Yes, the synod on synodality is off to a sluggish start, especially in the United States. But if we are brutally honest about what is broken in the church, we can still have a successful dialogue.
Synod on Synodality
Posted inDispatches, Faith
A California bishop invited community organizers to help with the synod. So far, it’s working.
When it comes to the “Synod on Synodality” initiated by Pope Francis, Bishop Daniel E. Garcia says we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Posted inFaith, Your Take
‘I believe in my faith, not in the hierarchy of men’: Listening to those who have left the Catholic church behind
Readers respond to the February 2022 editorial about how the listening phase of the 2023 Synod of Bishops should listen to the views of Catholics who have left the church.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The history of synodality: It’s older than you think.
As the three-year synodal process that will culminate in the 2023 World Synod of Bishops gets underway, John W. O’Malley, S.J., offers some historical context for what synodality is all about.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Yes, the church needs to listen to former Catholics—and not just with an agenda of winning them back.
Is the church really interested in listening and learning from former Catholics? Or is it only “listening” to get them to come back to Catholicism?
Posted inFaith, News
Vatican includes women’s ordination group on synod website
The Vatican has included a group that advocates for women’s ordination on a website promoting the 2023 synod, indicating that Pope Francis wants to hear from all Catholics during the process.
Posted inEditorials, Politics & Society
Catholic leaders need to start listening to those who have left religion behind
Have the “nones” consciously rejected religion, or have religious institutions failed to involve them and respond to their needs? The only way to find out is by asking.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Cardinal Tobin: Refusing to deal with life’s complexity is a form of heresy.
Catholics uncomfortable with a synodal model of the church, Cardinal Tobin said, may be put off by the messiness dialogue often unearths. But, he said, refusing to live with tension can be a form of heresy.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Is Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality bound to disappoint—or will it renew the church?
A synod on synodality is a process about a process. And that stuck with me. A process about a process seemed to be without content. Where would this lead us?
Posted inFaith, Short Take
I love Pope Francis’ commitment to dialogue—which is why his Latin Mass restrictions confuse me
Do the new restrictions on the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass increase our unity? Or do they sacrifice unity for uniformity?