It is with Francis, however, that the synod of bishops has been transformed from a well-orchestrated and carefully censored ecclesiastical showpiece to the principal instrument for the implementation of his reformist agenda. Beginning with preparations for the extraordinary synod on the family, the pope called for widespread consultation of the whole people of God, including the broad (if uneven) distribution of a questionnaire on matters related to the family. He revised the synodal procedures to allow for a much more open conversation and explicitly exhorted the synodal participants to exercise parrhesia, to speak boldly and without fear of instigating disagreement. He made sure that controversial topics, like the status of LGBTQ persons, would not be excluded from consideration.
Ping
In short hand, both the use of synods and the troublemaking installations of global Conferences of Catholic Bishops balcanize the Church, and sounding off for “collaboration” and “Dialogues”. All so “Socially justifiable”, for the “new humanism” with which popester cooperates, (and directly quotes) with what’s his name, according to Rorate Caiele, on the subject of pushing the “new humanism”.
Very alarming to see God mocked. Mercy.
The only thing we’ll learn from this synod is “What not to do”.
“Finally, Catholics in that region are facing a dire challenge to their sacramental life as the priest-to-Catholic-persons ratio, in some sub-regions, is as high as 1:16,000.”
There was a period of two centuries in the history of the Catholic church in Japan when there were essentially NO priests.
Somehow, they survived.