The Second Session of the Synod on Synodality Begins with a Retreat and Penitential Liturgy and the Reports from the Study Groups
Just like the first session of the Synod last year, this year’s meeting began with a two-day retreat. The retreat concluded with a special penitential liturgy on October 1, during which seven cardinals read petitions for forgiveness that Pope Francis had written himself. He stated, “How can we be a synodal Church without reconciliation?” and that the church must “restore trust in the Church, a trust shattered by our mistakes and sins, and begin to heal the wounds.” The petitions included areas such as sexual abuse and its concealment, support for peace, respect for life, unequal treatment of women, concern for the poor, using Church teaching as weapons to hurl at others, and recognizing the dignity and role of every baptized person in the Church. On the first regular day of the Synod, the preliminary reports of the study groups were presented to the synod assembly through both videos and written documents. How these reports and the more controversial subjects that some of them cover will enter into the discussions of the small groups and any decisions of the whole synod is an area to be watched as the Synod progresses. But how much these issues will override the focus of the synod on Synodality itself is yet to be seen. The most anticipated report from the study groups was the one from the group charged with recommendations regarding the status of women in the ministerial work of the Church, including the possibility of women deacons. A couple of things seem apparent:
How the Synod will be able to continue to develop the synodal decision-making process and whether they will attempt to apply it to some of the complex issues of the study groups will be something to watch over the coming month. Whether they will even attempt to accomplish any of that in just a month is an open question. Next Time: The general sessions and the synodal process for the 10-member table groups Click here to start from part 1 of our coverage of the second Synod session. Want to learn more? Check out our series on the Synod on Synodality, from the first session, to our parish listening sessions, to today! Comments are closed.
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