Non-diocesan Catholic groups submit their own synod reports to U.S. bishops

0

Inmates, students, climate activists, LGBTQ people, survivors of clergy sex abuse, medical professionals, church reform advocates and older Catholics are among those who participated in their own listening sessions for the popular consultation held ahead of the 2023 Synod of Bishops in Rome.

Sep 17, 2022

Young people gather for a climate change rally on September 20, 2019 in New York City. (CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz)


By Brian Fraga

Inmates, students, climate activists, LGBTQ people, survivors of clergy sex abuse, medical professionals, church reform advocates and older Catholics are among those who participated in their own listening sessions for the popular consultation held ahead of the 2023 Synod of Bishops in Rome.

A total of 110 non-diocesan Catholic groups – universities, non-profit organizations, religious congregations, ministries and private associations of individuals, among others – submitted their own synodal “synthesis” reports this year to the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, said Julia McStravog, a consultant helping coordinate the bishops’ synodal work. The reports of these groups were to be synthesized with those of 178 Latin Rite dioceses in the United States in a 10-page document that the episcopal conference was to submit to the General Secretariat of the Vatican Synod of Bishops at the end of August.

A previous NCR review of more than a dozen reports from diocesan synods across the country found that the majority of Catholics who have participated in listening sessions over the past year want a welcoming church that s speaks to the marginalized, especially the LGBTQ community, and empowers women to serve in leadership positions, including ordained ministry.

Some of the reports from non-diocesan synods that NCR reviewed for this story emphasized similar themes, but also highlighted other issues, such as climate change, the plight of the incarcerated, student concerns , the lingering sense of betrayal experienced by the clergy sex. victims of abuse and the various barriers to accessing quality health care that remain for millions of Americans.

The bishops’ conference organized the non-diocesan groups into their own special “region” – “Region 16” – to accompany the 14 geographic regions for dioceses and one region for Eastern Rite eparchies. McStravog told NCR that “Region 16” gave people the opportunity to engage with synod, especially those who felt they didn’t have the same chance to be heard in their own parishes or dioceses. .

“Region 16 has allowed a broad representation of voices to be heard,” Richard Coll, executive director of the U.S. Bishops Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, told NCR in a recent interview.

Described by some observers as “the greatest consultation exercise in the history of mankind”, the biennial process of global listening and dialogue of the Synod of Bishops 2021-2023 is expected to culminate in a gathering of bishops and delegates Synods in October 2023 in Rome. Pope Francis and other Church leaders defined synodality as a decisive step in the renewal of the Church proposed by the Second Vatican Council more than half a century ago.–RCN

(This is a condensed version of the original article.)

Share.

Comments are closed.