Jesuitical

On the eve of the highly anticipated publication of the final report for the Synod on Synodality, Jesuitical host Zac Davis and Inside the Vatican host Colleen Dulle speak with their colleague and synod delegate James Martin, S.J., about his experience this month inside the second assembly.

Zac and Colleen discuss:

- The atmosphere at this year’s synod assembly compared to last year’s

- How controversial topics like L.G.B.T. issues and women’s ordination have been tackled

- The deep conversion that took place among the members and the long-term impact of this gathering on the global church

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

Links from the show:

The Jesuit roots of the synod’s ‘conversations in the spirit’

‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting

Synod Diary: The Vatican Curia is still learning synodality

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It is no secret that the reception of the synod in the United States has been uneven. Whether you participated in a synod listening session, or even heard about the Synod on Synodality when it was launched by Pope Francis three years ago, likely depends on whether your pastor or bishop made it a priority. To get a sense of the ways the synod is (and isn’t) taking root in the U.S. church, we spoke with Michael Sean Winters, a columnist covering the Catholic Church for National Catholic Reporter and a fellow at the Center for Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University. 

Zac, Ashley and Sebastian ask Michael Sean:

- Whether the Vatican gave bishops the time and resources needed to make the synod a success

- About the common claim that the U.S. church, where lay men and women already hold positions of authority in dioceses and chanceries, is already “synodal”

- If the synod process can help to reduce the polarization among U.S. Catholics

Links from the show:

Michael’s column at NCR

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Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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We are in the final stretch of the Synod on Synodality, and the question that looms large in and outside the synod hall is: Will this process give us concrete results? But some Catholics aren’t waiting for the synod’s final document or Pope Francis’ post-synod apostolic exhortation to start bringing synodality down to earth in practical ways. Avril Baigent, a facilitator at this year’s synod assembly, is a co-founder of the School for Synodality, a project that supports the synodal conversion of the Church in England and Wales. 

Zac and Ashley ask Avril:

- What does synodal discernment look like in families, parishes and dioceses?

- Does every decision in the church need to be made “synodaly”?

- Is the “conversations in the spirit” method capable of producing concrete proposals?

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Sebastian discuss the lack of transparency around the synod’s Study Group 5, tasked with looking at the possibility of the female diaconate, which has led to “palpable outrage” among delegates and damage control on the part of the Vatican. Plus, the Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis will release the fourth encyclical of his pontificate, “Dilexit Nos” (“He Loved Us”), on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Links from the show:

‘Palpable outrage’: Synod delegates react to women deacons study group meeting

‘Dilexit nos’: Pope to publish encyclical on Sacred Heart of Jesus

Learn more about the School for Synodality

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From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to speak boldly and to air their criticisms openly. Since, the pope initiated the three-year Synod on Synodality, critics of the process have done just that. One such critic is George Weigel, a distinguished senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author of numerous books including his latest, To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II.

To better understand the concerns of those who are skeptical of the synod, Zac and Ashley spoke with George, who is in Rome contributing to First Thing’s “Letters from the Synod” series. They discuss:

- The confusion around what synodality really means and whether the synod is a good use of the church’s “evangelical energy”

- Whether George sees the synodal process as inherently problematic or if he’s more concerned about who is, and isn’t, in the synod hall

- Whether the synod is in accordance with the vision of church articulated at the Second Vatican Council

In Signs of the Times, Zac discusses where we are in the synod process and looks ahead to the drafting of the assembly’s final document.

Links from the show:

The Synod on Synodality at the halfway point

Letters from the Synod

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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Margaret Karram, was in Rome as a member of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 7, 2023 when she learned her homeland, Israel, was under attack. Margaret, a Catholic Arab born in Israel, is also the president of the Focolare Movement, a lay Catholic organization that promotes unity and fraternity in countries around the world. Though part of her felt she should leave Rome, she ultimately decided that the experience of synodality could help Catholics to become “bridges of peace” in places, like the Holy Land, where hope for a just end to the conflict is all but lost. Ashley and producer Sebastian Gomes speak with Margaret about her upbringing, the Focolare Movement and her experience inside the synod hall.

They ask:

- What it was like to learn about Hamas’ attack on her homeland on Oct. 7 while in the synod hall 

- About the difficulties and blessings she experienced growing up as a Catholic Arab in a majority Jewish neighborhood in Haifa, Israel

- How the Focolare charism of dialogue and unity can keep Catholics from despairing when we face situations like the war in the Holy Land, where peace seems impossible

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the ecumenical prayer service held for synod delegates on the 62nd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The vigil was held at the site of St. Peter’s crucifixion and included readings from Vatican II documents by fraternal delegates. Plus, in the synod hall, delegates have begun their discussion on Part III of the instrumentum laboris on “Places,” that is, how the church lives and proclaims the Gospel in particular contexts and cultures. 

Links from the show: 

Synod Diary: At the synod’s ecumenical prayer service, a cry for unity in a world at war

Cardinal Hollerich: Church is rooted in places and cultures

Learn more about the Focolare Movement 

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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While it might not generate as many headlines as women deacons or L.G.B.T. Catholics, the role of the bishops has emerged as one of the most prominent—and controversial—topics of the Synod on Synodality. Two of the 10 study groups established by Pope Francis are dedicated to bishops, and the pope used his opening address at the final session of the synod in Rome to defend his decision to include lay people as voting members in a Synod of Bishops. 

Few people are better equipped to dig into questions around the role, qualifications and selection of bishops than Tom Reese, S.J., a senior analyst at Religion News Service and former editor in chief of America magazine. Tom has written several books about the history and structure of the episcopacy and has covered synods since the 1980s. Zac, Ashley and Sebastian talk to Tom about:

- How the process of choosing bishops has changed from the apostolic age to today

- The qualities we should look for in a bishop—holiness, theological smarts or administrative skill?

- How the role of bishops is being discussed and discerned at the synod 

Zac and Ashley also share the tragic news that after a yearlong battle with cancer, friend and three-time guest Greg Hillis has passed away. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. 

Links from the show:

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On the eve of the final session of the Synod on Synodality, a diverse group of women working in ministry at the margins of the church had the opportunity of a lifetime: a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. They brought their stories of serving Indigenous communities, working to protect the planet and bringing the Gospel to the peripheries. Among this global delegation was Rosella Kinoshameg, who is from the Odawa/Ojibway people and lives in the Wikwemikong Unceded Reserve in Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. 

Zac and Ashley talk with Rosella about:

- Her experience in Canada’s residential schools, state- and church-sponsored institutions that sought to strip Indigenous children of the language, traditions and heritage

- Her work in the “Diocesan Order of Service,” a unique ministry that empowers mostly Indigenous women to serve their own communities through communion services, praying at funerals and wakes and ministering to the sick and dying

- What she makes of the conversation about women’s ministry at the synod 

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley recap the latest news from Rome, including Pope Francis’ announcement that he will create 21 new cardinals; the pope’s letter to Catholics in the Middle East on the anniversary of Oct. 7; and what the synod delegates are discussing in the Paul VI Hall this week. 

Links from the show: 

Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.

Pope Francis to Catholics in the Middle East: Thank you for being able to pray and love despite everything

Jesuitical’s synod coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.

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Zac, Ashley and Sebastian are back in Rome to cover the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, and who better to talk to about what to expect this month than Gerard O’Connell? America’s Vatican correspondent and co-host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, Gerry has covered every synod since 1985. Last year, the Jesuitical team spoke to Gerry about his career and why he considers this synod to be the most significant event in the life of the church since Vatican II. (Listen here!)

This year, Zac, Ashley and Sebastian bring their burning questions (and maybe a little synod skepticism) to Gerry for answers and analysis. They ask: 

- Was it a mistake to relegate some of the “hot button” issues from last year’s synod to outside study groups?

- If most of the “hot button” issues are off the table, what are synod delegates going to discuss this year?  

- What does it mean for the synod to “work”?

The team also gives a rundown of what’s happened at the synod so far: a two-day retreat for delegates, an unusual penitential service and the opening Mass, celebrated by Pope Francis. 

Our Synod content is brought to you in part by the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University.

Links from the show:

From 2023: Everything you need to know about the Synod on Synodality

Women deacons, LGBT issues not on the agenda for October’s synod meeting

Vatican releases working document to guide October synod meeting

Father Radcliffe tells synod members: Don’t be driven by fear of the church changing—or staying the same

Interview: Timothy Radcliffe on how he prepares to give homilies—and preach to synod delegates

Synod opens with unusual penitential service: 7 cardinals ask for forgiveness for church’s sins

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On this first episode from the second phase of the synod on synodality in Rome, Zac and Ashley introduce the highly anticipated gathering at the Vatican and introduce two of the youngest synod delegates who reflect on their life-changing experience.

Our Synod content this year is brought to you in part by the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. Learn more at: https://www.scu.edu/jst/becoming/

Follow America's coverage of the synod, including daily synod diaries delivered right to your inbox by becoming a subscriber. Visit: americamagazine.org/subscribe

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On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac share a “conversation in the Spirit” with Linda Staudt, a lay delegate from Canada who was selected to participate in the 2023 and 2024 Synod of Bishops for her extensive work in Catholic education and her involvement at the local, provincial, and national levels of the Canadian church. With her wealth of knowledge and experience, Linda has become a tireless evangelist for synodal listening at the grassroots level. 

They discuss: 

- Linda’s experience of being selected as one of seven lay delegates to the Synod on Synodality from North America, and her initial reaction to being chosen. 

- The synodal process of listening, reflection, and discernment, and how it differs from traditional parliamentary-style meetings for its ability to reach and include the voices of those on the margins of the church.

- Linda’s advice for parishioners and clergy who are frustrated by a lack of synodal engagement in their diocese or parish.

Ashley, Zac, and the “Jesuitical” team join America’s “Inside the Vatican” team on their way to Rome to cover the 2024 Synod on Synodality. Great news: you can follow along from home! Visit AmericaMagazine.org/subscribe and you’ll get access to daily synod diaries along with our full coverage. If you have questions about the synod or topics about the Vatican you’d like us to cover during the synod, let us know! Send an email to [email protected]

Links from the show: 

Five things to watch for in the upcoming October synod

I listened to Synod delegates opposed to LGBTQ issues. Here are my responses.

Women deacons, LGBT issues not on the agenda for October’s synod meeting

Vatican II—and its media coverage—has a lesson for today’s synod: Don’t expect immediate results

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