We’re all guilty, at least many of us whose job it is to report or comment on the Catholic Church. Let’s just admit it: we are obsessed with bishops. It seems like they are almost always the main focus or at least a significant part of whatever we write or talk about. And why not? Read more
The upcoming plenary meeting of the USCCB comes as the Catholic Church is on its way to being, in some ways, a “post-episcopal” Church—no longer a bishops’ Church. That will likely have a dramatic impact on how Catholicism may influence and interact with American social and political values. The situation arises from the precipitous drop Read more
The image of “the pilgrim People of God” used at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was intended to be a biblically-rich vision to replace the vision of the Church as an “unequal hierarchical society” (societas inaequalis hierarchica). Yet few organizations have such hierarchically clear levels. The clue is in the name: the Church claims to Read more
As we embark on the path of seeking a synodal Church, can having a wider range of Christians engage in theological study help us? I have argued that it can foster a more conscious discipleship and help us see new ways through our difficulties. But can it bring us, with the Holy Spirit’s help, light Read more
The synodal vision that is emerging in region after region of the Catholic Church worldwide stresses that many different voices need to be heard if we are to fulfil our vocation to be the pilgrim People of God. A door to a synodal Church But if voices are to witness to the truth, the speakers Read more
Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality, which will take place in October 2023, is the greatest gamble of this papacy. It may succeed in bringing greater unity to the church, or it could result in greater conflict and division. Synods under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were stage-managed affairs, where the agenda and debate Read more
As one of the coordinators of our archdiocesan consultation process for the Synod on Synodality in Chicago, I faced the daunting task of going through a foot-high stack of papers that represented the voices of many people. I read and eventually tried to synthesize everything that had been submitted. In the process, I gained a Read more
New Zealand’s National Synod Synthesis has been compiled and released to the public. The diocesan documents were synthesised at a national meeting held in Wellington in June. The introduction to the national document says participants throughout the country “spoke positively and with love about the place the Church has in their lives. “They want the Read more
The jury is out. The collated data from the diocesan Synod responses have been published for all to read. After the New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference has prepared the synthesis of syntheses, all will be posted to Rome. The can of worms has been opened. The reading is too serious to ignore. In amongst the Read more
A group of 500 young Catholics in Ireland have sent a jointly signed letter to the Synod Steering Committee. The Committee is responsible for gathering and summarising responses to questionnaires for the Irish Synodal Pathway. The young Catholics wrote that they love the Church’s teaching, but their voices have not been heard. The process leading Read more