Synod on Synodality

An October event in Rome stirred consciences and debate, while the few Black participants say they were inspired by a unique moment of synodality.

In the weeks following the conclusion of the synod on synodality, Europe's bishops have been pondering its practical implications, especially in more conservative countries where some reform ideas have faced resistance.

The synod concluded without movement on the question of women deacons, but kept the issue open. That was frustrating to advocates but also has helped some remain hopeful.

For Francis, the synodal process was always more important than any decisions the synod made. Synodality requires a spiritual conversion in our attitudes where we have the humility to put aside our agendas and listen to the Spirit in one another.

Here is what I say to fellow LGBTQ+ and ally Catholics who have also been disappointed and disillusioned: Take a few days off, find a park bench and begin the synod document anew. 

La Iglesia debe enfrentarse, 'más allá del discurso oficial', a cualquier tipo de discriminación, exhorta la Hna. María Cacho, líder en el mundo afrocatólico y facilitadora en el Sínodo de la Sinodalidad. "¿Cómo ser Iglesia sinodal ante el rechazo, la pobreza, el racismo, el etnocentrismo, la indiferencia ante la diversidad cultural, el desprecio y la discriminación del otro por su raza, sexo o religión?", se pregunta la religiosa de las Hijas de la Caridad de San Vicente de Paúl. 

Synodality requires a commitment of time and energy from bishops and laypeople, but it will be worth it, writes Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

The U.S. bishops' conference needs a "committee on synodality," San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy told NCR in a joint interview with Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, who said, "This has to come in at the top of the list."

Pope Francis' three-year consultation on the future of the Catholic Church concluded on Oct. 26, outlining the institution's challenges and proposing ways for all the baptized to be involved in charting a path forward.

Listen: Heidi, Daniel and David talk about the role of U.S. Catholic voters, and look at the concluding weeks of the synod, including an interview with Loyola Chicago's Michael Canaris, just back from Rome.

Our desire to direct this synod toward concrete results or scoff when no concrete results emerge shuts the windows and doors of the house so the Spirit cannot rush in, writes Steven P. Millies. 

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle, a papally-appointed member of the Synod of Bishops, said that as the second synod assembly nears its conclusion Oct. 27, people might not see what they hoped for in the synod's final document, but the gathering heard them and took their input seriously.

Rome's Caravita community has served as an unofficial parish for synod members from Australia, Great Britain, the United States and elsewhere over the past two Octobers.

The selection of bishops has been a debated issue since apostolic times. There is no perfect way to select bishops.

"What do you do in the face of all these viruses, worse than COVID-19, that suffocate and threaten the human condition and that of the Afro-descendant people and other people?" asked Sr. María Suyapa Cacho Álvarez.

Catholics in Asia and Africa have already been leading the way with synodality, two members of the Synod of Bishops on synodality said.

Pope Francis preaches about synodality, but canon lawyers are showing us how to make it more than a pious wish.

"This is just one synod. There will be others. We do not have to do everything, just take the next step,"  Cardinal-designate Timothy Radcliffe said, and those who come after will "go on beginning. How, we do not know. That is God's business."

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández told synod delegates that the study into female diaconate would continue, but insisted that questions on women's leadership in the Catholic Church should not be linked to ordination.

Representatives from global Catholic lay movements who gathered near the Vatican, urged synod delegates to address clericalism, embrace diverse voices and renew the church's mission for the 21st century.

The scope of group five includes "theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms" and, in particular, "theological and pastoral research on the access of women to the diaconate."

"The synod is wrestling with how to permit pastoral differences between the churches while guaranteeing the pope's authority to maintain unity among the churches," writes NCR's Michael Sean Winters.

As the yearslong synod on synodality inches toward its Oct. 27 conclusion, the resistance has effectively gone silent, a stark contrast to last year's summit, as well as to Pope Francis' earlier synods.

Before the synodal process began in 2021, "We were a church on a mission, now we are a synodal church on a mission," Cardinal Leonardo Steiner of Manaus, Brazil, said at a Vatican briefing Oct. 15. "The synod on the Amazon helped open up this experience (of synodality) and the participation of everyone."

"In 1869, when Pope Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council, no one dreamed of inviting women, but they were nonetheless there," writes Carol E. Harrison, a Professor of History at the University of South Carolina. 

Francis, the comic strip: Gabby and Brother Leo are looking forward to a surprising October. 

Three U.S. cardinals who met with Pope Francis aren't saying what was on the agenda. A likely topic, writes NCR's Michael Sean Winters, is the need to fill the many vacancies in U.S. metropolitan archdioceses.

At a key Vatican synod forum, canon law professor Donata Horak urged the church to abandon its monarchical model, advocating for reforms that would empower laypeople and redefine decision-making processes. 

The panel on "The Role and Authority of the Bishop in a Synodal Church" focused on moving away from monarchical episcopal authority. It was not Management 101. It was mission-oriented, grace-filled Ecclesiology 101.

NCR peeks behind the curtain of the synod on synodality in an interview with Jesuit Fr. James Martin.

"Cultivating a culture of synodality is filled with promise," writes Sr. Colleen Gibson, "though not without the growing pains that come with allowing our hearts and minds to be reformed by the Spirit." 

Delegates are officially barred from discussing specifics of the conversations inside the Vatican's synod hall. But members told NCR that hot-button issues are being discussed both inside the room and on the sidelines.

A group of pilgrims with the Ecclesial Conference on the Amazon and Discerning Deacons took part in programs and church visits in Rome at the start of the synod discussing the spiritual call many women have to be deacons in the church.

Francis, the comic strip: Brother Leo and Gabby take a peek inside the synod hall. 

A group of men and women gathered at a chapel near the Vatican, confidently praying that the church would restore the female diaconate Oct. 3, the day after synod participants were told it would not happen now.

Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer of Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA joined other advocates for women's ordination in Rome, where they prayed near the site of synod on synodality.

Laurence Gien, who was 11 when he was sexually abused by a priest in his native South Africa, told OSV News that when standing in front of bishops, cardinals and Francis himself, giving testimony about his lifetime trauma, he "was just trying to appeal" to church hierarchy, "to look deep inside and to change what needs to be changed and to realize the fundamental values of certain things that you cannot take for granted. And that was important for me."

"Rushing" to open the diaconate to women in the Catholic Church would short-circuit a necessary reflection on the relationship between ordained ministry and charismatic leadership, particularly as it impacts the participation of women in the church, said the head of the Vatican's doctrinal office.

Pope Francis on Oct. 2 opened the final session of a Vatican summit on the future of Catholicism, encouraging participants not to use the monthlong meeting to push individual agendas, but to seek unity in diversity in the church so "each person feels welcomed." 

The Catholic Church cannot be credible in its mission of proclaiming Christ unless it acknowledges its mistakes and bends down "to heal the wounds we have caused by our sins," Pope Francis said. In an unusual penitential liturgy Oct. 1, the pope had seven cardinals read requests for forgiveness that he said he wrote himself "because it was necessary to call our main sins by name."

The second session of the Synod on Synodality will take place this October as a follow-up to the first session that occurred last October. Here are five things to look for as the synod delegates gather in Rome.

As Pope Francis likes to say, reality is more important than ideas, so examining legitimate diversity among the churches will require a discussion of controversies that divide local churches.

Francis, the comic strip: Brother Leo says Francis expects real change from the synod.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s new book, "Word, Sacrament, Charism: Risks and Opportunities of a Synodal Church," hopes to offer a new perspective for synodal discussions by suggesting that the church should promote and enable charisms, intended as gifts by the Holy Spirit that are given to every baptized Catholic.

The liturgy will include time to listen to the testimonies of three people: one who suffered from the sin of abuse, one from the sin of war and third from the sin of indifference to the plight of migrants, according to a Vatican statement announcing the liturgy.

"The fathers of the Second Vatican Council threw out the documents drawn up by the Vatican Curia and set their own agenda," writes Thomas Reese. He wonders if history could repeat itself at the October synod on synodality.

Just two months before the Synod of Bishops gathers again in Rome, its Latin American members met to discuss how synodality can be implemented in the Catholic Church after the close of the assembly in October.

Francis, the comic strip: Francis reminds one cardinal that radical change generally comes from the bottom up.

While the synod study groups are expected to present preliminary findings on women deacons in October, it remains unclear what the Vatican's doctrinal office plans to make public. 

Not discussing women deacons at the synod is a major mistake. As Jesus said, the Spirit is like the wind. We do not know where it has been, or where it is going. How do we discern its direction without dialogue?

Francis, the comic strip: What is Francis doing during his summer break?

The Gospel of John may contain unique and surprising theological resources that provide a blueprint for women's roles in pastoral care and ministry — particularly in its characterization of Mary Magdalene.

The Eucharist can be thought of as a school for becoming a more synodal church, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich said during a July 18 presentation at the National Eucharistic Congress.

 Under past popes he was sidelined. But Pope Francis has entrusted Fr. Timothy Radcliffe to serve as the spiritual guide of the synod on synodality. 

The vision of a synodal church presented in the instrumentum laboris is beautiful, but it is terribly abstract as it presents the theological foundations of the missionary synodal church promoted by Pope Francis.

Specific agendas will frustrate the synodal process because it is well-nigh impossible to listen to the Holy Spirit if we insist on trying to achieve our particular goals, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Synodality makes for a better Eucharist, and the Eucharist creates and nourishes synodality. Both are about communion, participation and mission. But the Eucharistic Revival has a completely different focus.

The General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops released the names of members of two sets of study groups that have been conducting an in-depth look into several themes that emerged during the first assembly of the synod on synodality in 2023.

Many of the hot button issues that dominated Pope Francis' high stakes summit on the future of the Catholic Church last October, such as women deacons and welcoming LGBTQ Catholics, will be off the table when prelates and lay delegates return to Rome this October. 

Growth, undeniable tensions and "a deep desire to rebuild and strengthen" the body of Christ have emerged as key themes in the latest synod report for the Catholic Church in the U.S. released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops May 28.

More than 100 Catholics and allies attended a gathering at "Women & Synodality: Where Do We Go From Here?", held at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University from May 3-4.

Noted Czech theologian Fr. Tomas Halik helped lead a Vatican gathering for some 200 parish priests about the ongoing synod process. He told NCR he was encouraged by the open and frank discussions that took place.

Calls for fuller participation of women in church leadership have been heard throughout the multi-year synod process. Now, as the process has moved into its next phase, the call for expanded roles for women continues.

 Pope Francis has now established 10 working groups to study some of the most controversial issues that have emerged in the Synod of Bishops. Theologians say it is difficult to assess what their impact might be.

The most important outcome of the current Synod of Bishops on synodality is the synodal process itself and not the hot-button topics discussed, Pope Francis said.

Theologian Anna Rowlands, a key synod adviser, says Pope Francis is more interested in deepening the practice of synodality within the Catholic Church rather than wading into debates over the hot-button issues.

The pope has always stressed that the synod is about synodality, not about controversial issues. He believes the church must become synodal before it can deal with these issues.

A recent daylong gathering at Georgetown University sought to help U.S. church leaders understand that synodality "doesn't start at the Vatican but grows from the ground up."

The pope hopes that the synodal process will yield a church in mission, and that mission is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis has decided that some controversial issues raised at the first assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality will be examined by study groups that will work beyond the synod's final assembly in October. 

Sociologist Tricia Bruce, just named as a consultor for the General Secretariat of the Synod, sees an important role for the social sciences in the synod process.

Synodality is an issue that everyone in the church needs to understand and embrace, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, told an audience at the University of Notre Dame.

When Francis Xavier reached India or Mother Cabrini arrived in the U.S., neither believed they would make converts overnight. They had to learn the language and culture. So, too, with internet evangelization.

The second assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality will meet Oct. 2-27 and will be preceded by several formal studies coordinated by the synod general secretariat working with various offices of the Roman Curia.

If the U.S. is going to experience a eucharistic revival, then it needs liturgical texts that promote the full and active participation by all people in the liturgy. The current text in English does not do that.

Francis, the comic strip: Pope Francis has been really pushing the 2024 synodal meeting in Rome.

Now that we have had some time to absorb the final document of the 2023 Synod of Bishops, you cannot help but have a deep respect for those who created, participated in and attended the synod, writes commentator Daryl Grigsby.

An upcoming webinar series hosted by a U.S. bishop will explore synodality through the prism of Jesus Christ's words at the Last Supper.

The synthesis report from the first session of the synod on synodality calls for significant structural changes that could have profound implications for how governance and ministry function in the church. Christine Schenk offers an analysis.

Synodality now is the way forward that can engage the whole people of God as active agents of their faith. There was disappointment with some of the October synod's synthesis report, but there is also fresh hope.

Listen: In this episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Catholic Charities USA president and CEO Kerry Robinson praises Pope Francis' efforts to expand opportunities for women's leadership in the Catholic Church.

One of the chief organizers of the Vatican's high stakes summit on the future of the Catholic Church believes that synodality must be distinguished from the work of diplomacy.

Sr. Patricia Murray said the Holy Spirit guided the journey through deep listening to one another, which connected participants as individuals and also as a global church.

Notre Dame theologian John Cavadini's article on the Synod of Bishops' synthesis document raises important questions about important issues and does so without demonizing anyone or rejecting the synodal process itself.

Listen: In this episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Bishop Daniel Flores says the prelates at the recent major Vatican summit wanted to express "a certain amount of sorrow" over how women have been treated by the church.

Pope Francis' opening to women in church management is promising. Getting women into the sacristy is trickier.

The nature of the synodal assembly — bishops, laywomen and men, religious, priests and deacons, with the pope, dialoguing and voting equally — highlights that we all are journeying together, says Cardinal Robert McElroy.

Francis, the comic strip: The synod highlighted two real problems, and Leo has an idea.

"No usaré el término éxito, pero ha sido fructífero. (…) El Sínodo no ha terminado. La segunda sesión es el próximo octubre, donde el documento final tendrá propuestas para el papa". indicó una hermana, miembro con derecho a voto en la primera sesión de esta asamblea del Vaticano.

"This whole synodal approach is really consistent with the deepest spiritual traditions within the church. How did they work out what to do at the First Council of Jerusalem?"

If we listen only to what the media has written about the synod on synodality, we might miss important opportunities for church reform, writes NCR contributor Thomas Reese. 

Francis, the comic strip: What if more women vote at the 2024 synod? 

Francis, the comic strip: After the synod, what comes next?

Christopher White, NCR's Vatican correspondent, participated in "The Synod: What happened? What didn't? What's next?" The panel addressed a wide range of topics, including synod highlights and lowlights.

For Francis, it was not about the hot-button topics. It was always about the synodal process, which he hoped would overcome divisions in the church and recommit us to the mission of Jesus.

Before the close of this year's synod session, Pope Francis restated what the church is at its core and, in doing so, denounced a church governed by clericalism.

"I won't use the term success, but it has been fruitful. It's a new state in the experience of synodality," says one sister who was a voting member at the first session of the Vatican's multiyear synod.

Listen: Heidi, Father Daniel, and David reflect on the last four weeks of the synod on synodality and give their thoughts on the synthesis document. Also, Heidi interviews NCR Vatican correspondent Christopher White.

People who hoped the first synod assembly's report would signal future momentous changes in the Catholic Church were left feeling discouraged.

The final document of the synod's first session has some very specific proposals, and the section on formation especially has some clues about how to proceed. The model for formation: Jesus' way.

Listen: In this episode of The Vatican Briefing, Jesuit Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator discusses the synod and how its final text made sure that "the space is there to continue to have this conversation."

In an exclusive joint interview just hours after the closing of Pope Francis' Synod of Bishops, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy told NCR it would be "impossible to go back" to an era where synods did not involve lay persons as full, voting members.

What are the results of this meeting? The rebalancing of Roman Catholic ecclesiology in the past 150 years is now complete. Primacy gave way to collegiality and now to a synodality involving the entire people of God.

To reform the church is to put God first and adore him, and to love and serve others, Pope Francis said at Mass marking the conclusion of the first session of the Synod of Bishops on synodality on Oct. 29. 

The Vatican summit on the future of the church concluded on Oct. 28 by postponing action on ordaining women as deacons and failing to acknowledge deep tensions over how to care for LGBTQ Catholics.

Holding a Synod of Bishops with a much greater participation of non-bishops as voting members, particularly lay women and men, clearly expresses what it really means to be a bishop, said Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe.

When Enrique Alarcón Garcia, president of Frater España, a Christian fraternity of people with disabilities in Spain, entered the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall as a papal appointee to the Synod on Synodality, it seems one of the first things he noticed was the seating arrangements.

The back-and-forth is dizzying, and it will not end soon. The synod is the synod. Parts of the Catholic world are involved. Some are not. 

The youngest member of the synod assembly is confident that the Holy Spirit is guiding the Synod of Bishops, but to get out of class he looked for a little extra help from the pope.

As the Catholic Church's synod on synodality continues, it is drawing on lessons learned from decades of ecumenical friendships and dialogues, said several synod participants.

Francis, the comic strip: Reporters hope Brother Leo will give them an inside scoop on the synod. 

Desde el convento de las Hermanas Clarisas Capuchinas en Wilmington, EE. UU., un grupo de hermanas contemplativas se une al Sínodo a través de la oración, irradiando una fuerza espiritual que trasciende las paredes del claustro.

After listening to all the reports, the groups meet again to reflect on what they have heard. Such a process is a far cry from a parish meeting presided over by the pastor who announces and defends his preordained decisions.

View from the Vatican: It was less than two weeks into the synod on synodality when  multiple reports emerged about participating delegates storming out of the room. Tensions, it seems, are part of the synod process. 

Pope Francis told members of the synod on synodality that they should respect and honor the faith of all baptized Catholics, including the women, trusting "the holy, faithful people of God" who continue to believe even when their pastors act like dictators.

Three Catholic sisters said they are hopeful that the church's synodal process might bring increased leadership roles for women. They also stressed that they already have significant influence as women religious.

The Oct. 25 "Letter to the People of God" from the ongoing Synod of Bishops highlights the significance of women participating in the event as full members, and the duty of the church to listen to clergy abuse victims.

The naysayers, and those who insist that the synod reach specific decisions on specific topics, are both missing the boat, argues NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters. 

Contemplative sisters participate in the Synod of Bishops from afar through prayer.

"The Amazon really is a symbol, a symbol of the need to change our mentality, to be less consumeristic, to chase after money less," said Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, the first cardinal from the Amazon region. 

Listen: In this episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Vatican experts Joshua McElwee and Christopher White have an exclusive conversation with Cardinal Michael Czerny about the ongoing Synod of Bishops.

As Pope Francis' major summit on the future of the Catholic Church enters its final week, bishops and laity were reminded of the Second Vatican Council's emphasis on the church's "living tradition," including the participation and inclusion of all of the "people of God."

Synod members will soon face the challenge of bringing back to their home dioceses, regions and continents the synodal way of inviting others, listening and discerning together that they are experiencing at the synod on synodality, two archbishops said.

Members of the Synod of Bishops will issue a "Letter to the People of God" at the close of the first session of the synod assembly, which ends Oct. 29, the Vatican said.

Taking to heart the lesson of the parable of the good Samaritan is the key to assisting the millions of migrants and refugees forced to travel far from their homelands and often exploited along the way, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church's synodal process, intended to actively solicit input from all its members, is not a threat to the hierarchy, a cardinal said.

Francis, the comic strip: Synod delegates began by praying for the world. They wept and could not stop.

Participants in a closely watched ongoing Vatican summit heard testimony about a young LGBTQ person who committed suicide and were provoked to tears, Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe revealed on Oct. 18. 

The Vatican wishes to project an image of prayerful harmony. The media, on the other hand, thrives on conflict. You will never read a headline saying, "Participants love one another; everything is fine."

At the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, "there is a sense that things are tightening up, emerging, but through that process of hopeful patience," said Renee Kohler-Ryan, a synod member from Australia. 

Listen: Vatican experts Joshua McElwee and Christopher White interview one of the 13 members of the committee expected to draft the final document from Pope Francis' ongoing summit on the future of the Catholic Church.

In an exclusive NCR interview, Australian Bishop Shane Mackinlay, one of the 13 members of the committee drafting the final document from the ongoing synod, expressed an openness to ordaining women as deacons.

Francis, the comic strip: Pope Francis is an eager synodal pilgrim.

Since "walking together" is an essential characteristic of synodality, synod organizers made it literal with a pilgrimage to some of Rome's earliest Christian catacombs.

Even as Catholic women take a historic step as voting members of the Synod of Bishops, former Irish President Mary McAleese slammed the Vatican Oct. 13 in a parallel gathering in Rome calling for more equality for women.

The second week of Pope Francis' summit on the future of the Catholic Church included emotional debates among bishops and lay delegates over whether ministries could be expanded to include LGBTQ persons. 

If the synod is to succeed, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winter, it must start its analysis always with this central truth of our faith: the redemptive suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord. 

Synod participants who have known war and conflict firsthand led the assembly of the Synod of Bishops Oct. 12 by praying for peace between Israel and Palestine, throughout the Middle East and across the globe.

Synod members Oct. 9 elected seven of their peers to the assembly's Commission for the Synthesis Report, and Pope Francis appointed three others.

View from the Vatican: In many ways, the story of Pope Francis' synod on synodality is best told through images. In fact, it's actually one of the only ways it can be told.

Traditionalists don't like Pope Francis because he is the first truly post-Counter-Reformation pope, with perhaps the exception of John XXIII, argues Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

Luca Casarini, a longtime and well-known Italian activist, is a special guest at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops; he's encouraged to speak, but has no vote. And he said he is learning a lot.

Dos hermanas católicas que asisten al Sínodo de la Sinodalidad observan cambios profundos en la Iglesia, marcados por un estilo de liderazgo diferente y una apertura a voces diversas —distintas a las de los obispos y a la del papa—, guiadas por el Espíritu Santo.

If Pope Francis wants to guarantee that we in the media don't report on "things they are saying out there" about the synod, he shouldn't tell those inside the hall that they should be "fasting" from giving interviews. 

Finding better ways to live "like Jesus did" — reaching out, welcoming, healing and including others — was the focus of Sr. Liliana Franco Echeverri's small group discussions Oct. 9-10 at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, she said.

Listen: In the podcast's second episode, Joshua McElwee and Christopher White discuss the incredible events of the first week of the 2023 synod, and interview one of the seven organizers of the extraordinary assembly.

Whatever happens in Rome, the synod has already had a deep and positive effect on St. Agnes Parish, which held listening sessions for Catholics and other community members in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Francis, the comic strip: A lesson in listening.

As Pope Francis' high-stakes summit on the future of the Catholic Church entered its second week on Oct. 9, the some 460 participating bishops and lay members considered how the church might provide greater welcome to all of its members. They also were given news of four COVID infections among their ranks.

Escuchar es una palabra clave en el Sínodo sobre Sinodalidad impulsado por el papa Francisco, pero también es una forma de "cambiar la sensación de que la verdad reside en la cima de la jerarquía" en cualquier estructura eclesiástica, asevera la Hna. Patricia Murray. 

Two Catholic sisters taking part in Pope Francis' summit on the church's future told GSR the synod is different than expected. "I'm experiencing and witnessing the dismantling of the hierarchical," said Mercy Sr. Angela Perez.

A Catholic cardinal who is a former head of the Vatican's doctrinal office and a vocal critic of Pope Francis' ongoing monthlong summit on the future of the church has defied the pontiff's request that summit members maintain confidentiality about its proceedings.

Sr. Patricia Murray said that Pope Francis' process for the synod on synodality is helping "shift the feeling that the truth resides at the top of the hierarchy."

This synod invites each community to find a place for growth into their gift of identity where God is at work through practice and ritual. It is an invitation to once again let Christ be Christ in each culture.

Francis, the comic strip: Why does Pope Francis seem to welcome his critics?

Advocates for women's ordination in the Catholic Church hosted a prayer vigil at one of Rome's historic basilicas on Oct. 3, on the eve of Pope Francis' opening of a major Vatican summit expected to consider whether women might serve as Catholic deacons or priests.

Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe preached the retreat to synod delegates in advance of the official opening. His reflections are a good means by which those of us who will not be in the aula can prepare ourselves as well.

Officially opening the monthlong Synod of Bishops on Oct. 4, Pope Francis encouraged the participants, bishops and laypeople alike, to reject the temptations of doctrinal rigidity and to embrace a vision of the church that is open and welcoming to all.

During the synod Oct. 4-29, we will all need patience and humility as the delegates try to discern in what direction the Spirit is calling us to travel. It will take prayer, spiritual conversation and listening to hear the Spirit.

As part of NCR's new podcast, The Vatican Briefing, one of the voting members of the Synod of Bishops has indicated an openness to restoring the early Catholic Church's tradition of ordaining women as deacons.

Listen: "The Vatican Briefing" is a new podcast featuring Vatican experts Joshua J. McElwee and Christopher White. In the first episode, they discuss the issues before the synod, and interview one of the first-ever lay synod members.

Francis, the comic strip: Why is the synod meeting at round tables?

Pope Francis has expressed openness to Catholic blessings for same-sex couples, under the condition they are not confused with marriage ceremonies for men and women, in what could be a watershed moment for the church.

Members of the Synod of Bishops are taking part in a retreat led by Dominican Fr. Timothy Radcliffe. Themes include clericalism; better inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics; the role of women in the church; and clergy sexual abuse.

El nuevo proceso del Sínodo de los Obispos del papa Francisco, que involucra a laicos, clérigos, religiosas y religiosos en una asamblea en Roma del 4 al 29 de octubre, ha sido descrito por una participante como un “respiro” para la Iglesia. La Hna. María Cimperman, teóloga estadounidense y miembro de las Religiosas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, comparte su perspectiva sobre el proceso sinodal, cuyo nuevo enfoque permite a los miembros de la Iglesia —distintos a los obispos— participar y votar.  Cimperman destaca que pese a las críticas, este proceso refleja una continuidad de la renovación iniciada por el Concilio Vaticano II y destaca el enriquecimiento que añade la participación de comunidades religiosas y voces de las “periferias”. Igualmente, la religiosa valora la “fuerza silenciosa” de la oración que añadirán las hermanas que no puedan asistir al encuentro. 

As the Synod of Bishops opens Oct. 4, LGBTQ+ Catholics are expressing gratitude that Pope Francis' revamped synodal process has included their voices, and sharing cautious hope that the outcome will lead to even greater openness.

"Silence, in the ecclesial community, makes fraternal communication possible, where the Holy Spirit draws together points of view," Pope Francis said to members of the synod, Christian leaders and young people in St. Peter's Square Sept. 30. 

NCR has compiled a reference guide to the 24 Americans (or people with U.S. connections) who will be participating in the synod, either as voting members or experts/facilitators. 

Many of the prelates Pope Francis will make cardinals Sept. 30 will be taking part in the synod on synodality or have been very active in its preparatory phases as leaders of their dioceses.

Too many U.S. Catholics don't know about the global discussion of the church's future, argues Phyllis Zagano.

In addition to their three-day retreat outside of Rome, more than 350 members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops are expected to go on a pilgrimage "to the roots of the Christian faith," visiting the Rome catacombs.

For months, EWTN viewers have been told Pope Francis' synod represents a "hostile takeover" of the Catholic Church, or is a "moment of crisis." The influence of such statements has been profound, media experts told NCR.

Francis, the comic strip: What's a cartoon dream worth?

The synod on synodality should dedicate substantial discussion to addressing sexual abuse in the church and include the voices of survivors, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said.

Theologian Mary E. Hunt says she has had some reservations about Pope Francis' process for the Synod of Bishops. She offers five "friendly suggestions" for how the pope might make the October assembly more fruitful.

Francis, the comic strip: For Francis, the synod is a journey.

Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne will take part in the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops in Rome. "I have spent the past several weeks renewing my prayer life, longing for greater receptivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit," he writes in this essay for NCR.

Cardinal Mario Grech of Malta stands at the center of the pope's plan to change the global Catholic Church. As he prepares to open the synod assembly, Grech told NCR he has "a free heart" about what is to come. 

As we prepare for the momentous and historic gathering of the synod on synodality, NCR commissioned this video explainer — so that you are informed as deliberations begin.

On the recommendation of the Catholic bishops of mainland China in consultation with the Chinese government, Pope Francis has named two bishops from the country's mainland as members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

One of the most important gatherings in the long history of the Catholic Church will begin in just a few days, with the opening of the Synod of Bishops. NCR will be there in strength to report on this momentous event.

Sr. Maria Cimperman described Pope Francis' reimagined process for the Oct. 4-29  Synod of Bishops as a "walking together," even if prelates still hold the majority of votes.  

The Vatican has secured financial support to generate offsetting carbon credits by sending "efficient cooking stoves and water purification technologies to households, communities and institutions" in Kenya and Nigeria.

The Vatican is asking all baptized people, regardless of whether they will be in Rome, to participate in October's assembly of the Synod of Bishops with their prayers.

October's general assembly in Rome for the Catholic Church's Synod of Bishops on synodality aims to address human reality -- not abstractions -- in order to more effectively share Jesus Christ and his Gospel with others, said Bishop Daniel E. Flores, a U.S. member of the global assembly's preparatory commission.

Advocates for women's ordination told NCR's Heidi Schlumpf that they are hopeful that the synodal meetings in Rome will lead to change in the church. 

As a way of being church, synodality might be thought of as collegiality resurrected, but without all the baggage that encumbered collegiality over the years following Vatican II, writes Fr. Thomas Reese.

The authors of The Synodal Process Is a Pandora's Box are not writing prebuttals to the synodal process because they think synodality will fail. They are terrified it will succeed, says Michael Sean Winters.

Sweden's Catholic cardinal came to Washington, D.C., in August for an ecumenical dialogue with a Lutheran bishop. In NCR interviews, the two prelates spoke about their hopes for Pope Francis' upcoming Synod of Bishops.

Among those trying to drum up resistance to Pope Francis' closely watched Vatican summit on the future of the Catholic Church are a far-right Latin American traditionalist group, political activists, and retired U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke.

If we continued as usual with just different people in charge, then we missed the revolution Pope Francis is calling for, says Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

As the first gathering of Pope Francis' Synod of Bishops is set to begin Oct. 4, Latin American and U.S. Latino theologians are recognizing influences from the pope's Latin American roots in the synod's theology and methodology.

Bishop Joseph Strickland, the firebrand Catholic prelate from Tyler, Texas, claims in a new letter that an "evil and false message" has "invaded" the global Catholic Church.

A Chicago priest argues that the synod on synodality should focus on shared values and convictions, rather than voting on a final document.

Xavière Missionary Sr. Nathalie Becquart, an undersecretary of the Vatican's Synod of Bishops office, said at World Youth Day that she has learned how to be synodal "from and with young people."

View from the Vatican: The October meeting of the Synod of Bishops will be held in a larger Vatican hall than previous synod meetings, to allow for roundtable discussions among members. It is a small change, but could be groundbreaking.

Lately, Pope Francis has been busy appointing men and women who support his vision of a synodal church to positions where it matters. These appointments show that Francis now understands that "personnel is policy."

Catherine Clifford is one of 10 non-bishop delegates from North America who will participate as members at the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops on synodality in Rome. She told NCR she sees the synod as "a real moment of grace."

The October 2023 Synod of Bishops should include the voices of women who have discerned a sincere call to the Catholic priesthood, says women's ordination advocate Kate McElwee.

Pope Francis' synod on synodality should widen the tent of dialogue even further to include the men and women of faith who have gone before us, says Fr. Louis Cameli.

The Vatican on July 7 released the full list of participants for its upcoming global synod of Catholic bishops and lay delegates, which includes noted LGBTQ advocate Jesuit Fr. James Martin and all four U.S. cardinals created by Pope Francis.

Critics of the synodal process don't fear that synodality will fail, they fear it is already succeeding, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.

If an American were in charge of running the pope's synod, it would be very different, says Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

The Vatican's working document for the synod on synodality shows positive signs that the three-year synodal process may be the beginning of a significant shift in the church. We can't help but be encouraged.

The Vatican's new guiding document for the Synod of Bishops is honest and hopeful, not definitive, says theologian Massimo Faggioli. 

After reading the newly released working document for the upcoming synod, theologian Meghan Clark reflects on what "participation" and "inclusion" really mean for the church.

Whoever came up with the idea of framing the synod working document in terms of questions, rather than a draft text, deserves a bonus, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.
 

When prelates and lay delegates gather in October for the Synod of Bishops, they will be asked to directly confront pressing questions — including the possibility of women deacons, access to the priesthood for married men, the integration of LGBTQ+ Catholics, and penance for sexual abuse and the abuse of power, conscience and money.

In a recorded address to the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle suggested that resistance to the synod process is rooted in fear of change and insecurity about Catholic identity.

The last time the church said it was going to make changes was in 1965, but all the changes to be seen were basically meaningless ones. This time, though, the faithful themselves are part of the agenda-making process.

Theologians who participated in synod listening sessions with U.S. bishops were grateful for the opportunity for relationship-building. But they also have concerns about the latest phase of the synod process. 

Pope Francis' reforms of the Synod of Bishops to include laypeople as full, voting members show that the voice of the laity can no longer be discounted in the exercise of authority in the Catholic Church.

Whether it's the process of birthing or a church synod, the addition of women — even in small numbers — can be a leaven that prompts change, says Sr. Christine Schenk.

Pope Francis' move to include nonbishop voting members of the synod has truly "enlarged the space of our tent," says this NCR editorial.

In NCR interviews after the announcement that Pope Francis will expand participation in the upcoming synod to include laypersons as voting members, theologians and reform groups praised the move as a substantial change.

Among the concerns of the synod delegates, who were handpicked by bishops, were restrictions against the Latin Mass, possible changes to doctrine, and the synod process itself, said Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky.

The seven-member preparatory commission for the assembly of the Synod of Bishops met at the Vatican March 13-16 and had an audience with Pope Francis on the last day of their gathering.

Under the "Chatham House Rule" obscuring speakers' identities, conversations among bishops and theologians about the local consultative process noted challenges and some resistance to the synod.

The Holy Spirit is in charge of the synodal process, but the question is whether we are willing to be led, or have to be driven and pushed into the process, says Fr. Daniel Horan.

When bishops gathered in Suva, Fiji, earlier this month, plans for a prayer service next to the ocean were derailed by stormy weather. The very location of the meeting underscored one of the region's most urgent concerns.

As the continental assemblies for the Synod of Bishops make clear that hot-button issues — like sexuality, climate change and the role of women in the church — are not going away, the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life is pointing at a more fundamental issue at stake in learning to be a "synodal church": What responsibility comes from baptism and unites all Catholics?

"Something special happened here," the president of the Irish bishops' conference said at the end of a continental assembly of European Catholics, held as part of the pope's process to reinvigorate the Synod of Bishops.

Encouraging Catholics to participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis also announced that before the assembly of the Synod of Bishops opens in early October, there will be an ecumenical prayer vigil in St. Peter's Square.

Synodality is an empty exercise unless true reform of the hierarchy comes from the top, says former NCR editor Tom Roberts.

The racial gap that many believed was narrowing has abruptly widened in America. Martin Luther King Jr. once asked, "Where do we go from here?" Pope Francis' call to become a synodal church could answer that question.

Launching the process for the synod on synodality, Pope Francis challenged Catholics to "become experts in the art of encounter." For that, some U.S. church leaders enlisted the help of a network of local organizations.

Lately, the question of ordination for women seems restricted to the growing requests for women priests. Even Francis uses that shorthand. But the tradition of ordaining women as deacons could easily be restored.

Fr. Michael Ryan synthesized the synodal listening sessions at Seattle's cathedral where he is pastor. He was stunned to later find out his words were echoed at the Vatican to describe a new era in church life.

Synodality is not about individual issues, argues columnist Michael Sean Winters, and those who think it is may need to manage their expectations about the process.

The synodal process is a mature fruit of Vatican II. But this will be a failed promise if the synod on synodality fails to address the abuse crisis, especially in the Catholic Church, as one of the signs of our times.

Conservatives fear the pope will give into public pressure; liberals fear that the hierarchy will reject their reforms. Francis, on the other hand, is focused on improving the mission of proclaiming the Gospel.

The U.S. church could learn much from the document from the 2021 CELAM meeting, says columnist Michael Sean Winters, not the least because Pope Francis' experience of CELAM meetings inspired the universal synodal process.

Pope Francis on Nov. 1 participated in a virtual online dialogue with students from across Africa, telling them that African youth should be unafraid to organize together to fight for their future. 

That the Vatican's working document for the synod mentions women's ordination is significant, notes Kate McElwee of the Women's Ordination Conference.

In Australia's multi-stage Plenary Council, Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge saw the Holy Spirit — comforter and disrupter — at work, a dynamic also present in Pope Francis' style of synods, he writes.

Catholic academics, theologians, clergy sex abuse survivors, and advocates for the inclusion of women and LGBTQ individuals praised the forthrightness and transparency of the Vatican's new synod document.

A newly released Vatican document for the next phase of Pope Francis' ongoing consultation process for the world's Catholics reckons with a number of topics once considered taboo in the Catholic Church, including women's ordination, LGBTQ relationships, children of priests, sexism and clergy sexual abuse. 

Members of the pope's opposition are well situated to gather like-minded cardinals in the sort of conspiratorial meetings not known since the Middle Ages. 

People want the church to be a home for the wounded and broken, not an institution for the perfect.

Pope Francis announced on Oct. 16 that he is significantly expanding the timeframe for his ongoing consultation process for the world's Catholics. The Vatican meeting of the Synod of Bishops, originally planned for next year, will now be held across two sessions: one in October 2023, and another in October 2024.

The Discerning Deacons project, dedicated to engaging Catholics about the role of women and the diaconate, has been active in the synodal process. The group has led some 350 synod consultations with over 8,800 people.

Columnist Michael Sean Winters on anti-synodal takes from George Weigel and Cardinal Gerhard Müller.

Francis, the comic strip: Is Francis eager to lead the synodal church?

NCR Connections: The Holy Spirit was the guest of honor at a recent gathering of church leaders on the topic of synodality. Literally.

Listen: Heidi, Father Daniel, and David look at Catholic governors who use migrants as political pawns; synthesis reports from the synod; and recent developments and long-term effects in the war in Ukraine.

For the past week outside of Rome, some 30 theologians, pastoral workers and bishops have been gathering in order to draft the working document of the next phase of Pope Francis' revamped global synod process.

Kudos to those who compiled the national synthesis for the synod, says columnist Michael Sean Winters. But there is still much more work to be done to truly embrace synodality in the church.

Addressing a group of U.S. Catholic leaders, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod, emphasized the pastoral considerations of hot-button issues such as blessings for same-sex couples.

Changing the church's leadership style and building more welcoming communities were among the major themes in the synthesis document for the synod on synodality released by the Southern African bishops' conference.

Will the synodal process work? Will it help heal divisions and foster a community that can spread the Gospel, care for the marginalized and heal the Earth? Or will it show the world how divided we Catholics are?

Over 100 non-diocesan groups submitted their own synodal "synthesis" reports to the U.S. bishops. These Catholics participated in their own listening sessions for the grassroots consultation ahead of the 2023 Synod of Bishops in Rome.

Francis, the comic strip: In the American church, everything is just fine, apparently.

Phyllis Zagano: The synod is a worldwide event, and early reports from bishops' conferences outside the U.S. repeat the same story: Clericalism is a scourge on the church, and women are not respected or included in leadership.

A review of more than a dozen synodal reports from U.S. dioceses participants appreciate the opportunity to be heard, even if they harbor misgivings about what the Synod on Synodality will ultimately accomplish.

According to a report by Catholic Climate Covenant, many lay Catholics who have embraced and worked to live out church teachings to safeguard God's creation feel little to no support from clergy, bishops and dioceses, and in some cases opposition.

A recent criticism of synodality by a longtime critic of Pope Francis only shows the degree to which conservatives fear the process may change the church.

The common sentiment expressed during the July 18-23 gathering of the Pan-African Catholic Congress on Theology, Society and Pastoral Life is that the ones who were once evangelized must now become the evangelizers.

Francis, the comic strip: In a synodal church, you don't just sit around. It's for walking and movement.

Pope Francis on July 19 encouraged African theologians gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to bring "good news of mercy for the poor and nourish people and communities in their struggle for life, peace and hope."

Commentary: Even though it's not a new concept in church history, synodality is a new term for most Catholics. But help is on the way, in the form of a massive online course led by experts — lay and clergy, men and women.

The church's process of synodality is positioned to capture the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of young people as they navigate uncertainty, transcend traditional religious boundaries and encounter a sense of wholeness. 

Scripture for Life: When the disciples gathered to debate and pray in Acts 15, their commitment only grew deeper as they recognized the Spirit forming them into a community more attached to Christ than to their opinions.

Peruvian Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, president of the Latin American bishops' council, shares his reflection on how synodality is renewing the church in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Michael Sean Winters: Conservative prelates published a letter to the German bishops complaining about their Synodal Path. This kerfuffle was instructive about the synodal process and its limits, not about how the process will end.

In an open letter, 74 bishops from North America, Africa, Italy and Australia have expressed their "growing concern" about the German Synodal Path process and content, warning about its "potential for schism."

The synod on synodality calls bishops to listen to those who feel excluded. NCR interviewed diocesan officials, lay ministers and pastors in several dioceses to see how local churches are seeking out Catholics on the margins.

Francis, the comic strip: Want to go for a (synodal) walk?

NCR Connections: The two hours 17 members of the National Catholic Reporter Board of Directors spent "journeying together" in response to the pope's invitation were moments of grace and a gift of rich dialogue.

Connections: While I doubt that immediate post-synod change is likely, the process signals the openness to talk about issues such as women's ordination that have previously been off the table.

For nearly two hours Feb. 24, the pope listened to Catholic university students from across the Americas, as they shared personal experiences, insights, frustrations and ideas pertaining to climate change and migration.

Students from North, Central and South America are set to talk with Pope Francis in a virtual dialogue Feb. 24. The students chosen to participate range from "practicing" to "distant from the church," they told NCR.

Commentary: There are two synodal gatherings going on now in the Catholic Church — the German church's "Synodal Way" and the bishops' "synod on synodality" — which will undoubtedly have serious repercussions on the life of the church.

Three large initiatives landed on the doorsteps of U.S. Catholic dioceses, parishes, congregations and organizations last fall. A recent Catholic Climate Covenant webinar explored the opportunities for collaboration.

NCR's Michael Sean Winters inferred that the Women's Ordination Conference might impose an American "activist" agenda onto the synodal process. I ask simply that we are granted the respect of encounter before we are dismissed.

Commentary: I must confess that I had concerns about Pope Francis' expressed desire that synodality be implemented at every level of the church's life. In Cuautitlán, my misgivings about synodality were dispelled.

Michael Sean Winters: If our conservative friends are keeping the synod at arm's length, there is a real opportunity for our liberal friends to be heard. Certainly, in my lifetime, there has never been such an opportunity for the Catholic left to be heard. 

Francis, the comic strip: "People have no influence if they have no say," Leo says. "It's not fair."

Pope Francis will meet with Catholic university students across the Western Hemisphere in a virtual dialogue hosted by Loyola University Chicago on Feb. 24 as part of the ongoing consultation process for the Synod of Bishops.

Commentary: Often our evangelization efforts are linked with bad theology and clerical attitudes. A better approach would be to realize that everything we do as Catholics is a touchpoint of evangelization.

Francis, the comic strip: A catechism Catholic has a story to tell.

All Christians are invited to pray for unity and continue to journey together, said Cardinals Mario Grech and Kurt Koch.

 Pope Francis this year invited Catholics both in the mainstream of church life and on the margins to express their dreams, ideas and concerns in preparation for the Synod of Bishops in 2023.

In the U.S., the early weeks of the diocesan phase of the synod on synodality so far reveal an uneven response to Pope Francis' vision of a more decentralized, listening and discerning church that "journeys together."

An official from the Vatican's Synod of Bishops' office has apologized for removing a link to a video by the Catholic LGBTQ outreach organization New Ways Ministries and reversed course by re-publishing the original video in question.

Phyllis Zagano: The U.S. bishops' conference focus is on what they can do. The pope's focus is on what the people can do. 

Synodal unity is not "based on the avoidance of sensitive or painful problems," Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said in his homily for the opening Mass of the U.S. bishops' fall meeting.

To ensure all Catholics have an opportunity to share and to listen as part of the initial process leading up to the Synod of Bishops in 2023, the Vatican has extended the local phase by more than three months.

Commentary: Sr. Christine Schenk's review of major U.S. dioceses' websites presents a heartening (though inconclusive) picture of synod events planned by church leaders of both "liberal" and "conservative" persuasions.

Theology en la Plaza: This synodal process invites all the faithful, in particular our leaders, to do some soul-searching. We must listen intently, especially to those who have been marginalized in Catholic spaces. Church leaders must embrace a new beginning.

NCR Live: A conversation about Pope Francis' vision for the 2021-23 Catholic Synod of Bishops with San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy and St. Joseph Sr. Katie Eiffe, director of synodal planning for the Diocese of Syracuse, New York. 

Michael Sean Winters: If we as a church are to be a leaven in the world, we must first overcome the polarization within our own house. The world is profoundly divided, but so is the Christian community.

Pope Francis on Oct. 10 officially launched the Vatican's high-stakes, two-year synod process in an opening Mass where he urged the global Catholic church to master the "art of encounter."

The synod on synodality has aspirations to reshape the Catholic Church's ability to engage its members and revitalize its mission as a participatory, listening church, after decades marred by clericalism and abuse.

With about three weeks before Catholic prelates worldwide open a first-of-its-kind consultation period for the Vatican's Synod of Bishops, many U.S. church officials are still figuring out exactly what that process will look like.

We say: Despite concerns and controversies, we urge Catholics to participate in the synodal process. It may not be perfect, but the church is more likely to address the needs of the people of God with it than without it.

Mary McAleese expressed reservations about Pope Francis' leadership of the Catholic Church, telling a British church reform movement that he is "a conservative leader" blessed with enemies who make him look more liberal than he is.

Michael Sean Winters: Early critiques fretting about the Vatican's new document on synodality cite "unpredictability" and "confusion." But, at base, they reject the call to conversion and repeat criticisms of Pope Francis and his reform agenda.  

Commentary: Theologian Hosffman Ospino joins in conversation with his Boston College colleague Rafael Luciani about synodality, a way of "walking together" as Pope Francis has called on the Catholic Church to embrace.

Pope Francis significantly widened the scope of the next planned meeting of the world's Catholic bishops, postponing the event by one year to allow for periods of consultation in every local diocese and at the continental level before the opening of the usual Vatican gathering of prelates.

Pope Francis has decided the next world Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, which will take place in October 2022, will have the theme: "For a synodal church: Communion, participation and mission."