In the Vineyard : October 29, 2024 : Volume 24, Issue 10
News from the Synod
The Synod on Synodality continued this October, and VOTF Board Member, Svea Fraser was there!
Below are some excerpts of Svea’s takeaways from the event.
- The importance of encounter for a synodal church that “prays, listens, discerns
and acts” in the path of synodality. Ideologies and doctrines do not change people’s
hearts. When our hearts are touched, we are moved to action.
Where synodal conversations are animated, transformation is possible. The
goal of the Synod is synodality itself. - The necessity of co-responsibility of clergy and lay, women and men as equal
partners in the mission of the church. When clerics and lay people meet in
“conversations of the Spirit” bonds of mutual respect and support are built,
clericalism diminishes, and priests and laity walk interdependently, side by side.
Synodality builds bridges between and among clergy and laity, women and men. - The reminder to be vigilant and open to the promptings of the Holy spirit: the Spirit
moves in ways beyond our understanding. It was easy to get swept up in the politics
and excitement of being in Rome at this historic time. If we remain faithful to the Holy Spirit, our prayers will be answered: and maybe in a way we never imagined. Hope springs eternal, and hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
I cannot help but notice how prophetic our founding mission and goals were: We were
synodal before we knew the word! We listened to each other and to the heart-wrenching
cries of the abused; we sought to support and collaborate with our priests; and we knew
the structure of the church had to change to prevent future atrocities. How often did we
say the if women were present where decisions are made, the coverups would never have
reached such egregious proportions.
We are still a “movement of the Spirit” and even now VOTF is considered a “lay apostolate”.
Our future rests on always being attentive to the Holy Spirit. And our future depends on the
personal and financial support of people like you. Along with donations, we seek your
prayers and thoughts about the future of VOTF. Please tells us what you think at office@votf.org.
Svea’s Postcards from Rome series can be read in its entirety, here
Correspondents from America Magazine also attended the Synod. To read their thoughts on what happened there, read here.
National Catholic Reporter also sent correspondents to the Synod. You can read their reporting here.
Pope Francis leads church in asking forgiveness for its sins on eve of Vatican summit
For the first time, victims of clerical abuse, of war and indifference told their stories Tuesday (Oct. 1) in the marbled nave of St. Peter’s Basilica before Pope Francis, prominent prelates and young people representing the next generation of Catholics.
The penitential ceremony occurred during a vigil that opened the monthlong Vatican summit on the theme of synodality, described by organizers as “a new way of being church,” focused on welcoming and dialogue.
“How can we be credible in our mission if we don’t acknowledge our mistakes, and we don’t bow to heal the wounds that we have caused with our sins?” the pope asked in his reflection during the ceremony. “And how can we become a synodal church without reconciliation?” Read more here. Claire Giangrave, Religion News.
Practical Thoughts on How the Church can Foster Women’s Inclusion and Participation
Ghanian synod delegate Dr. Nora Kofognotera Nonterah, shared some practical ideas for how a synodal church can foster women’s inclusion and participation.
- Normalizing women’s inclusion in administrative and leadership roles, such as mandating that bishop advisory teams include women.
- Ensuring that women play an integral role in the formation of priests.
- Rethinking women’s pastoral roles in the Church, “see[ing] our liturgy as a place where we all have to be seen,” for example, in teaching, preaching, and lectoring.
See more here.
Women Deacons and the Catholic Church: An Explainer
Women deacons have become the subject of a growing debate in the Catholic Church. Currently, the Catholic Church does not ordain women as deacons. But there is significant historical evidence for them. Today, Catholics around the world are discussing, debating and discerning the prospect of restoring women deacons. Could women deacons make a comeback in the Catholic Church?
America Media has released a video explainer about the state of the question. It looks at the history of women deacons and raises the key theological questions in the debate.
Watch the video here.
Voice of the Faithful Focus News Roundup
Women say they want church to talk to them, not about them, on diaconate
A group of pilgrims left the Eternal City Oct. 7, saying they are returning home to continue the push for women to answer their spiritual call as deacons. One of them, a Franciscan sister, said the Spirit would settle the issue, not antiquated church structures.
Some expressed frustration following statements from a Vatican official that the church will not, for now, consider their ordination to the office. More than 50 women, and some men, many of them from the U.S., but also from Brazil, Bolivia and Australia involved with the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (known as CEAMA) and Discerning Deacons, ended their 2024 Synodal Pilgrimage to Rome Oct. 6, with some disappointment, but also a determination that the matter is not settled. Read more here. National Catholic Reporter, Rhina Guidos.
Podcast
On America Magazine’s weekly podcast, “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle interviewed Laurence Gien, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse who spoke about his experience as part of a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 1, 2024.
Calling for healing for survivors and administrative urgency from the church to address their pain, Mr. Gien saw his testimony as an important symbolic act to promote transparency and accountability for people wounded by the Catholic Church—many of whom remain unnamed and unheard.
Listen here.
Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including archbishops of Tehran and Toronto
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has created 142 cardinals from 70 countries at nine consistories. The last consistory to create new cardinals took place on Sept. 30, 2023. The new cardinals included Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong; and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. To see the full list of new Cardinals, click here. Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency.
This is likely what 3 US cardinals discussed with Pope Francis
Three U.S. cardinals met with Pope Francis the morning of Oct. 10. Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark said they addressed challenges in the United States. Unless it was a 14-hour meeting, which it was not, how did they select which challenges to address? Joining Tobin were Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy. Together, the trio compose Team Francis in the United States. As close advisers to the pope, they keep their counsel.
Yet the meeting was not a secret, and the public nature of the meeting sent a message. Read more here. Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter.
What to know about the Los Angeles Catholic Church’s $880M settlement with sexual abuse victims
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades. The settlement with 1,353 people who allege that they were abused by local Catholic priests is the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese, according to experts. The accusers were able to sue after California approved a law that opened a three-year window in 2020 for cases that exceeded the statute of limitations. Read more here. Associated Press.
Who’s Mailing the Catholic Tribune? It’s Not the Church, It’s Partisan Media.
One by one, Catholic dioceses in key presidential swing states are putting out unusual statements: Newspapers whose titles include the word Catholic that are showing up in people’s mailboxes aren’t what they seem and aren’t connected to the church.
With a classic typeface and traditional newspaper design, the mass-mailed Catholic Tribune newspapers carry signposts of legitimacy. But most of the articles in the papers are inflammatory and overtly partisan.Dioceses and parishes in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin have issued warnings about the publications. “It gives the impression that the Diocese of Grand Rapids or the Catholic Church is behind this newspaper,” diocese spokesperson Annalise Laumeyer said of the Michigan Catholic Tribune.
She reached out to local media to flag parishioners, so they won’t be misled. And because of the clearly partisan content, non-Catholics might be left with an impression of the Catholic Church that is “worrisome,” she said. Read more here. Jennifer Smith Richards and Megan O’Matz, ProPublica
Pope welcomes Ukrainian President Zelensky to Vatican for third time
As the war in Ukraine continues to claim countless lives, Pope Francis has met for the third time in the Vatican with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the Holy See Press Office, Pope Francis spoke to President Zelensky about the suffering of Ukrainian children, highlighting that many of them have lost the ability to smile.
According to another statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, the talks in the Secretariat of State were devoted “to the state of the war and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine,” as well as “the ways that could put an end to it, leading to a just and stable peace in the country.” Read more here. Deborah Castellano Lubov, Vatican News.
Women and Priests–Conversations in the Spirit
Interactive webinar series hosted by Women in the Church Working Group for the AUSCP
Called to Serve: Catholic Women’s Stories of Opportunities and Obstacles
Join us Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, at 3 PM EST for an interactive webinar and Conversation in the Spirit dedicated to the woman at the well, Photini and hosted by the Women in the Church Working Group for AUSCP. Women, bring your clergy! Clergy, bring women from your parish or ministry. This webinar seeks to inspire conversation around the callings women have. Our speakers are Jessica Morel, Military Chaplain, Katie Jansen, Parish Life Coordinator, and Kelly Adamson, Benedictine Oblate and preacher.
Registration here.
We need volunteers to be facilitators for synodal Conversations in the Spirit. Indicate your interest when you register. Synodal facilitators will need to go through online training and will be a part of a pre-call briefing.
Comments?
Please send them to Siobhan Carroll, Vineyard Editor, at Vineyard@votf.org. Unless otherwise indicated, I will assume comments can be published as Letters to the Editor.
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