Around 200 parish priests met outside Rome last week for an official synod meeting after some members of the 2023 synod assembly said not enough parish priests had been included.

Pope Francis wrote a letter of encouragement to parish priests, who were largely missing from the first synod session.

Largely missing during October synod meetings, over 200 parish priests gather outside Rome for meetings

The reflections of Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., convinced me that Pope Francis' reframing of the scope and meaning of synods will have staying power, because it opens up a new model for the church.

Speaking at a conference about the synod in Knock, County Mayo, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, said that “Fiducia Supplicans,” will not affect the forthcoming second session of the Synod on Synodality.

The meetings of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinal Advisors generally do not garner much attention, but since last year’s synod, they have made headlines thanks to a series of presentations organized by Sister Linda Pocher, F.M.A.