“We know that the Holy Father has expressed that at this time the issue of the female diaconate is not mature and has asked that we not entertain this possibility for now,” Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández told the synod Oct. 21.
Synod on Synodality
Posted inFaith, News
Synod preacher: Even if delegates are disappointed by results, God is at work through the synod
Even if some members of the Synod of Bishops end up feeling disappointed by the results of the synod, “God’s providence is at work in this assembly,” Cardinal-designate Timothy Radcliffe said.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting
Around 100 synod delegates filed into the Vatican’s old synod hall yesterday afternoon seeking answers about the secretive Vatican-instituted study group that had, among other issues, been tasked with looking into the possibility of ordaining women deacons.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: Can the synod avoid jargon and speak plainly?
Can the Synod on Synodality really be inclusive if its language is too theologically inaccessible?
Posted inPodcasts, Politics & Society
Podcast: A Catholic Arab born in Israel still has hope for the synod—and peace in the Holy Land
Margaret Karram, a Catholic Arab born in Israel, was at the synod on Oct. 7, 2023 when she learned her homeland, Israel, was under attack. She joins “Jesuitical“ her work for peace as the president of Focolare.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
George Weigel on why he’s skeptical of the synod
To better understand the concerns of those who are critical of the Synod on Synodality, ‘Jesuitical’ hosts Zac and Ashley speak with George Weigel, who is in Rome contributing to First Thing’s “Letters from the Synod” series.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
How authority is being reimagined at the synod
Producer Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss the second half of the synod, which brings with it concerns with synod methodology and the future of ordained ministry.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: Debunking 3 critiques about the synod
A number of assumptions continue to float around the synod that are only partially true or largely false.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
There’s confusion at the synod. That might be a good sign.
Confusion at this stage in the synod may not be a bad thing. As Pope Francis has often said, the Holy Spirit first creates confusion and then brings harmony.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: At the synod’s ecumenical prayer service, a cry for unity in a world at war
The cry for peace and unity at the synod’s ecumenical vigil struck me as particularly moving at a time of war that has exacerbated the fractures between the three “People of the Book”—Christians, Jews and Muslims.