Rocco whispered this on his Twitter feed today. I appreciated Belgian bishop Johan Bonny’s long, but worthwhile essay containing his reflections and hopes for the upcoming synod. It struck me as balanced, pastoral, and thoughtful. Well worth reading. It gave me great hope–something that’s been missing for me the past few days.
Two pieces worth looking at, even if you do not read the whole piece. “This discord cannot continue” on page 3. Bishop Bonny’s reflections on Church as traveling companion were particularly poignant.
Catholic Sensibility 
The pearl in this for me is the bishop’s expression that he hopes that this will not be a Platonic Synod.
I can imagine how this will be taken over at Rorate Caeli and similiar blogs, given that Bp Bonny is one of their bête noires. Fisking will commence at dawn, to be sure.
In case anyone is wondering about the phrase “Amicus Plato …” included in one of the anecdotes quoted by Bp Bonny: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amicus_Plato,_sed_magis_amica_veritas
Of course, in the end, it really doesn’t matter what the Synod Fathers decide. American Catholics will continue to remain Catholic on their own terms. The late, Fr Andrew Greeley, pointed this out as a result of his sociological research of American Catholics.
Catholics, who remarry without an annulment, will stand in the Communion line on Sundays with or without their pastor’s or bishop’s approval and there is not a thing we can do about it.
Nevertheless, I pray that the Holy Spirit will blow down on the Synod with the force of a category five hurricane.