The Church of What’s Happening Next, by Robert B. Greving

The Vatican announced recently that the next synod of bishops will now extend over a two-year period of various “phases.” According to Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, the hope is to turn the synod from “being an event into a process.” This worries me.

The idea of a sort of “permanent synod” of bishops achieved prominence from the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (which by itself should make us reach for our Catechism). Martini’s vision, apparently shared by Pope Francis, is that this type of “on-going synod” would allow for a less-centralized Church and a “wider participation of the people of God.” …

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