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Prayer for the synod
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The Church is listeningWASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Francis is inviting Catholics both in the mainstream of church life and on the margins to voice their dreams, ideas and concerns in preparation for the Synod of Bishops in 2023. The process launched Oct. 17 in parishes and dioceses worldwide.
Bishop Brendan Cahill opened the synod in the DIocese of Victoria at 9 a.m. Mass on Oct. 24.
Under the theme "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission," the pope is calling the church to practice synodality, that is listening to -- and hearing -- one another in all facets of church life, two of the coordinators of the effort at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told Catholic News Service. The October opening "is just the first step in a larger, longer-term process of really incorporating the fruits of Vatican II and becoming a synodal church," said Julia McStravog, a former USCCB employee who is a consultant to the bishops on the process.
"We're going to have consultation. It's also going to be a learning process about how to actually engage in a synodal way," McStravog explained. The launch begins a two-year process that culminates in the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. The synod is expected to adopt a final document that will guide the continuing development of a synodal church going into the future.
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