Pope Francis has called the entire Church to hold synods so as to develop synodality. Every parish, every diocese, is asked to encounter the people within and without the parish, listen to each, and then discern what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do. This is really important and I feel that many Bishops in our country are not giving this a priority and some may not even be willing to listen to the people. The time line was to be October to April, but now has been extended to August 15, 2022 for the Bishops to learn from the diocesan synods and then the Bishops will meet and continue to discern together and finally there will be a Synod in Rome to discern decisions for the entire Church. The Holy Father wants us to learn how to listen to one another and then discern with the Holy Spirit.
Some Bishops have written to all in the diocese and have started the process, but others seem to be lagging and I wonder if it is because they do not really want to listen to all the people. In some countries where the synods are being held, the question of woman's participation in the Church is one that needs to be addressed; another question is how the laity are involved in safeguarding children and not allowing any abuse; other concerns are with evangelization, the poor, the right to life, etc.
Let us pray for our Bishops and for the process of the synods all over the world.
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