May Synodal Gatherings Fill Every Corner of the World in This New Year
Are you still asking yourself: What is all this talk about synods? Holding Synods is a long tradition of the Church where bishops were invited to come together, and to walk together, listening to the Holy Spirit to discern what was needed in the Church. But now, Pope Francis has presented us, the People of God, with an extraordinary opportunity. He has invited not just the bishops but all the people to speak out about the kind of Church we’d like to see today. It is our belief that his invitation to us to gather in small groups and share our stories offers far more hope for Church reform than even Vatican II back in the 60s. Pope Francis wants to hear from practicing Catholics, of course. But even more, he wants to hear from those who’ve walked away from the institutional Church, from people of other denominations, from men and women young and old who feel ignored. He wants to hear stories of how people have been hurt and what drove some away along with suggestions for how the situation(s) could have been better handled by the Church.
The Church has completed the first phase of the Synod and is now moving into the second phase. A small group of theologians, lay women and men, together with some clergy and religious met in Frascati Italy to create the Document for the Continental Stage of the Synod (in English) synthesizing the results of all the reports that were sent in from both bishops and lay people during the first diocesan phase. In this second phase, called the Continental stage, delegates from around the world among the People of God have been selected to participate. Pope Francis is serious about wanting to hear our stories and for us to share our lived experiences – for better or for worse – growing up in the Church. This change by Pope Francis is not temporary. It is permanent. We are now a synodal Church with full participation of the People. The official Synod will go through 2024 but the synodal process will go forever. It is time for us to take our rightful place in the Church. It is time to make all our voices heard.
At the start of this New Year, to prepare for this next phase, CCRI is offering four synodal gatherings for all who wish to share their views about what is needed in our Church today, what is left out of the Document for the Continental Stage (in multiple languages) that we would like to see included. To check out these online gatherings, click here. To learn the dates and times of these gatherings, click here. All are welcomed to join with us in sharing your heartfelt beliefs about what changes must occur today if the Church is to be taken seriously. At its very core, we support Pope Francis in striving to have the Church be an inclusive community where all are welcomed – where women are treated with equality, where the LGBTQ+ community is treated with respect, where the divorced and remarried have a path back to receiving the Sacraments, where all people who are hurting are nourished. We seek a Church where all the People of God have a deliberative voice in its governance and decision-making. If you support these values, feel free to pass this information onto your contacts both in and out of the Church and invite them to join us and share their stories with us.
Take advantage of the end-of-year tax deductions and be part of reforming our Church
YOUR GIFT – IN ANY AMOUNT – IS PRICELESS
When you make a donation to support our cause, you join with others who are investing in restoring our Church to what Jesus intended. If you are part of the movement to stop contributing to your local parish and/or diocese, you may want to take advantage of the end-of-year tax deductions by contributing to CCRI in its stead. The dollars we receive are used to run our programs and to reach a broad spectrum of the People of God. We are focused on reaching out to the Faithful, reform activists, young adults as well as those who feel abandoned by the Church, to mention just a few. Your personal contributions in offering your suggestions and your donations are most appreciated.
Wishing you all the best for this New Year!
On behalf of the CCRI Strategy Team,
Rene Reid
CCRI director