Throughout the Synodal Assembly here in Rome, a new method is being used for the first time. It’s called conversations in the Spirit, maybe you’ve heard of it already. ...read more

Since the beginning of this synodal process in 2021, “spiritual conversations” also known as “conversations in the Spirit” have emerged as the way of proceeding on the path of synodality. ...read more

The Instrumentum laboris places the theme of Co-responsibility in the mission at the centre of  discernment (B.2). It refers to the exchange between the churches regarding communion (IL  35) and mission (IL 22, 41). ...read more

The first thing to say about communion is that it is the reality of God’s own life, the being of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this sense, it is the most real thing there is: the ground of reality and source of the being of the Church.   ...read more

As the Holy Land is immersed in this violence and bloodshed, we remember that Jesus, the Son of God, who lived and walked there as Love Incarnate, through His teaching by word and deed, calls us as brothers and sisters to be always united by the bond of charity. ...read more

What can we expect from this current Synodal Process? Like in any process of authentic discernment that tries to hear God’s will, the short answer is that we don’t really know. ...read more

Today we begin to reflect on B.1 of the Instrumentum Laboris, ‘A Communion that radiates.’ The theme that emerged most frequently in our sessions last week was formation. So how can we all be formed for communion that overflows into mission? In John Chapter 4, we hear of the encounter of Jesus with the woman ...read more

The IL describes the Synod as a liturgical assembly in part to minimize the sense that it’s “a parliamentary structure with its dynamics of majority building” (#48). ...read more

The XVI General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of the Bishops is happening at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Among the over 400 participants at the Synod are participants from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. ...read more

To my mind, the most striking image from the Instrumentum Laboris happens to be the most traditional. ...read more