By Robert Royal

But first a note, Be sure to tune in to EWTN this Thursday, March 21st at 8 PM Eastern for a new episode of 'The World Over,' featuring the Papal Posse (host Raymond Arroyo, TCT Editor-in-Chief Robert Royal, and Fr. Gerald E. Murray) as they discuss the autobiography of Pope Francis, 'LIFE: My Story Through History,' as well as other developments in the Church, Check your local listings for the channel in your area. Shows are usually available shortly after first airing on EWTN's YouTube channel.

Now for Robert's column...

A long time ago, on a planet far away, serious Catholics looked forward to each new document from the Vatican or the pope. They expected enrichment of traditional morals or theology, or enlightenment about some world situation. These days there's usually justified trepidation - not only over reckless remarks about Ukraine raising the white flag or how Israel should slash should not respond to terror. There's anticipation of division, confusion, and dismay.

A number of such texts have recently appeared - or are about to - that seem likely to continue that well-established streak.

Pope Francis' autobiography LIFE: My Story Through History was published officially on March 19 (more on that below).

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has announced that an encyclical will be issued in early April on "social questions," which looks to be primarily a restatement of main themes of the Francis papacy on things like migration and climate, but also to placate the Cardinal's critics by treating issues of concern to traditional Catholics such as abortion, surrogacy, gender ideology, etc.

At this juncture, however, we can be fairly certain that it will pitch things in ways that, inevitably, will invite further troubles.

Of immediate interest, there were two recent announcements as the Synod on Synodality lumbers to its conclusion in October. Or at least that was the original plan. Because now we learn that ten "theological issues" have been removed from deliberation in the October session because there isn't sufficient time to study them adequately.

What, then, has the worldwide global synod on Synodality been doing for the past five-and-a-half years? Synodality suddenly popped up in the final report of the 2018 Synod on Youth, though it hadn't been discussed during that meeting.

A massive "process" was set in motion, and as more and more people struggled with defining "Synodality," we were told that the "process" itself shows what Synodality is. One of the pope's four fundamental principles, of course, is "It is more important to start processes than to dominate spaces." To be, sure. Because however vague such processes look, they wind up dominating spaces, doctrine, everything.

Except for a few rare souls, participants in last year's October Synod came away exhausted without little to show for the effort. This year, with the ten issues seemingly pushed down the road, participants will be asked to spend a whole month debating, once again, the nature of Synodality: how to be a synodal Church at every level, in every activity.

Signore, pietà. That will be a painful contortion.

Meanwhile, according to Vatican News, these are the issues that the pope has consigned to study Committees:

1. Some aspects of the relationship between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church (SR 6).

2. Listening to the Cry of the Poor (SR 4 and 16).

3. The mission in the digital environment (SR 17).

4. The revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in a missionary synodal perspective (SR 11).

5. Some theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms (SR 8 and 9).

6. The revision, in a synodal missionary perspective, of the documents touching on the relationship between Bishops, consecrated life, and ecclesial associations (SR 10).

7. Some aspects of the person and ministry of the Bishop (criteria for selecting candidates to Episcopacy, judicial function of the Bishops, nature and co...