With the local Synodal process completed, we now have to consider how this will affect our ongoing relationship with God and with each other and the fact that the church may be forever different from now on. Not surprisingly, the issue of the laity was prominent under several headings. These included leadership, formation and even Read more
“What is it about women and the Church?” Sister Patty Fawkner SGS, recently asked. Writing as a member of the just completed Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia, she spoke of her experience during the moment of “protest” once the motion on women failed to get the required vote. But her very reasonable Read more
Synodality in Germany, The Synodal Way,” is an oft-mentioned topic that for some is concerning, others confusing and then for another group is considered the “great future”. “Synodality is a moment of crisis,” Professor Margit Echolt from the University of Osnabrück, told Flashes of Insight. “The issues centre around the democratisation of the Church, equality, Read more
It’s always been a challenge to read the Vatican tea leaves in the idiosyncratic pontificate of Francis, the first Jesuit pope in the history of the Catholic Church and the first Roman Pontiff in more than a century who had never before worked or lived in Rome. But in the last several months it’s basically Read more
As we slowly to move towards a synodal Church we should expect that there will be many stumbles, confusions, and false starts. The enthusiasm of some for the Synodal Way is one side of the way all human societies make deliberate change. Likewise, the fears of Cardinal Walter Kasper and some other bishops are exactly Read more
Catholic dioceses in New Zealand have completed their synodal consultation and submitted their diocesan synod synthesis to the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC), reports Mr David McLoughlin, NZCBC Communications Adviser. An unrealistic deadline for southern hemisphere countries who were enjoying a summer holiday saw Pope Francis extend the diocesan deadline by four months. “A Read more
The synodal consultation gives insight into the issues shaping the lives of local Catholics. Although themes such as child abuse, clericalism, and priestly formation are emerging internationally, these issues do not drive local synodal processes with the same intensity or to the same degree. A synodal process is a local event as much as an Read more
Synodality is not populism, it means communion, says Pope Francis. Synodality is “a path of ecclesial communion that seeks to open minds and hearts to the will of the Holy Spirit.” What synodality is not, is a reorganisation of church structures, he emphasises. In a video message to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America last Read more
New Zealand canon lawyer Msgr Brendan Daly (pictured) says the Church needs more lay people in governance roles. Its episcopal appointment process could also be altered so it is more open – it could save a lot of unnecessary distress, he says. The clerical sexual abuse scandal shows the necessity for these changes, he wrote Read more
Priests throughout the world should play an active role in contributing to the synodal process, according to two senior Catholic prelates. In a letter addressed to all Catholic priests, Cardinal Mario Grech and Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik said priests should try to help show the church as a welcoming home inhabited by the Lord and Read more