Pope Francis opened the synodal process at the Vatican Oct. 9-10, leading to the launch of the listening process in dioceses worldwide Oct. 17. The pope has described the synodal path in advance of the Synod of Bishops in fall 2023 as a journey in which the entire church must be invited to participate.
How Bishop Seitz has led his diocese in responding with mercy and compassion to those seeking refuge in the United States, and how he has become a voice for migrants, brought him to Wisconsin Oct. 11 to receive the 2021 St. Norbert Ambassador of Peace Award.
A new version of the Click to Pray 2.0 app, available for iOS and Android phones, encourages prayers for the Synod of Bishops. The app is an initiative of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
As Sister Anne sees it, discussion about the Real Presence is a way for God to work because it shows how “Catholics need to be awakened to the understanding —more than head knowledge” of what they are receiving in the Eucharist.
Two U.S. bishops spoke recently on a recorded video roundtable produced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to further explain just what the bishops hope to achieve through the upcoming revival and document on the Eucharist.
A synod calls on everyone to become experts in “the art of encounter” in a way that is uplifting and transformative, Pope Francis said, formally opening the process leading up to the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2023.
While a Synod of Bishops is not a parliament and its preparatory process is not “an opinion poll,” Pope Francis insisted that involving as many people as possible in the process and prayerfully listening to all of them is the only way to recognize the call of the Holy Spirit.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ planned multiyear eucharistic revival project will help the church address several of the challenges facing it, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in an Oct. 5 address to the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference’s annual meeting.
