Dear Pope Francis,
Thank you for inviting us to speak up and share our Spirit-guided reflections about what we believe is needed for our local and universal Church community. Many of us have been writing to you over the past decade begging for change and are now so grateful to be a part of our evolving synodal community. We are coming to understand that it is not just up to you but it is our duty to speak up and take action in order to bring these changes about.
Michael Sean Winters recently reached out to you in his NCR column. He praised your selection of so many bishops around the world who are supportive of our Church becoming more synodal involving the People of God journeying together with the bishops to make decision for our Church. But as he goes on to say: “The US deserves some legacy bishop appointments too.”
We have been concerned about the recommendation to you of so many seemingly anti-synodal bishops in the United States and, once chosen, the control that they have over the U.S. Conference of Bishops. As you know, despite synodality being the most significant event of our times, the conference leaders chose not to even include Synodality on the agenda for their November bi-annual session. The domination that these “backwardist” bishops (as you often call them) over the overall actions of the U.S. bishops is alarming. In light of this, we join with Michael Sean Winters in asking you to please select some new legacy bishops for the US and continue this practice throughout the world – bishops who are open to the signs of the times, to listening to the voice of the Spirit, and to working side by side with their people.
We ask this of you with sincere hearts and as we strive to learn to listen to the Spirit and allow ourselves to be guided by her.
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