A number of assumptions continue to float around the synod that are only partially true or largely false.
Synod on Synodality
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.
Posted inFaith, News
Brazilian Cardinal talks restoring women deacons, ordaining married men at synod press briefing
Cardinal Steiner said they would like to call these women “deaconesses,” but they do not want to “confuse them with the ordained ministry,” and so, for now, they have not found a title that is “suitable.”
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: Father James Martin’s halftime report from inside the synod hall
We’re now halfway through the four weeks of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. And a fair question to ask is: What have we done?
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: Lessons from the Jesuit pilgrimage for the synod slog
The Jesuit’s pilgrimage involves confronting one’s limits, only to discover that God never abandons us even in our sheer exhaustion, despondency and despair. The same is true of the synod process.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: Women doing deacon-like ministry meet with Pope Francis
On the eve of the final session of the Synod on Synodality, a diverse group of women working in ministry at the margins of the church had the opportunity of a lifetime: a private audience with Pope Francis.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
What is (and isn’t) the role of bishops in a synodal church?
While it might not generate as many headlines as women deacons or L.G.B.T. Catholics, the role of the bishops has emerged as one of the most prominent—and controversial—topics of the Synod on Synodality.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The keys to a bishop’s role in a synodal church: collaboration and compassion
Collaboration and compassion are two keys to a bishop’s role in a synod church, argues the Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight, the bishop of Jefferson City, Mo.
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: Can the synod stay on topic?
Nature abhors a vacuum, and without a clear focus for conversation at the synod, people will naturally try to fill it with any number of issues.