The IL describes the Synod as a liturgical assembly in part to minimize the sense that it’s “a parliamentary structure with its dynamics of majority building” (#48). ...read more

The XVI General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of the Bishops is happening at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Among the over 400 participants at the Synod are participants from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. ...read more

To my mind, the most striking image from the Instrumentum Laboris happens to be the most traditional. ...read more

Pope Francis is heading to Marseille, France this weekend on his 44th Apostolic Journey abroad. ...read more

Saint John Paul II would often say that “the Church must breathe with her two lungs!” (Ut Unum Sint #54) ...read more

As a minority Catholic country, the pope is relatively unknown in Mongolia. Over fifty percent of the people practice Buddhism, while there are less than 1,500 practising Catholics in the country. During a media roundtable, Salesian Father Jaroslav Vracovský, a pastor in Mongolia, said that locals were “shocked” when they found out that the pope ...read more

Many synod observers may be tempted to think of "Communion, Participation, Mission" as three discrete and potentially disconnected "pillars" of synodality. The IL directly confronts that perception (#43), ...read more

This week, hundreds of thousands of young people are gathering in Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day. ...read more

As I have been reflecting on the 20 years of Salt + Light Media, it’s impossible not to consider the importance of World Youth Day during that time for me and for the organization. ...read more

The Instrumentum Laboris (IL) or “Working Document” for the 2023 General Assembly was released last month by the Synod Secretariat. ...read more