Synod Fatigue, by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, Nov 03, 2023

Last week, as this year’s meeting of the Synod on Synodality moved toward a close, I noticed that my Catholic friends were divided into two camps. Some were following the news from the Synod carefully. They would stop me after Mass and quiz me anxiously about the latest reports. Others were only vaguely (if at all) aware that the Synod was meeting. They were no less intelligent, no less serious about their faith. But they lived—as most good Catholics usually live—by the principle that one can sail on the barque of Peter without paying close attention to what’s happening in the engine room.

Although my work forced me to keep abreast of the Synod discussions, I grew more and more envious of my friends who weren’t taking notice of the Synod. That happy crew: free from the palaver, from the seemingly endless parade of people who talked about listening. This Synod, even more than previous synods during this unhappy pontificate, was enervating. …