The Synod and the Presidential Election — Which Outcome Matters Most? by The National Catholic Register

A pair of prominent and protracted processes are about to conclude, within just over one  week of each other — the multiyear global Synod on Synodality and the 2024 presidential election.

As they wind up, U.S. Catholics ought to reflect on which of these two outcomes is likely to prove the most significant.

The answer is: It depends.

If the Synod on Synodality definitively reshapes the missionary ability of the Catholic Church, either for better or for worse, that will be the more important outcome. That’s because the Church’s divine mission, granted to it nearly 2,000 years ago by Jesus himself, is the salvation of souls. And nothing, including who wins control of the White House for the next four years, can ever be as crucial as our eternal destiny.

Since the start of his papacy, Pope Francis has proclaimed the need for a more synodal Church, one that gives a much greater voice to the laity and listens with greater attentiveness to all of humanity — including estranged Catholics, the adherents of other religions, and those who don’t believe in God at all. Armed by this attentiveness, the Holy Father believes, the Church of the third millennium will be far better equipped to serve as a “field hospital” to today’s confused and hurting world. …