautifully about the Church and about Read more
We do not know what the final result of the Synod on synodality will be. But we already know that the synodal process is a crucial moment in making real the transition from a Eurocentric Catholic Church to a global Catholic Church. We are now in a crucial moment of the multi-stage process that will Read more
Everyone who participates in the Synod of Bishops is eligible to vote, including women. Pope Francis made the comment in an interview with the Argentinean newspaper La Nacion. Francis stressed that including diverse voices in the synod is an ongoing process but that everyone who participates in the synod, regardless of gender, has the right Read more
The next six months are likely to be a bumpy road on the way to Rome where the first of two Synod assemblies on the very issue of synodality will take place this coming October. This gathering, and a second one in October 2024, are the culmination of the Synodal Path on which Pope Francis Read more
Asian Church leaders have concluded their continental-level preparations for making the Church more participatory by discussing key questions that have not been sufficiently discussed during lower-level gatherings. The continental-level gathering that ended on Feb. 26 in Bangkok was the highest preparation level ahead of the Synod of Bishops, more commonly called the Synod on Synodality, Read more
As the Church’s global “synod on synodality” continues, groups of bishops and laity are now staging continental-level discussions of the “Working Document for the Continental Stage,” a synthesis document created by a Vatican-appointed working group. The continental stage’s working document – published by the Vatican in October – is meant to be a summary and Read more