The word synodality has been around a year or so now and people are still asking what it really means — for them, of course. The last time the church said it was going to make changes was in 1965. Fifty-eight years ago. In the meantime, all the changes to be seen were basically meaningless Read more
When I ask ordinary Catholics what they think of all the discussions about synodality and Pope Francis’ call for us to become a synodal Church, I usually get blank stares. Some assume that I am one of those academic types that enjoy asking irrelevant questions; others simply say that they haven’t got a clue about 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
The death of Cardinal George Pell this past January occurred at a critical moment in the life of the Church as its bishops consider how to respond to the call of Pope Francis in October 2021 for a synodal Church, based on communion, participation and mission. The news that the Australian cardinal had penned an Read more
Paramatta bishop, Vincent Long has announced that his diocese will hold a diocesan synod to promote root and branch reform of the church in Parramatta. The synod will be known locally as the “Parramatta Way”. The Parramatta Way, held in two phases, in October this year and in mid-2024, will develop a pastoral plan and Read more
At a recent dinner with the Vicar General of an Australian diocese, he quipped, “to the parish priest who has everything, give him another parish.” The five priests seated with him laughed at this. But, as the conversation turned to the realities of our failing diocesan infrastructures, the tone became more serious. Two priests were 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
When Cardinal McElroy, the bishop of San Diego, proposed in a recent America essay that the church’s ongoing synodal process demonstrates a need to be more welcoming of women and L.G.B.T. people, he set off a wave of criticism from some bishops, priests and lay Catholics who believe the church should continue to defend its Read more
The German bishops’ conference unveiled the initial results Wednesday of a study measuring global support for the goals of the country’s controversial “synodal way.” The study, co-funded by the bishops’ conference, is gauging the attitude of Catholics around the world toward the four main themes of the German initiative: power, the priesthood, women in the Read more
It’s all Pope Francis’ fault (or merit). Those who fiercely criticize the Synodal Path that the Catholic Church in Germany embarked upon in 2019 — and even those who enthusiastically support it — cannot deny that the Jesuit pope is responsible. The only reason the Germans have been able to spend the past three years Read more