In an interview with Vatican News on Saturday, Söding stressed the importance of unity. "For us, deliberation and decision-making belong together. For us, commonality in decision-making is also part of this."

Söding's remarks come as the Synod on Synodality in Rome continues. It is highlighting the Church's focus on greater participation in decision-making processes.

Söding, Vice President of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), explained that the Church's decision-making structure is evolving to reflect a more collaborative approach.

"Participation, joint consultation, joint decision-making 'in Catholic style' - that is the tradition that we now want to continue" said the theology professor.

He noted that this aligns with efforts in Germany's Synodal Way, where deliberation and decision-making are closely intertwined. While acknowledging the distinct roles of bishops, priests and the laity, Söding underscored the need for commonality in reaching decisions.

The Catholic Church wants to stay together. "But we also need greater sovereignty to play on the respective local contexts so that unity and diversity can be brought into a good balance in a completely new way" Söding stressed.

Localised regulations warning

Söding went on to warn against creating a fragmented Church through localised regulations. "The Vatican should not use the synod to develop as many individual regulations as possible for as many individual countries as possible" he stated.

Pope Francis' decision to invite bishops, other men and women to the Synod of Bishops changed the atmosphere, said Söding. "New voices are being heard. People talk to each other differently, even when speaking as bishops."

Söding described the fact that people from the southern hemisphere also have their say at the Synod on Synodality as "a great asset for the Catholic Church, also in Europe".

The ongoing Synod discussions in Rome are focused on "Ways", part of the Instrumentum laboris document. It looks at the future organisation of decision-making in the Church.

Söding concluded by stating that Germany and Europe, more broadly, support these developments in the global Church.

Sources

English Katholisch

National Catholic Reporter

CathNews New Zealand

According to Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the General Relator of the Synod, the issue of women's priestly ordination was not included because it was not universally raised.

The Instrumentum laboris published recently reflects this view: "While some local Churches call for women to be admitted to the diaconal ministry, others reiterate their opposition" it says.

As a result, the topic will not be addressed during the Synod, but theological reflection on the matter will continue.

A study group has been established to explore the "necessary participation of women in the life and leadership of the Church". However, details about this group, including its membership, remain unclear.

The Vatican has announced that an official document addressing canon law and theological questions related to women's roles in the Church will be forthcoming. Still, no publication date has been set.

Delays, deferrals and further reflections

However, excluding women's ordination from the Synod's agenda has not silenced the debate.

Advocates like Jutta Mader-Schömer, Chairwoman of the Diaconate of Women Network, insisted "The topic simply cannot be kept under wraps, it must be discussed".

The network has actively contributed to the global Church dialogue. It emphasises that many women already serve in roles akin to deacons and feel called to this ministry.

Reform-oriented theologians, such as English theologian Tina Beattie, have criticised the continued delays and lack of transparency.

"And so, the process goes on - delays, deferrals, further reflections, unpublished reports - while the platitudinous waffle about women's charisms and gifts drones on year after year."

Beattie argues that while consensus on women deacons may be elusive, this should not hinder doctrinal development.

The conversation on women's ordination is not limited to theological circles. German bishops were questioned about the issue during the recent international altar servers' pilgrimage in Rome.

Bishop Michael Gerber called for a thorough theological examination of the arguments for and against women's ordination. However, he acknowledged that it is a highly emotional issue that could risk division within the Church.

Similarly, Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg cautioned against expecting immediate changes. He referenced Pope John Paul II's 1994 declaration that the Church is not authorised to ordain women.

Nonetheless, Meier affirmed that Pope Francis remains open to discussions and supports the appointment of more women to leadership roles within the Church.

Sources

Katholisch English

Religion News Service

CathNews New Zealand

These workshops are crucial in shaping discussions at the synod, which aims to make the Church more inclusive and participatory. This reflects the themes outlined in the Vatican's guiding document "Instrumentum Laboris".

Europe

In Europe, bishops will meet in Austria (August 29-31) to discuss how diversity can strengthen the Church amidst cultural challenges.

Pastoral theologian Klara-Antonia Csiszar said that diversity at all levels within the Catholic Church will be a key focus area of the meeting.

"We have attached importance to how diversity can be perceived in Europe" Csiszar said. "What message does this diversity have for the Church in Europe, what does it mean for our local churches, [and] what voice does the Church in Europe play in the symphony of the universal Church?"

Asia

The workshops in Bangkok (August 5-8) focused on fostering unity among diverse religious traditions in Asia. This is critical in a continent marked by significant religious plurality.

"Asia has nurtured a diversity of cultures and religions and, by embracing harmony, mutual appreciation and respect for differences, we can help the universal Church understand more about the experience of walking together amidst diversity" Cardinal Stephen Chow said.

Latin America

Latin American bishops met in Colombia (August 9-11) to examine the relationship between synodality and the Church's evangelising mission. They strongly emphasised areas facing social and economic hardships.

Archbishop of Caracas in Venezuela, Monsignor Raúl Biord, stated "Reducing mission to a missionary pastoral care as proposed in many of our diocesan organisational charts is unfocused and impoverishing".

"The true goal of synodality is the mission to which we are called (by the mandate of the Risen One), in which we are involved (from the Trinitarian dynamic) and committed (by baptism and the sacraments of Christian initiation)."

Africa

Discussions in Africa, at a meeting in Kenya (April 23-26), centred on integrating local cultural values into the Church's mission. This focus on community and interconnectedness could enrich the Church's approach to synodality and mission on the continent.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of SECAM and archbishop of Kinshasa, said "There was consensus among delegates that Africa must embrace the experience of Small Christian Communities and the rich philosophical principles of Ubuntu, which highlight the values of family, fraternity and solidarity".

These regional workshops align with Pope Francis' vision of a Church that listens and responds to its global community.

The October synod will bring together Church leaders and laypeople to discuss these themes further. Together, they will aim to shape the future direction of the global Church.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

That is what Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich (pictured), the relator general for next October's synod, said in this exclusive interview with America's Vatican correspondent.

He emphasised the importance of the working document's attention to affirming and promoting the role of women in the Church in the 21st century and said, "If women do not feel comfortable in the Church, we have failed our living as Christians."

He explained that "synodality is the path the church has to follow in order to fight the polarisation" that exists in the Church and world today by seeking to harmonise differences.

Cardinal Hollerich presented the instrumentum laboris together with Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the synod, at a press conference in the Vatican on July 9.

I sat down with him afterward at the office of the synod's secretariat on Via della Conciliazione.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich

The Luxembourg-born cardinal, who will turn 66 in August, is a member of the Japanese province of the Jesuits.

He lived in Japan from 1985-89 and again from 1994 to 2011, when Benedict XVI appointed him to be archbishop of Luxembourg.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2019, named him relator general for the synod in 2021 and appointed him to his council of nine cardinal advisors in 2023.

He is one of the most influential figures at the October synod, together with Cardinal Grech. As relator general, he will deliver the keynote address to the synod's opening plenary assembly in October and will preside over the drafting of its final text. Read more

• Gerard O'Connell is America's Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History.

Beattie criticised the lack of progress in an article published on Thursday by Sacred Heart University in the US.

Beattie's comments follow the release of a new working paper by the Vatican on the second session of the Synod on Synodality.

The document "Instrumentum laboris" highlighted that the topic of the diaconate for women remains contentious globally. This has led to its exclusion from the Synod's discussions.

Instead, the discussion on women's roles in church leadership will be "continued in an appropriate timeframe and in an appropriate manner".

However Beattie argued that requiring an all-church consensus for doctrinal changes is impractical.

"Some African bishops are entrenched in patriarchal cultures and values, but others have vocally supported the struggle of African women against patriarchy" she explained.

Women leaders in Africa

Beattie offered positive insights into the progress of women in Africa.

"My work with African women theologians has led me to believe that the church in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa offers many more opportunities for women's leadership and participation than their Western counterparts."

Beattie argued that, as women become more educated and assertive about their rights within secular contexts, it becomes increasingly intolerable for the Catholic hierarchy to maintain outdated attitudes towards women.

She expressed dissatisfaction with the Vatican's platitudinous waffle and romantic stereotypes, labelling them patronising and out of touch.

Despite her criticisms, Beattie affirmed her commitment to her Catholic faith. "But I no longer have the slightest interest in the claptrap of a celibate male hierarchy when it comes to women."

She is no longer interested in the Vatican, its synods and papers. "Maybe it's a kind of desperation, but it allows me to keep both my sanity and my faith."

Sources

Katholisch

CathNews New Zealand

The "Instrumentum Laboris," or "working document," is an initial plan for the second and final stage of the synod that Pope Francis called in 2021.

His aim was to promote dialogue in the Church and beginning with months of listening sessions at the parish and diocesan levels.

Among the most mentioned concerns were LGBTQ acceptance, combating sexual abuse, fighting poverty and violence, and women's roles in the Church.

"The contributions received at all stages highlighted the need to give fuller recognition to the charisms, vocation and role of women, to better honour this reciprocity of relations in all spheres of the Church's life," Tuesday's document stated.'

What's happened since last year

After last October's synod meeting, bishops and lay representatives met to produce a report on the synod that was sent to local churches for feedback and reflection.

Male and female religious organisations, 108 national bishops' conferences as well as nine participating Eastern rite churches then sent their reflections back to the Vatican's synod office.

A team of 70 experts, including canon lawyers and theologians, collaborated to draft the document released on Tuesday.

But while the topic of female participation and leadership is prevalent in the latest document, highly anticipated questions about allowing women to serve as deacons — ordained persons who can perform some of the sacraments and preach at Mass — will not be discussed at the gathering.

The Vatican has made that clear.

Asked about women in the diaconate in a May interview with CBS News, Francis pushed back, saying that women have functioned as deaconesses without ordination in the past, providing "a great service" to the Church.

Off the agenda

On Tuesday, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Vatican synod office, confirmed that women deacons would not be on the agenda at the synod.

"I read what the Holy Father said and so far it's a ‘no,'" Grech said at the news conference presenting the document on Tuesday.

"But at the same time, the Holy Father said that the reflection and in-depth theological analysis must go on."

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, who leads the European bishops' conference, also clarified that the synod will not be making a final decision on such matters.

"The synod will entrust its conclusions to the Holy Father," he said.

A synodal Church in mission

Indeed, Francis has already asked that this October's meeting focus on the question of "how to be a synodal church in mission," pushing off other hot button topics, including the welcoming of LGBTQ people, priestly celibacy and women's ordination, for study by 10 small groups, which will issue a single report in 2025.

The "Instrumentum Laboris" instructed participants to consider practical actions to realise Catholic women's "untapped" potential and to develop new possibilities for women at every level.

The document suggested creating new spaces where women may share their skills and insights, allowing for more women in decision-making roles, expanding religious women's roles and responsibility and increasing the women's leadership in seminaries and Church tribunals.

The document urged acceptance and embrace of diverse communities in the Church more generally.

It calls calling for greater lay participation, accessible liturgies and for the welcoming of marginalised groups.

The document also asked that language and images used in churches be "more inclusive."

Synod participants were asked to strengthen the role of councils of lay and religious people that assist parish priests in managing the community.

"This is one of the most promising areas on which to act for a swift implementation of the synodal proposals and orientations, leading to changes with an effective and rapid impact," the document read.

The authors of the document appear to recognize that the financial and clerical abuse scandals of recent years have tarnished the Church's reputation.

They call for more scrutiny of local churches to ensure transparency and accountability, suggesting that laypeople with experience in financial planning and audits be more involved.

To combat abuse, the authors proposed that Catholic congregations explain how they have implemented safeguards.

All these issues, the "Intrumentum Laboris" said, could be better dealt with through closer collaboration between dioceses and the national bishops' conferences.

If the Vatican can't solve the most contentious disagreements in the Church, the latest document seemed to project a softer approach on these issues.

"Sure, there have been tensions and conflicts," said the Rev. Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod.

He adds: "the Church is not homogeneous but harmonious."

On Tuesday, Costa said at the news conference: "It would be nice if everyone were able to put harmony first, and not ideas, ideologies or interests, that end up destroying what we claim we want to preserve."

Source

• RNS

Butler (pictured) will represent New Zealand's Catholic priests at the gathering from 28 April to 2 May.

He and 300 confreres from across the globe will share views and experiences at the "Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting".

Their input is being sought to help prepare for the Synod on Synodality's second session this October.

The parish priests were chosen because they meet the selection criteria set by the Vatican for bishops' conferences.

These criteria expect those selected to have "significant experience in the perspective of a synodal Church" while also ensuring attendees are from "a variety of pastoral contexts".

Priests views sought

Butler says he has written to New Zealand's priests recently explaining his trip's purpose.

While noting he can't possibly represent everyone, he wants them to tell him about how they are finding the synodal process.

He says he hasn't always been engaged with the process himself.

"While I wasn't hugely involved with the Synod process at the parish level when it began, when I became Local Administrator I became very involved."

He now sees the experience quite differently.

"It's a wonderful way to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to us from people whose voices are not always heard."

The meeting

During the five-day meeting, the parish priests will participate in roundtable discussions, liturgical celebrations, workshops on pastoral proposals, and dialogue with experts.

By listening to and valuing each other's experience of parish priests, they'll have the opportunity to experience and contribute to the "dynamism of synodal work at a universal level".

Their discussions will contribute to the Instrumentum Laboris - the working document for this October's synod assembly.

"I'm looking forward to the experience and the chance to meet Pope Francis there, something I never thought I would experience" he says.

Source

• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference

At the upcoming session, participants will continue to work on the theme "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission".

The pope has also set the dates for the second session which - after a two-day retreat for participants - will be held from 2 to 27 October this year.

This is the next stage of an initiative that was begun in October 2021 to reflect on the Catholic Church's future. It particularly focuses on how the Church communicates its message in today's societies.

The pope's study groups

To prepare for October's meeting, Pope Francis has asked for thematic study groups to be formed.

"These study groups are to be established by mutual agreement between the competent dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the General Secretariat of the Synod, to which coordination is entrusted" Francis says.

A Vatican source indicated that the themes the study groups will examine will be specified in early March.

There could be any number of these, as the synthesis report that followed the first synod assembly lists 75 different "matters for consideration".

The matters of consideration are those which could not find a consensus in the first synod assembly.

It defines them as as "points on which we have recognised that it is necessary to continue theological, pastoral and canonical deepening."

Among them are women's access to diaconal ministry, priestly celibacy and "Eucharistic hospitality" for interfaith couples.

The work during this second session is expected to lead to a significant methodological change, a Vatican source suggested.

Intercontinental commission

The synthesis report also calls for a "special intercontinental commission of theologians and canonists" to be established.

The commission's role would be to examine the definition and conceptual understanding of the "idea and practice of synodality" and its canonical implications.

It would also consider establishing a joint commission of Eastern and Latin theologians, historians and canonists.

Working document

The Vatican is reported as saying it hopes a first draft of the Instrumentum Laboris ("working document") for the October meeting will be ready by mid-June.

It will then be submitted to the pope who will decide which suggestions to endorse or set aside.

New faces in the synod secretariat

On Saturday Pope Francis appointed six new consultants to the General Secretariat of the Synod in addition to the current ten:

• Monsignor Alphonse Borras, Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese of Liège (Belgium)
• Gilles Routhier, professor of Theology at Université Laval (Canada)
• Ormond Rush, associate professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University
• Sister Birgit Weiler, MMS, professor of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
• Professor Tricia C. Bruce, president-elect of the Association for the Sociology of Religion
• Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer, professor of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

Source

• La Croix
• Catholic News Agency
• Vatican News

We are eager to know what the synod will decide on specific issues like blessing gay couples, ordaining women as deacons or priests and authorising married priests.

Spoiler alert: The synod will not decide on these topics this month; it will call for further prayer, conversation and research on controversial topics in preparation for the second session of the synod in October 2024.

Rather than focusing on these topics, Francis wants to overcome the polarisation in the church so it can be a true sign and instrument of communion with God and with humanity.

He wants the people of God to fulfill their responsibility to announce to the world the Good News of the Gospel, the love and mercy of God toward all humanity and indeed all creation. He wants the entire church to become synodal.

The synod is not an academic conference on the theology of synodality; it is an experience of synodality.

It is like the difference between a conference to discuss prayer and going on retreat to pray. It is the difference between talking about love and being in love.

As a result, no document will convey the result of the synod. It will not be enough to read any document that comes from the synod; Catholics must experience the synod, must do synod.

The best place to do this is in your parish.

Some of the African participants at the synod report that they are already doing it.

They have small Christian communities that meet weekly to converse about the Sunday Scriptures. They pray together and share their reflections.

This provides the groundwork for a synodal parish.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna acknowledged that the European church is lagging behind on such practices.

Every parish in America can have its own synodal experience by adapting the synodal process as described in "Methodology for the working groups," published by the general secretary of the synod.

The process begins with prayer.

In Rome, the synod members began with an ecumenical prayer service followed by a three-day retreat and an opening Mass.

While a three-day retreat is impractical for most U.S. parishes, they might benefit from the talks given by Timothy Radcliff during the retreat.

In any case, praying together is essential to the process.

Like the members of the synod, parishioners should be divided into groups of 10 members sitting at round tables.

In addition, at the synod, there was an experienced facilitator to guide the members of each group in the process.

The facilitator's job is not to impose his or her views on the group but to be an impartial moderator who encourages respectful listening and makes sure everyone is able to participate.

Each group also chooses a secretary to draft a report of the group's discussions.

The actual work of the small groups involves "conversation in the Spirit" on the question they want to discern.

The question could be a decision facing the parish or any of the topics (Communion, Mission, Participation) outlined in the synod working paper or Instrumentum Laboris.

Perhaps most fruitful would be reflection on the questions that come out of the first session of the synod, which ends this week.

At the synod, the question for consideration was laid out for the groups in a talk before they began their conversations in the Spirit. Something similar could be done for a parish discernment.

Before meeting in small groups, each participant is asked to prayerfully prepare his or her own contribution to the question "by entrusting oneself to the Father, conversing in prayer with the Lord Jesus and listening to the Holy Spirit."

When the group meets, going around the table, each person has four minutes to speak from his or her own experience and prayer.

This is more about sharing experiences than articulating arguments.

Jesuit Brother Ian Cribb, who has led many communal discernments, suggests each participant begin by saying, "In my prayer, I …" The group listens attentively to each participant but does not immediately respond.

The group then pauses for a few minutes of silent prayer and reflection.

This reflection is not followed by debate. Nor is it the time to add what you did not get a chance to say the first time around.

Rather, "from what others have said, each one shares what has resonated most with him or her or what has aroused the most resistance in him or her, allowing himself or herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit: ‘When listening, did my heart burn within me?'"

Brother Cribb suggests that as they go around the table the second time, each participant's short intervention begin with, "I heard in the group …" or "I was moved by …."

This is followed by another period of silent prayer and reflection.

The group then engages in open "dialogue on the basis of what emerged earlier in order to discern and gather the fruit of the conversation in the Spirit."

At this point participants can say what they will. The purpose is not to force agreement but "to recognise intuitions and convergences; to identify discordances, obstacles and new questions; to allow prophetic voices to emerge."

If multiple groups are involved, then each group reports its work to the others in a plenary session. Everyone should feel represented in the report from their group.

After listening to all the reports, the groups meet again to reflect on what they have heard.

They then distill the fruits of the plenary session and formulate a final report, including proposals for next steps.

Such a process is a far cry from a parish meeting presided over by the pastor who announces and defends his preordained decisions.

It is also different from a meeting where people loudly argue with each other over what is going on in the parish or debate other church topics. Such meetings often lead to more polarisation, not less.

Pope Francis is offering a better way. Are we willing to try it?

• Thomas Reese SJ is a senior analyst at Religion News Service, and a former columnist at National Catholic Reporter, and a former editor-in-chief of the weekly Catholic magazine America. First published in RNS.
• First published in Religion News Service. Republished with permission.

This is the subject of the third module, dedicated to section B2 of the Instrumentum laboris, or working document, which is being addressed starting today.

B2 reads: "Co-responsibility in Mission: How can we better share gifts and tasks in the service of the Gospel?"

In his reflection, the relator general concluded that "in this module, we touch on some of the key points of our Synod" and thus asked those present not to give "hasty answers that do not consider all the aspects of these difficult questions."

Read More

The Vatican has drawn the faithful from across the globe, including bishops and cardinals, for the month-long synod.

The synod, arising from a comprehensive global consultation of Catholics, addresses pressing issues within the Church including women's ordination and the inclusion of LGBTQ individuals.

The working document guiding discussions at the synod, Instrumentum Laboris, acknowledges the appeals for the female diaconate.

This proposal would permit women to oversee Mass but not administer sacraments such as the Mass and Confession.

"When we received the Instrumentum Laboris we were very hopeful," said Kate McElwee, the executive director of Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW).

However, women's ordination advocates worry that limiting the discussion to the diaconate, without any mention of the words "ordination" or "ministry," was a way of "constraining the Holy Spirit."

Despite this concern, McElwee believes the event could be "a synod of surprises."

In the lead-up to the synod, the US Bishops' Conference invited McElwee to speak about female ordination to US delegates.

"Invitations from the institutional church are new to our movement and signal a novelty," McElwee said. She added that the synod "not only looks different, but feels different."

During the vigil titled "Let Her Voice Carry," several women shared their deep emotional struggles within the Church. Patrizia Morgante, a member of the Italian group Donne per la Chiesa ("Women for the Church") questioned how Church limitations affected her and other women.

Morgante highlighted a sense of incomplete acceptance and a perception that being a woman was seen as an obstacle to full participation in the Church's life.

"I still believe in the Church," Morgante said in her testimony. "I hope and dream of [a] Church that is a safe space for women and men to express their full vocation as [witnesses] of Jesus."

Sources

Religion News Service

National Catholic Reporter

CathNews New Zealand

Flores (pictured) is a member of the global assembly's preparatory commission.

He says the Synod aims to share Christ and his Gospel more effectively. We can't respond with the Gospel if we don't know the reality people face, he says.

"We can't respond to the air."

He says the synod is designed to teach Catholics to speak with one another - not past one another..

"It's that basic ... Sometimes we're not even addressing the same issues, even though we're using similar words.

"There's a need to hear, think and pray, and hopefully the synod will suggest ... we can integrate certain ways by which respectfully things can be spoken without fear.

"The church can afford to be realistic about what people think - there's no need to be afraid of what people think," Flores says.

"There are voices in the church that are also the voices of our own history, of our own tradition, of our own previous experience — and that too has to be taken into account," he added.

"If we do this right … in our own local churches, we can develop a style of listening and decision-making that involves more hearing from people 'in the trenches,' ..." he says.

Issues of importance to the universal church are being discussed "ultimately so we can be effective in the missionary work of the church," he said.

"The communion of the church is at the heart of it — how we talk to each other, how we work together, how we listen to each other, how we make decisions in the local church and even the universal church" he said.

"There's a way to do that that is uniquely in keeping with the way of Christ, and that's what the synod will be asking about.

"It's really a 'how' question: How can we do this?"

Flores is also leading the US Bishops Conference on the synod process.

Source

• The Florida Catholic

The working document (Instrumentum Laboris) for the Synod of Bishops, a result of a comprehensive process involving the participation of the entire church, is a testament to the church's commitment to inclusivity and dialogue, he says.

Faggioli is a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University.

Commenting in the National Catholic Reporter, Faggioli accuses conservative Catholic influencer Ross Douthat of a very basic error - getting the working document's status wrong.

He also points out that the working document is not a document of the Church's teaching authority.

Faggioli says the document's primary focus is to foster a culture of dialogue and participation within the church.

It emphasises the importance of listening to everyone's voice, irrespective of their status or position within the church.

Faggioli takes issue with conservative critics who say that the document is not biased towards any agenda, but encourages open dialogue and participation which are fundamental to the church's mission and crucial for the growth and development of the church.

"For the first time since Vatican II, and more than for the preparation of Vatican II, there has been an in-depth back and forth between the local churches and the leaders of the synod.

"The text represents this and puts the issues on the table without regard to taboos.

"The only issue it explicitly leaves out is the possibility of the ordination of women to the priesthood which, if put on the agenda today, would light the fuse of the anti-synodal and schismatic organisers instantly," he says.

Source

• NCR

This "Instrumentum Laboris" ("instrument of work" in Latin), is intended to help the synodal assembly's 370 members in their reflection.

"Church," "Synod" and "how" are some of the words that come up most often in the document. Aleteia explains the synod through the most recurring words in the text.

Church, Ecclesial - 484 repetitions

"The aim of this synodal process is to help the Church get to know herself better," said Cardinal Mario Grech, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, at the presentation of the working document.

In this synod "on the future of the Church," the Church is both subject and object, as it is made up of the "people of God" united by the same baptism and capable of walking together.

The same applies to the working document, which is "not a document of the Holy See, but of the Church as a whole," emphasized the Maltese cardinal.

Synod, Synodal, Synodality - 342

Synodality is difficult to define but it is a way of functioning or of living of the Church.

Synodality, "walking together," is a reality inspired by the early days of Christianity and revived by Pope Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council.

The Synod refers to an institution, the Synod of Bishops, which is an assembly set up by the Pope at the level of the universal Church to study a specific subject and submit proposals to him. Synods can also take place at the national or diocesan level.

The novelty of this "Synod on Synodality" lies in Francis' challenge to force the Church to question its own functioning and structures.

How - 196

One of the distinctive features of this document is the large number of questions it invites the Church to ask itself, in order to find solutions and reflect on a number of issues.

The 50-page document is dotted by 274 question that touch various themes evoked by Catholics across the world.

Another important aspect of the working document is its methodological dimension, which sets out to explain "how" to discern and act in order to achieve greater synodality.

Mission, missionary - 142

"Mission" is one of the three key concepts accompanying the reflection on becoming a synodal Church.

In the working document, the term mission was purposefully placed at the center of the other two concepts, which are communion (48 repetitions) and participation (50 repetitions).

According to Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the relator general of the Synod, this is because the missionary reality of the Church is "an important aspect present as much in communion and participation" and therefore is supposed to link these two dimensions.

The Church needs to pursue its mission more effectively, and therefore to be more "missionary," meaning more open to the world in order to proclaim the Good News.

God, Lord - 124

The Church moves forward in this Synod as the People of God, a community that bases its approach on the divine filiation of each of its members through baptism.

The Spirit of God is at work here, and must be invoked by all participants.

The term "God" is used more often than the name "Jesus," which appears 14 times, and "Christ," which is used 35 times. Continue reading

The document, called Instrumentum Laboris (Latin for "working document"), is based on the input gathered from a two-year worldwide global synod, where Catholics were invited to share their vision for the church's future.

The comprehensive document covers a wide range of topics, including granting decision-making power to women and exploring the possibility of allowing their ordination.

It also addresses the prospect of allowing married men to become priests in remote areas.

With 33 pages of thought-provoking questions, the Vatican seeks to facilitate meaningful discussions on important issues.

One of the questions asks how the church can create safe spaces where individuals who have felt marginalised or unwelcome can find acceptance, ask questions freely and not face judgment.

The Vatican document also delves into matters concerning LGBTQ+ individuals and others who may feel excluded from the church due to their status or sexuality.

It also poses the question of what concrete steps can be taken to foster a more inclusive environment for remarried divorcees, those in polygamous marriages and LGBTQ+ people.

"Who am I to judge"

This progressive approach is evidenced by the document's use of the term "LGBTQ+ persons," which signifies a departure from the traditional terminology of "persons with homosexual tendencies."

This shift in language reflects Pope Francis' remark from a decade ago: "Who am I to judge?"

An upcoming assembly in October, which will be attended by bishops and laypeople, will build upon the groundwork laid by the Instrumentum Laboris.

It will serve as a platform for reflecting and discussing the church's future.

Notably, Pope Francis' decision in April to allow women delegates to vote at the assembly represents a significant reform.

In addition, the Vatican is considering including women as department heads within the Holy See's central administration through a new constitution.

The document also highlights the need to renew and reform the church's procedures, institutional arrangements and structures to enable greater recognition and participation of women, including in governance and decision-making processes.

The role of women as deacons is a significant consideration within this context.

At the conclusion of the synod, Pope Francis will pen an Apostolic Exhortation, an official document that will articulate his views and recommendations.

The series of questions presented in the Instrumentum Laboris will guide the discussions during the assembly, with delegates from both the clergy and the laity participating in round table conversations.

Sources

US News

CathNews New Zealand

It is is not official church teaching, he says.

It is a way for bishops to listen to the local church's concerns.

The working document ( also called the Instrumentum Laboris) "isn't a document of the synod, it is for the synod," Hummes told journalists.

"It is the voice of the local church, the voice of the church in the Amazon: of the church, of the people, of the history and of the very earth, the voice of the earth," he said.

Hummes and Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, responded to a journalist's questions about criticisms against the synod and its working document.

The Vatican-based synod, which began on Sunday and will continue for most of this month, will focus on "Amazonia: New paths for the church and for an integral ecology."

In June, German Cardinal Walter Brandmuller published an essay in which he accused the synod's working document of being heretical.

This is because it refers to the rainforest as a place of divine revelation, he wrote.

He also criticized the synod for its plans to get involved in social and environmental affairs.

Other critics, U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke and Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan, voiced similar accusations in a released on 12 September.

In this, they cited "serious theological errors and heresies" in the synod's working document.

In response, Baldisseri said, "if there is a cardinal or a bishop who does not agree, who sees that there is content that does not correspond (to church teaching), well then, in the meantime I would say that it is necessary to listen and not judge because it isn't a magisterial document."

Baldisseri explained while he believes everyone should be free to express their disagreement, he also thinks it is inappropriate "that a judgment should be made about a document that isn't a pontifical document.

"This is just a working document that will be given to the synod fathers," he said.

"And that will be the basis to begin the work and build the final document from zero. It's also known as a ‘martyred document.'"

Hummes said the synod's working document arose from the church's desire to listen to the local church in the Amazon.

"The church didn't do it for the sake of doing it to only ignore them," he daid.

"No! If it was done, it was so that (the church) could to listen to them. This is the synodal path: to seriously listen."

Source

• Catholic News Service
• Image: America Magazine

"What is the Amazonian face? Can a synod next October of this magnitude be built with a presentation so far from reality, from identity, from respect for what is different, when pre-established schemes of interpretation of reality deform what is real?" he questioned.

Bishop emeritus José Luis Azcona, says the Instrumentum fails to address the Church's most pressing challenges: a growing Pentacostal majority; child labour, abuse and trafficking; and a spiritual crisis.

The growing Pentecostal majority (in some parts eighty percent) is important because "the Amazon, at least the Brazilian Amazon, is no longer Catholic," Azcona says.

The Pentecostal church has moved into several indigenous ethnic groups, overrunning cultures, ethnic identities and indigenous peoples in the name of the Gospel. This is a serious phenomenon in today's Amazon, Azcona says.

Another serious issue is child abuse - also overlooked in the Instrumentum.

"Unfortunately, the synod doesn't know... the faces of anguished, re-victimized and denigrated children, [abused] by their own parents and relatives, subjected to a slavery that forms an essential part of the abandoned and destroyed face of Jesus ...

"Where is the pastoral sensitivity, so evident and so firmly expressed by the Holy Father Pope Francis, expressed by those responsible for the Instrumentum laboris?" he asked.

Azcona is critical of the Instrumentum's themes around the inculturation of the Gospel in the Amazon region.

These "are presented in a context of immanence, Neo-Pelagianism, leveling out the Gospel with Amazonian (indigenous) cultures, ecclesiologically devoid of theological and pastoral foundations, annulling the Gospel of salvation."

"Forgetting this fundamental principle renders the synod useless and nullifies the specific and unique power of God in the Gospel, as well as all missionary dynamism ...".

Azcona says "the need for repentance for the forgiveness of sins is the fundamental challenge the Church has to face in the Amazon.

Turning to the ordination of "viri probati" to serve in the Amazon, Azcona says it will be useless because the Church everywhere needs repentance, conversion, the faith that saves.

"Why ordain viri probati within a priesthood in crisis?" he asked.

"... Let's not entertain a discussion on the legitimacy of these questions. What is certain is an affirmative response would open up the risk of a division, of a real schism in the Church."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

The full text of the letter dated 1 August was posted last Friday evening by the ‘Cardinal George Pell Supporters' Twitter account.

Prison authorities are investigating whether Pell broke Melbourne Assessment Prison rules by posting the letter.

A Department of Justice and Community Safety spokeswoman on Saturday said prisoners are denied any access to the internet or social media, and it is a prison offence to "commission other individuals to post something on social media on behalf of a prisoner".

There has been no comment as to whether Pell asked his supporters to pass on his letter to a wider audience.

The Twitter account has since been taken down.

Critical of Amazonian Synod

In the handwritten, signed letter, Pell criticises the agenda of the upcoming synod on the Amazon.

"We have reason to be disturbed by the Instrumentum Laboris of the Amazonian Synod," writes Pell.

He calls the Instrumentum a "low-quality document".

The Instrumentum, which has been the source of considerable discussion and commentary, includes discussion, for example, on the subject of ordaining viri probati, (married men, to answer a shortage of priestly vocations).

It also calls for "a Church with an indigenous face," and recommends the synod identify "an official ministry that can be conferred upon women, taking into account the central role they play in the Amazonian church".

Cardinal Müller has written "an excellent critique" of the Instrumentum, Pell writes.

Noting he doesn't know the Amazon region, Pell says in his letter: "One point is fundamental, the Apostolic Tradition, the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, taken from the New Testament and taught by Popes and Councils, by the Magisterium, is the only criterion doctrinally for all teaching on doctrine and practice."

"Amazon or no Amazon, in every land, the Church cannot allow any confusion, much less any contrary teaching, to damage the Apostolic Tradition," he said.

Life in prison

Pell says prison life is helping him develop his faith and compares his suffering to that of Jesus.

"My faith in our God, like yours, is a source of strength," his letter says.

"The knowledge that my small suffering can be used for good purposes through being joined to Jesus' suffering gives me purpose and direction.

"Challenges and problems in Church life should be confronted in a similar spirit of faith."

Pell says he's received between 1500 and 2000 letters since his imprisonment, and that messages from his supporters have brought him "immense consolation, humanly and spiritually" while he awaits a decision on his appeal.

Sources

• The Age
• National Catholic Register
• ABC News
• The Australian
• Image: The Courier

The Instrumentum Laboris was released by the Vatican on June 23.

It includes portions of the final document from the 2014 synod and is also informed by responses from bishops' conferences and others to questions about marriage and family.

The working document tries to balance a sense of openness and mercy with criticism of modern societies and ways of life.

It calls for a style of communication open to dialogue and free from prejudice toward Catholics who do not appear to be living in accordance with Church teaching.

The Church's role, it says, is to accompany families as Christ did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

"For the Church it's about starting from the concrete situations of families of today, all are in need of mercy, beginning with those who suffer most."

It acknowledges there was a "common agreement" among bishops for the discussion of some sort of new process to welcome divorced and remarried people.

The 78-page document mentions suggestions that there could be some sort of "penitential path" for people who have been divorced and remarried without first obtaining annulments, in order to allow them access to the sacraments.

But the document notes other opinions that such a path would require such people to refrain from having sex in their new relationships before they could take Communion.

Archbishop Bruno Forte, special secretary to the synod, said the gathering's role is not to give a "yes or no" answer to the question of whether divorced and remarried Catholics should be allowed to receive Communion.

Rather, it is to reflect on the questions as bishops.

Elsewhere, the text says that diocesan pastoral plans should offer "accompaniment" to homosexual Catholics and their families.

While reaffirming the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, it says that people with homosexual tendencies must be treated with respect and sensitivity.

The working document covers a wide range of areas affecting family life.

Sources

• The Tablet
• National Catholic Reporter
• Catholic World News
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Newvision

Fr Thomas Reese said "for anyone familiar with the 1980 synod on the family, reading the new [document] fosters a feeling of déjà vu".

The same issues are discussed, the same factors are blamed for problems and the same solutions are proposed, he argued on the National Catholic Reporter website.

"Granted the return of all these old topics in the new 'instrumentum laboris', one could conclude that the 1980 synod on the family was a failure, but it is not clear how this new synod will do any better," Fr Reese wrote.

He did concede that "unlike the 1980 instrumentum laboris, this new working document does not blame dissident theologians for the failure of the laity to accept Church teaching on sexual ethics".

"Rather, it admits that the sexual abuse crisis and lavish living by clerics have hurt the Church's moral credibility."

Fr Reese singled out one problematic area in which the document admits the Church is struggling to defend its teaching in the court of public opinion.

The Church for centuries has used the concept of "natural law" to defend its teaching, but the working paper confesses that "the concept of natural law today turns out to be, in different cultural contexts, highly problematic, if not completely incomprehensible".

As a result, "the natural law is perceived as an outdated legacy", the document laments.

It reports that "in not only the West, but increasingly every part of the world, scientific research poses a serious challenge to the concept of nature".

"Evolution, biology and neuroscience, when confronted with the traditional idea of the natural law, conclude that it is not 'scientific'."

Fr Reese observed that the working document admits this has serious consequences for Church teaching.

"The demise of the concept of the natural law tends to eliminate the interconnection of love, sexuality and fertility, which is understood to be the essence of marriage," the working paper says.

In the October synod, bishops will discuss feedback from the Vatican questionnaire sent out last year.

Another larger synod next year will formulate proposals on Church action to be forwarded to the Pope.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Catholic Herald
• Image: PBS