Father Joseph Friend of the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark., and Father Artur Bubnevych of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix share their thoughts ahead of participating in a delegation of 300 parish priests who will share their thoughts with the synod
Five U.S. priests will travel to Rome in April to share their experiences of parish life with the ongoing Synod of Bishops on synodality.
The group -- selected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as part of a 300-member worldwide delegation --
Synodality is a key theme of Pope Francis' pontificate and its importance to the church's mission can be seen in the American church's response to policy issues including migration, said experts in a Georgetown University panel discussion marking the pontiff's 11th anniversary.
The first assembly of the synod on synodality demonstrated that an effective way to break the chains of clericalism and highlight the voices and experience of women in the church is to begin by listening and praying together before discussing issues, said
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.
The cardinal addressed "The Role of the Synodal Bishop" in a
Sociologist Tricia C. Bruce has dedicated her career to trying to understand American Catholics' attitudes and behavior. She will draw on that experience in her new role as a consultor to the General Secretariat of the Synod, which she expects to include
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.
The Vatican announced the dates for the
The Synod on Synodality, "a meeting about meetings," as it has been called, is primarily a process for becoming a better church, said Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory during a Feb. 4 gathering of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
The synod
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.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, leads the "John 14 and Synodality" webinars, with the four sessions taking place
Proposals from the Synod on Synodality can be judged by whether they call men and women to holiness, as the church does more work "to ensure a genuinely Catholic understanding of synodality, inclusion and discernment," Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney has written.
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