Category Archives: 2021 Pope Francis Synod Address

Let’s wrap up Pope Francis’ address to the Diocese of Rome last month.  I came here to encourage you to take this synodal process seriously and to tell you that the Holy Spirit needs you. It is true: the Holy … Continue reading →

Next in Pope Francis’ address to the Diocese of Rome, some good advice, whether or not you’re in a synod:  Don’t be disheartened; be prepared for surprises. In the book of Numbers (22:8ff.) we hear of a donkey who became … Continue reading →

Next in Pope Francis’ address to the Diocese of Rome, a reference, I assume, to the multivalent observation of the Church as both teacher and school. The methodology of this school is not lecture, a one-sided monologue, but instead a … Continue reading →

We should feel ourselves part of one great people which has received God’s promises. Those promises speak of a future in which all are invited to partake of the banquet God has prepared for every people (cf. Isaiah 25:6). The … Continue reading →

We like to avoid difficult people, right? We run away, hide, don’t return phone calls, and steer them to the next parish down the road. Pope Francis, in his address to the Diocese of Rome for the universal synod, suggests … Continue reading →

In last month’s address to his diocese, Pope Francis elaborates on sensus fidei. First, we aren’t talking about a debate followed by voting. It is a human process, and in many ways a political one, in the sense of people … Continue reading →

I was struck long ago by a  monk describing a community meeting for some matter of import. It might have been the election of the next abbot. After prayer at some length, each brother took a turn speaking. The monastery … Continue reading →

Pope Francis, in his address to the Diocese of Rome, moves onward from the general to the specific for his own diocese. The diocese is where the Holy Father envisions the widest possible listening to the people, and we in … Continue reading →

Another good image from the brain of Pope Francis:  You see, then, how our Tradition is like a mass of leavened dough; we can see it growing and in that growth is communion: journeying together brings about true communion. Here … Continue reading →

Next in Pope Francis’ address to the Diocese of Rome. a longer paragraph. First, trust in the Holy Spirit. Along with this, a common dish-breaking theme of the Holy Father, namely that disagreements can be well-managed rather than avoided or … Continue reading →

“To the Holy Spirit and to us”. Still, it is always tempting to do things on our own, in an “ecclesiology of substitution”, which can take many forms. Another turn of phrase, an ecclesiology of substitution. It is indeed a … Continue reading →

The weekend’s synod-opening speech has moved forward in the news feeds of a few interested Catholics. But next in Pope Francis’ address to the Diocese of Rome last month, the introduction to the letter to Gentile believers in Acts 15:23b-29 … Continue reading →

Pope Francis, in his address to the Diocese of Rome, reminds his listeners–and us–of the unprecedented situation the early Jewish followers of Jesus had to confront. The mandate to take the Good News to the wide world would bring the … Continue reading →

In the early Church, differences of opinions existed. Perhaps Saint Luke glosses over the heated portions of discussions from Acts 6 or 10 or 15. Sacred inspiration gives us the final result and the harmonious reception of new directions for … Continue reading →

Next in Pope Francis’ address to the Diocese of Rome, he dials back a few chapters to the first structural innovation in the infant Church. How do the apostles further organize leadership and service for growing numbers and the very … Continue reading →