The life of the Catholic Church in 2024 is filled with forks in the road, most of them placed there by our reforming pontiff, Pope Francis. As the pope pushes ahead with his effort to recall the church to Gospel basics — God’s redeeming mercy and grace, concern for the poor and the outcast, holiness and catholicity — American Catholics are faced with a well-financed, well-organized opposition for whom “the basics” are a series of culture war issues.
Synodality has emerged as the leading vehicle for ecclesial reform and the preparations for the second session of the synod, as well as the synod itself in October, will dominate the year. Those preparations got a belated start. Generally, the synod organizers have done a great job but it was shocking that, at the synod’s close, they had no instructions ready for the local churches to follow up and prepare for this year’s gathering. Over a month later, on Dec. 12, the synod office made public a document that encouraged “further consultation” at the local level, with the synthesis document used as a “reference point.”
By then, of course, the worldwide media attention the synod had generated in October was largely dissipated.
We will see how much “further consultation” actually occurs. Will dioceses that barely engaged the synodal process now step up to the plate? Will bishops lead synodal discussions about some of the issues identified in the synthesis document? It will be especially interesting to see if bishops engage the important discussion about formation, especially the formation of seminarians. Will pastoral councils become more effective? Will discussions about the role of women become serious or remain formulaic? Will legal artifacts like corporation sole, which vests all church property in the person of the bishop, be discarded for more synodal arrangements?
To read more CLICK HERE.
Thanks to National Catholic Reporter.
