Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Inside the VaticanJune 03, 2021
Bishops and cardinals attend a session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican in this Oct. 24, 2015, file photo. In his book, "Let Us Dream," Pope Francis said he wants to strengthen the synod process not just for the church but also as a service to humanity. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

The upcoming “synod on synodality” will look different from past synods, the Vatican announced last month: Instead of an event in Rome in 2022, the synod will be a process beginning on the diocesan level this fall, continuing on a continental level in 2022 and ending in Rome in 2023, discussing “communion, participation, and mission” within the church.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss what we know about the new process: who is involved, what the topics for discussion will be, and whether dioceses from the United States to China can pull off the local listening sessions the Vatican is asking for.

“As a Catholic, you're part of a global church, which has got big problems in some areas, which is going reasonably well in others, but which has a major task,” Gerry says in this episode. “And I think the pope is [challenging us to consider] mission. What is the mission of the church? What is the purpose?”

Links from the show:

Pope Francis: The People of God must be consulted before the October 2023 synod of bishops

Pope Francis appoints Archbishop Roche as new prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, successor to Cardinal Sarah

Pope Francis overhauls church’s criminal code to punish the sexual abuse of adults by priests

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

Taking antidepressants doesn’t mean you trust God less.
Amanda KnappFebruary 07, 2025
This week, Zac and Ashley chat with Dr. Gina Zurlo, a scholar of world Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, about her groundbreaking research on women outpacing men in worldwide church participation.
JesuiticalFebruary 07, 2025
Picturehouse
“Pan’s Labyrinth” embodies the core tension of Catholic life: the push and pull between the eternal and the worldly.
John DoughertyFebruary 07, 2025
A woman holds cans of vegetable oil provided by U.S. Agency for International Development in Pajut, South Sudan, in this 2017 photo. Catholic Relief Services provided food assistance, with U.S.A.I.D. funding, to communities and people who returned to the area after being displaced during violence in 2013. (CNS photo/Nancy McNally, Catholic Relief Services)
In partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, CRS saves lives, empowers people and creates goodwill for the United States. All for less than one percent of our national budget.
Carolyn WooFebruary 07, 2025