Monday, October 24, 2005

Arrividerci Roma ...

... or so many of the 250 bishops who gathered in the Synod of Bishops must be saying. The Synod formally ended with a closing Mass yesterday (Sunday).

It's been quite interesting, following the meeting. The press, quite predictably, cared only about whether there will be some movement (as is said) on married priests and admitting the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion. Some sign that the Church, you know, is being properly relevant. So, the stream of headlines in my inbox yesterday were predictably disappointed: "communion ban reaffirmed," "celibacy rule reaffirmed."

Quite so. But, Cardinal Kasper today says that this doesn't mean that discussion on these issues is closed. Not that the Synod saying something is meaningless or can just be ignored. However, the final message of the Synod will come from the Pope, in due course.

But, lots of little unprecedented things. The "free-discussion" in the first week. The regular news updates. The general sense that the Pope wanted the Bishops to speak their mind. The views of the visitors -- Orthodox, Protestant, lay Catholic movements. The sense of the catholicity of the Church, of the diversity of concerns and issues around the globe, and also, the sense of unity, especially around the Eucharist. And now, after they've submitted their 50 recommendations (called propositions) to him, he goes and publishes them.

Things to read:
The Synod's final message.
Pope's Homy at the closing of the Year of the Eucharist.

And of course, John Allen's continuing coverage.

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