“Jesus is himself the way, and therefore, both in the liturgical journey (of Lent) and in the journey of the synod, the church does nothing other than enter ever more deeply and fully into the mystery of Christ the savior,” the pope said in his message for Lent, which begins Feb. 22 for Latin-rite Catholics.
Related to the Synod of Bishops’ goal of promoting a church where people listen to one another and work together to share the Gospel and care for the poor, a Vatican dicastery is asking: How do clergy and laity walk and work side by side?
The Church of England is planning to debate the introduction of liturgy that refers to persons of the Holy Trinity “in a non-gendered way” instead of using male pronouns.
Catholic delegates have praised the conciliatory atmosphere of debates on the church’s future direction at a continental assembly preparing Europe’s recommendations for October’s Rome Synod on Synodality.
“The love for people’s Catholic faith and their Catholic identity abounds in the meetings. It’s so present, and it underlies everything,” said Julia McStravog, a theologian and co-coordinator of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ team for the continental phase of the synod.
Vatican officials sent a letter to Bishop Bätzing to say the bishops do not have the authority to create a synodal body that supersedes the authority of the bishops’ conference.
Cardinal Hollerich noted that the document for the current continental phase of the synod acknowledged the tensions in the Catholic Church but also insisted that, if the church is a tent, tension on the lines is needed to hold it up.
Pope Francis in October of this year announced a second session for October 2024, saying he did not want to rush the process of discerning how the Holy Spirit is calling the church to grow in synodality.
