John L Allen Jr considers how the Synod of Bishops will be able to deal with hugely divisive issues.
On October 4, the curtain will rise on the first of two keenly anticipated Synods of Bishops on the theme of synodality – really, they’re synods “with” bishops, but more on that shortly – which, depending on who’s talking, represent either “the biggest consultation exercise in human history” or a facsimile of listening driven by an elite cadre of activists with an agenda.
The synod in Rome has been three and a half years in the making, first announced by Pope Francis on March 7, 2020. It has involved consultations at both diocesan and continental levels around the world, and is now set to culminate in two assemblies featuring the largest and widest cross-section of participants since modern Synods of Bishops were established by Pope St Paul VI in 1965 in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
