The Synod on Synodality

Article

The Synodal Journey Continues

The good news is that we are still a Vatican II Church: thanks to Francis, efforts by some to shape the Church in an anti-conciliar way have failed.

By Massimo Faggioli

November 8, 2023

Synodality

Pope Francis

Bishops

Article

Synodality Works

In the early decades of the twenty-first century, historians will say, the Church sought a new way of operating that would allow it to travel into a new era.

By Austen Ivereigh

November 7, 2023

Feature

Synodality & Catholic Amnesia

Catholic synodality has a long, rich history. Understanding that history will help the Church flourish.

By Shaun Blanchard

October 9, 2023

Synodality

Pope Francis

Vatican II

Article

False Fears about the Synod

The Synod needs every bit of constructive help it can get. But mischaracterizing the Instrumentum is not helpful. Nor is raising the specter of Joachim of Fiore.

By Peter Steinfels

August 9, 2023

Synodality

Pope Francis

Theology

Article

A Crucial Absence

Is the Cross absent from the Synod on Synodality’s working document? Robert P. Imbelli responds to Peter Steinfels.

By Robert P. Imbelli

August 16, 2023

Religion

Pope Francis

Synodality

Article

A Good Start for the Synod...

The Synod recognized the urgency of including women more fully in the Church, but its conclusions left much to be desired.

By Frank Brennan

November 8, 2023

Synodality

Women in the Church

Bishops

Article

Developing the Voice of the Laity

Synodality shows us how the Holy Spirit is at work through the laity, requiring patience and persistence from those in leadership positions.

By Kayla August

September 11, 2023

Synodality

The Last Word

Article

Can Francis Get Catholics to Care About Ecology?

What if the starting point of ecological transformation is death instead of life?

By César J. Baldelomar

October 1, 2023

Article

From the outset, it became obvious that the people of God find clericalism a major obstacle to communion, mission, and participation in the life and works of the Church.

Women Deacons?

By Phyllis Zagano

July 23, 2023

Feature

Making Change from the Ground Up

Faith-rooted community organizing, with its emphasis on building relationships and developing practical strategies, can help us think about synodality.

By Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz

July 1, 2022

Synodality

U.S. Catholicism

Social Justice

Article

Trusting LGBTQ+ students

Diocesan policies targeting LGBTQ+ students must change. The Synod can help.

By Nick Fagnant

October 22, 2023

Article

Pope Francis’s Vision for the Church

Through his focus on synodality, Pope Francis is helping the Church walk together on a path of renewal.

By Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv.

July 5, 2023

Article

Listening to the Synod

A synodal report from the American bishops reflects fears that the Church has become too “judgmental.” But a Church that does not judge cannot bear moral witness.

By Paul Baumann

November 5, 2022

Synodality

Pope Francis

Bishops

Article

Cardinal McElroy on the Voices of Synodal Dialogue

Cardinal Robert McElroy reflects on the eight major marks of a synodal Church and their importance in shaping the future.

By Robert W. McElroy

March 24, 2023

Pope Francis

Synodality

Article

Are We Protagonists Yet?

If the Church wants women to be its allies, it will need to recognize them as protagonists—full subjects with the agency to respond to the call of the Gospel.

By Susan Bigelow Reynolds

December 9, 2022

Synodality

Women in the Church

Vatican

Article

When we do introductions and talk about why we’re here, I’m the first to answer. But I make the mistake of speaking politically.

Whose Voices Will Be Heard?

By Gabriella Wilke

August 16, 2022

Synodality

U.S. Catholicism

Women in the Church

Article

Unexcused Absence

Universities must be involved in the synodal process, not just for the sake of the synod but also for the mission of Catholic higher education.

By Massimo Faggioli

January 28, 2022

Article

Pitching Tents for No One

If the institutional Church takes seriously the call to synodality, then its clergy must be willing to humbly consider the Spirit that moves its people.

By Claudia Avila Cosnahan

March 13, 2022

Synodality

U.S. Catholicism

Lent