THE SYNODAL CHURCH The reform of the Church requires we make a step forward in adopting a renewed synodal praxis that is able to engage everyone.
SYNODS AS HABITATS OF HOPE The pandemic has deeply interrupted all our lives and the life of the Church. And it has made clear how ruthless the mechanisms of social disintegration can be for the weakest members of our communities.
A SYNOD ON SYNODALITY When the Synod of Bishops meets again in ordinary session in 2022 it will discuss an issue that is key to Pope Francis' vision for the Church.
SYNODS WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE Over the years, we have begun to discover some differences between Jesus and the church: Jesus has credibility. The reputation of the church, on the other hand, teeters.
POPE FRANCIS PLANS SYNODAL SHAKE-UP The next synod of bishops gathering in Rome has been postponed until 2023 so that an unprecedented consultation of Catholics can take place in advance.
CAN THE U.S. CHURCH MANAGE THE SYNODAL PATH? In recent years, the U.S. bishops have lost much of their ability to work together; indeed they do not seem to like each other very much; how they will manage to engage in the synodal process.
SYNODALITY? WHAT’S SYNODALITY? Synodality is essential for recovering the legitimacy of ecclesial spaces. But the U.S. bishops don’t seem to want to consider it.
SYNOD 2021-2023 FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH ... A decisive theme for the life and mission of the Church. This site will accompany the two-year journey (2021-2023) of reflection and sharing of the whole Church.
THE SPIRIT IN THE ASSEMBLY A global process set to mobilize millions and transform the world’s oldest and largest institution has so far registered as no more than a blip on the Catholic radar.
WHAT IS THE SYNODAL JOURNEY? THE THOUGHT OF POPE FRANCIS The opening words of Francis’ pontificate emphasize that synodality is the key concept behind his conception of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome. At the same time it is the foundation of his ecclesiological perspective...
US BISHOPS SPEAK ON THE SYNODAL PROCESS Excerpts from homilies and statements given by bishops around the United States, introducing the Synod to their people and expressing unity with Pope Francis’s mission and vision for the Synod.
SPEAK BOLDLY, LISTEN CAREFULLY Participation and prayerful listening were part of the early Church, and are still found in many religious orders. But through the Church’s history, synodality was squeezed out...
A NEW BEGINNING? LISTENING FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH This synodal process invites our leaders to listen intently, especially to those who have been marginalized in Catholic spaces. Church leaders must embrace a new beginning. Dare we hope for a new beginning?
SYNOD OR SIN ODDLY Vatican Encourages Catholics to ‘Walk Together’ as Long as the Hierarchy Leads the Way. The Synod on Synodality meant to engage the whole church, all billion plus, in a process of walking together though no one seems to know quite where or how.
GERMANY TAKES THE SYNODAL PATH If the blessings (of same-sex unions) were akin to an act of public disobedience, they were also an act of pastoral responsibility, undertaken in a peaceful, non-antagonistic way.
THE SPIRIT OF THE SYNODS Today diversity emerges strongly at every level: mentality, language, approach to issues. Far from being a problem, this is a resource as ecclesial communion is achieved through the real life of peoples and cultures. In a fractured world like ours, it is a prophecy.
THE CHURCH'S RADICAL REFORM – WHAT IS A SYNOD? This is the first in a new podcast series on synodality and will tell the story of the reform process. The series is presented by Christopher Lamb, the Rome Correspondent for
The Tablet SYNOD MEETINGS (U.S.) Share your hope and vision for a church you can believe in. Use the search feature here to find a local synod listening session near you.
WHY WERE THOSE WORDS ON THAT USCCB GRAPHIC? Although these terms were new and strange to many, they came from a Vatican document, and all of these concepts are rooted in the teachings of Pope Francis and his predecessors.
SYNODS AND LAITY: A MATCH MADE IN HISTORY While it is certainly true that the Catholic Church is not a democracy, it was much more representative in the Patristic era of the first few centuries of Christianity.
WHERE GERMAN CATHOLICS & POPE FRANCIS DIVERGE The distance between Rome and Germany is as clear now under Francis as it has been in regard to John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and is a direct challenge to the pope’s emphasis of the “synodal process.”
EXPERIENCES OF A SYNODAL PROCESS No final document, no list of challenges and pastoral orientations, no methodological or operational element of the experience have any meaning or value if they do not place us in the perspective of knowing that we are called to follow Christ more closely.
SYNODALITY IS SIMPLE Syndality is simple in itself, but it also demands a choice. Are we willing to follow the Spirit and convert from anything that keeps us from journeying in unity and listening to one another?
THE ABUSE SCANDAL & SYNODALITY The opposition or indifference to synodality may yet have a profound impact on understanding the abuse crisis, and thus on any hope for meaningful Church reform.
CLOSER ENCOUNTERS On the meaning of meeting others: The success of the Synod on Synodality set to take place in Rome next year will depend on whether a culture of encounter is present there.
SYNODALITY AND THE LISTENING CHURCH “If the Church is not synodal,” Pope Francis has said, “it is not the Church.” And this month, the process that is reviving the spirit of Vatican II reaches a turning point.
LISTENING TO THE SYNOD A synodal report from the American bishops reflects fears that the Church has become too “judgmental.” But a Church that does not judge cannot bear moral witness.
ARE WE PROTAGONISTS YET? To listen is to emulate God’s disposition toward God’s people. When it comes to the status of women in the Church, we will know that such listening has been genuine if its fruits shatter the pattern...
SYNOD: WORKING DOCUMENT FOR THE CONTINENTAL STAGE The Document is the fruit of the Syntheses resulting from the consultation of the People of God in the first phase of the synodal process and will be the focus of listening, dialogue and discernment of the Continental Synodal Assemblies (January-March 2023).
SHOULD WE BE SKEPTICAL ABOUT SYNODALITY? Models for parish renewal demonstrate concrete, synodal approaches to evangelization and leadership, but strategies for these alone are not enough. Ultimately, this is a “spiritual path.”
THE VOICES OF SYNODAL DIALOGUE While sometimes framed in different languages or with different emphases, the joys, the hopes, the sorrows and the fears of God’s people were remarkably similar.