NCR, Joan Frawley Desmond: WASHINGTON — When Pope Francis announced last year that the Synod of Bishops would shift its focus from more traditional topics, like evangelization, to tackle the very meaning of synodality itself, the Vatican rolled out plans for an unprecedented two-year synodal process that would begin with local diocesan consultations across the globe and culminate with an October 2023 assembly in Rome.
“The fullness of the synodal process can only truly exist if the local churches are involved [in] that process,” stated a communiqué issued by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, which presented the new topic at hand: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” Report is here.
