Fr Gerald E Murray, a canon lawyer and pastor of St Joseph’s Church in New York City, sharply criticised the final report of Study Group 9 of the Synod on Synodality on May 9, claiming it represented an internal attack by some shepherds on perennial Church teaching on the immorality of homosexual acts and the nature of marriage.
In an article titled “Synodal Shepherds Attack the Sheep”, published in The Catholic Thing, the American priest examined the report released by the General Secretariat of the Synod on May 5. The document, one of 10 study group reports established by Pope Francis in 2024 and continued under Pope Leo XIV, addresses theological criteria and synodal methodologies for discerning emerging doctrinal, pastoral and ethical issues.
