Features

Once considered a proud bulwark of the Church, Poland is becoming increasingly secularised and its youth dismissive of the Faith.

Synodality is not a foreign concept to most churchgoing Australians – many have had previous experience participating in various plenary councils across the nation’s dioceses.

Bernd Hagenkord, a German Jesuit priest (1968 – 2021), was appointed as one of two spiritual guides to the Synodaler Weg, the two-year synodal process begun by the German Bishops in association with the laity in 2019. The German Synodal Way was triggered by the findings of a report that looked into sexual abuse within the Church, and seeks to address a wide range of questions on authority, structure and faith. Here he documents his beliefs on the ensuing German Synodal Path.

“Women have no official role in the Church, except occasionally, on the whim of men, to fill in gaps, that would always be better filled by any available man”, writes ex-nun turned author, Mary T. Malone.

A former Catholic youth leader in Ireland shares their thoughts about how young Catholics have fared over the last number of years.

The second edition of The Synodal Times will be released on Thursday, September 8 across parishes nationwide and is not to be missed.

Scotland’s Catholics may be few in number, but Ian Dunn, editor of the Scottish Catholic magazine, says the synodal reports from each diocese show that they contain multitudes.

The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Alphonsus Cullinan, also noted that some proponents of a more traditional hue of Catholicism did not engage with the synodal discussions in their parish.

Referring to the call in many recent synod reports for women’s equal participation at all levels in the church, Ms Duignan said: “People see that such an influential institution cannot be allowed to function with an all-male leadership that bans women from having a say in any of its policies or teachings.”

With the Diocesan stage of the Synod recently completed, the focus now turns to the next part of the Church’s synodal process, the Continental stage. Here, bishops from nations around the world will come together and discuss what was reported by the faithful during the discussions.