While few of the ten-page summaries of the Synodal findings
at the diocesan, regional or national level have emerged, we do have one that
seems to be an affirmation of the synodal process.
Rocco says : Speaking
of US bishops' mysterious Synodal findings, much as the bench's national
product remains to emerge 3 weeks after its receipt in Rome, we do have the
report from the most significant of US Catholicism's 15 regions –home of 1/5 of
America’s Catholics:
All told, the fourteen (Arch)dioceses in Region XI held
3,290 in-person sessions with a total of 61,056 in- person participants. Another 284 virtual sessions
included a total of 4,034 virtual participants. Most of these sessions were
sponsored at the parish level. Seven of the fourteen (Arch)dioceses also used
internet-based surveys that involved 166,165 respondents. Cumulatively, these efforts
created 1,364 reports.
1. The Eucharist,
the Celebration of the other Sacraments, and other Parish-Based Ministries are
Tremendous Sources of Joy for the Participants:
“The majority of
responses focused on ‘Community and Hospitality’. Clearly people find their
faith and experience God through a community that welcomes, sustains, and challenges
them. This includes the parish at large and the small groups within the
parishes” (Diocese of Reno).
Many recipients reported how important the Eucharist was
in their faith life and that their love for the Eucharist was heightened when
COVID prevented them from attending Mass in person and receiving Communion.
Many of our participants celebrated the various
organizations and ministries in their parishes as being significant aids to
their experience of “journeying together” in the Church’s life.
My comment: While it is not surprising that Eucharist and Community emerged as strongly positive, I suspect that hides the fact that for many these are not positive. In group sessions I doubt many people would have the courage to say this in the face of many people making strong affirmations
2. Gratitude for
the Synodal Process:
“Both those who
shared and those who listened say they now understand that, even though we
share the same faith, our individual journeys and experiences can be very
different. Hearing what others value as important to their faith touches and
enlarges the hearts of those who listen” (Diocese of San Bernardino).
My comment: This report seems to be a strong affirmation of many of the themes of the Francis pontificate arranged around an endorsement of the synodal process. While I am skeptical of many of the syntheses because a committee especially with one or more strong members could bias the report, this regional report with its many quotes from the diocesan level means the ideas expressed have gotten past two committees.
3. Evangelization
of Youth and Young Adults:
“Our participants
told us of their great awareness of the opportunities and difficulties of
keeping youth and young adults active in the Catholic Church, especially in the
challenging years between our teens receiving the sacrament of confirmation and
their embracing of adult vocations (approx. ages 15-25). (Diocese of
Orange).
Participants from every (Arch)diocese expressed serious
concern about the Church losing so many youth and young adults and the
challenges of finding effective ways to engage them. It was especially poignant
to hear so many parents and/or grandparents lament the fact that their young adult children/grandchildren are no
longer involved in the Church. There was a strong call from many participants
for the Church to address this problem as one of its top priorities.
My comment: Youth and Young Adults seems to be an area where pastoral staff and laity agree and both Francis and JP2 agree.
4. Social Justice
and Outreach:
“Many people feel the local Church and parishes need more leadership [in] encouraging all
our people to reach out to the marginalized. Some people felt the People of God aren’t
aware enough of the social justice teachings of the Church” (Diocese of Monterey).
“Many participants commented that the Catholic Church should do more regarding social
justice. The unhoused crisis was cited most frequently, and participants felt the parishes
had to do more to become a place of welcome and refuge. Numerous participants also
expressed the lack of addressing environmental protection of God’s creation as an obstacle
to being a relevant voice in our world and society” (Diocese of San Jose).
My comment: I guess we might expect this from liberal California. It will be interesting to see if there is a strong affirmation of Social Justice and Outreach elsewhere.
5. Hunger for more
and better Efforts to help the Faithful Deepen their Faith and Grow in
Understanding the Church’s Mission and their Role(s) in that Mission:
“A loud and strong
theme was expressed that the people want good, challenging, effective homilies
that are relevant to today’s life and issues, i.e., ‘how can what we hear today
help us to grow in our spiritual lives, in life’s challenges, and in advancing the
Mission of the Church?’ They want homilies that in a short amount of time apply
the Gospel to everyday life and Catholic Social Teaching” (Diocese of
Stockton).
“There is an
overwhelming desire among the People of God in Orange to hear better homilies
from our sacred ministers. We heard many times how often people feel short- changed
by the messages they hear from the pulpit, and our consultees expressed in serious
terms how lackluster the preaching in our Catholic parishes often is. They criticized
what they see as the paucity of homiletic preparation evident in the banality of
the majority of the sermons they hear on a weekly basis, and they expressed how
unfortunate it is
when homilists are clearly preaching purely from personal experiences (such as
when homilists speak about their personal vacations), and/or without any substantive
and well-prepared doctrinal content. It is evident that the people expect much
more from their preachers than what they typically receive from them. In fact, they
pointed out to us that this is one of the many reasons why the Catholic Church
loses so many people to our local evangelical ‘mega’ churches (such as
Saddleback Church, Mariners Church, and Shoreline Church). More often than not,
the preaching in these protestant communities
is apparently far superior than that which we give our congregants” (Diocese of
Orange).
My comment: I was pleasantly shocked to find these strong critiques of homilies from two different dioceses. They were nicely folded into a strong affirmation of the laity's desire for more relevant teaching.
6. Desire for a
more Hospitable and Welcoming Church:
“Another main
topic, especially among the more progressive Catholics, was the lack of welcome
and openness to all God’s people, especially those who experience marginalization,
such as the LGBTQ community, the divorced, the homeless, immigrants, and other
minorities. They perceived the Catholic Church as being stuck in ‘tradition’.
The need for openness to all and inclusiveness came up in almost every listening
session” (Diocese of San José).
“Participants also
note marginalization in our communities flowing from the realities of life in
society today. The divorced long for participation in communal life. Likewise, the
divorced and remarried yearn to return to sacramental life but feel the
annulment processes are too burdensome. Individuals without housing or jobs,
recent immigrants, the elderly, those with disabilities, those suffering from
alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health issues, and the incarcerated and
their families also live on the margins of our parish communities. At times,
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and their loved ones’
experience judgment and rejection and are confused and hurt by the harsh words
and actions by some Church leaders. Some participants feel the Church and
parish leadership listens disproportionately to those with money, media access,
power, and influence” (Archdiocese of Los Angeles).
Most marginalized groups in Region XI were
underrepresented in the Synodal process. The realities that led to this lack of
representation, however, differ for each marginalized community.
All participants are opposed to the marginalization of
these or any groups. Many participants expressed the desire to be more
welcoming and inclusive with these groups even to the point of asking for a
change in Church teaching. Others, while also desiring a welcoming and
inclusive Church for all, were opposed to any change in Church teaching.
Comment: Again, a strong endorsement of the more inclusive approach of Francis
7. Full
Recognition of the Leadership Talents of Women in the Church:
“Women are limited
to certain leadership roles, with their spiritual gifts not being fully recognized
and utilized. Many voices advocate for offering greater opportunities for women
to serve in leadership; some raise the possibility of women deacons” (Archdiocese of Los Angeles).
“As regards the
role of women, a small minority of respondents voiced the opinion that women
should be excluded from any liturgical or ministerial roles, up to and
including female altar servers. The vast majority of respondents, however,
strongly opposed this attitude and urged
Church leaders to recognize the ‘unique charisms’ and ‘pastoral gifts’ women bring to the Church. Broad
support for ordaining women was voiced by those participating in the synodal
process as were calls to include women in leadership positions, discussions,
and decisions at all levels of the Church” (Diocese of Las Vegas).
A substantial number of our (Arch)diocesan reports
included some observations reflecting this theme. There were many expressions
of hope that the Church would increase the involvement of women in significant
leadership roles in the Church. Many men as well as women expressed this hope
and the leadership roles envisioned were at both the parish and diocesan
levels. For some, these leadership roles would include ordination at least to
the diaconate and possibly to the priesthood. Some others would disagree with
this proposal.
Comment: Yes, the majority does want stronger leadership by women in the Church, but this document correctly indicates there is a strong minority that is against it. This issue will have to be handled in a way that does not alienate the minority.
8. A Desire for
more Focus on “The Basics” of Love and Mercy:
“‘Church is too
often in its head, not its heart.’ They clarified that the Church cannot just
be about rules, but about people living the example of Christ. Another
remarked, ‘We can be our own worst obstacle when we refuse to listen, learn,
and understand’” (Archdiocese of San
Francisco).
“A lack of trust,
therefore, looms over many as they try to identify with the Church today. Many
fear that traditions and rules are more important than unity and love of neighbor.
Participants lamented that the loudest messages are ‘what people cannot do or
cannot be.’ Instead, a focus on proclaiming the mission of the Church, its
mercy and saving grace should prevail” (Diocese of Sacramento).
“The concern about
how rules and policies are applied suggests that, at a practical level, they
may be understood as an end unto themselves, rather than as a means to promote
the flourishing of the community and a loving encounter with Christ. The development,
presentation, and interpretation of rules and policies should always be done in
light of the two most important commandments, namely, to love God and love one
another. Their role, therefore, is to organize and unite the community in
concrete ways that foster
and realize the mission of Christ” (Diocese of San Bernardino).
Comment: Again a strong endorsement of Francis Ignatian approach that recognizes that while rules are important they should never get in the way of the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.
9. Greater
Transparency, Accountability and Communication from Church Leadership (namely,
from Bishops and Priests) and a Willingness to Listen to the Voice of the
People:
“In listening to
God’s People, it is apparent there is still mistrust within our Church. Many
shared a desire for more transparency in leadership, decision-making, and financial
matters. They called for more accountable leadership among the clergy and parish
staffs. Many expressed a desire to see priests’ ministry evaluated regularly”
(Diocese of Monterey).
“The participants
also want more transparency in all areas of Church communications: financial
matters, handling of sexual abuse, changes in liturgical practice, or any other
areas where the laity as a royal priesthood are able to contribute to the
decision- making process” (Diocese of Stockton).
For many, the perception is that the blanket application
of rules and policies is used as a means of wielding power or acting as a
gatekeeper. They perceive leaders at all levels of the Church having the
tendency to hide behind the established rules and policies rather than engaging
directly with the reality at hand and responding to it with pastoral sensitivity.
In doing so, they shut down opportunities to listen and dialogue with those they
serve. Participants expressed a desire for the Church’s wisdom and guidance at
all levels of decision-making, from administrative to moral. However, they also
desire to be treated like adults capable
of making the best decisions for themselves and their immediate faith community. At the very least, they expect to be
given clear and rational explanations for why specific rules and policies are
necessary.
Comment: A good recognition that while the synodal process is getting a good reception, people are really very skeptical that the clergy and hierarchy are going to change.
10.A Strong Desire
for this Process of “Journeying Together” to Continue at the Parish and
Diocesan Levels:
“It is our hope
that this Synthesis provide not only a ‘snapshot’ of the lived faith, understanding,
and experience of the People of God in the Diocese of Las Vegas, but will also
serve to identify some next steps in the pilgrimage of the particular Church, through
the mode of synodality, in her call to Holiness” (Diocese of Las Vegas).
“... each parish
will be asked to identify two substantive issues that had been raised at its
parish dialogues, with the aim of addressing them in the fall of this year. And
the Diocesan Pastoral Council will draw from the dialogue mandates to establish
concrete goals for immediate action. This will not only provide substantive
reforms to distinct elements of our parochial and diocesan life; it will also
provide additional opportunities to bring the hallmarks of synodality to the
processes of parish and diocesan pastoral planning and decision-making. In
addition, it will provide a direct feedback loop to the synodal small- group
dialogues” (Diocese of San Diego).
Comment: I have my doubts about whether any substantial changes will occur at the national and world levels, but I am more optimistic that some changes will occur at the diocesan and parish levels.
III. Conclusion:
Where is the Holy Spirit Leading Us?
In some ways, the answer to this question is yet to be
determined. Some participants expressed concern that their input really would
not matter or that their (Arch)bishops would somehow change or massage the
results of this consultation. Others shared that they definitely felt the Holy
Spirit at work during their sharing with others.
Perhaps the most important lesson about “where” the Holy
Spirit is leading us is that we must continue to find effective ways to
“journey together” at all levels of the Church. If one thing is clear from the
participants of Region XI in this Synodal journey, it is that they truly want
the best both for our local churches as well as for the Catholic Church globally.
While participants may have expressed some serious differences of opinion about
some aspects of “what is best”, the Spirit was also evident in the expressed
desire for deeper unity in the Church at all levels.
In other words, perhaps the medium of this Synodal
process is, in fact, its most important message.
Comment: In the short run, the Synodal process may be its most important message, but it must lead to more substantial changes to take us anywhere. Of course, that anywhere may be a place that few other than the Spirit expect.
"Yes, the majority does want stronger leadership by women in the Church."
ReplyDeleteWomen, in my experience in other parishes and denominations, have a stranglehold on some aspects of parish life. The Church Ladies are legion, invariably well-off women with a lot of time on their hands and a sense of entitlement to tell everyone else, sometimes including priest or minister, how things are going to be done.
Just throwing women into leadership is not going to fix things.
Right. After hearing a homily from a woman religious in our parish, I said to the pastor that it would not change things if we ordained the women pastoral associates as deacons, but it would change things if we regularly invited women religious to preach in our parishes from the perspective of their varied ministries outside the parish. He agreed.
DeleteJust like making women leaders of countries won't automatically turn the planet into mommy world. For example, mommy dearest Margaret Thatcher. You need the right women and right men in leadership positions.
DeleteWell, having more women boss around people in parish work is not the point. Having women with authority to define doctrine is another story. The church has chosen to operate with half a brain, especially when it comes to teachings. The church still approaches theology as though God is a male, forgetting that God made them male AND female in God’s image. God is Spirit and is imaged in women as well as in men. The men suppress the feminine in God. Too many teachings reflect the limited understandings of male celibates, while damaging the people through their distorted views of marriage, sexuality, their allegedly god- given male priest right to define womens’ roles in the church, in their marriages, and in their families - defining them FOR women as though women are the brainless creatures that Aquinas alleged them to be - totally excluding women when they define these teachings.
DeleteYes, in recent years women have been “allowed” (by men) to become theologians, but if their theology doesn’t conform to that of the male celibates, it is denounced. Women may teach theology - but ONLY theology that has been approved by male celibates.
It wouldn’t be important if it didn’t do so much harm, but it does. Right now the only route to having the authority to develop doctrine, to define teachings, is via the ordained, male, celibate priesthood. Letting Bossy Church Ladies have their way at the parish level will not correct the distortions of Catholic teachings. Having GOOD women homilist could help IF they are allowed (by the men) to interpret scriptures through a feminine prism. It was hearing homilies by two different Episcopal women priests that was the final push for me to EC pews on Sundays. Of course, I’ve heard some terrible homilies from women priests also. But in my decades of life in Catholic pews, I can only remember three decent male priest homilists. Personally, I think there should be a trained corps of GOOD homilists that would only give homilies, not bound to only one parish, but preaching at multiple parishes. Impractical unfortunately. The RCC would never allow a brilliant preacher like Barbara Brown Taylor to preach. Or even a Catholic woman religious like Sr. Joan Chittister. And they should NOT be limited to speaking only about their orders’ ministries. However, I have been able to hear Sr. Joan preach at liturgies in the Washington National Cathedral. The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC (a woman) is a fan of Sr. Joan and has invited her to preach several times.
When I attended grad school (1989) at the U. of Rochester, there was a lively Newman Club. Homilies at Sunday Mass were given by a sister. They were invariably good. She was probably muzzled during St. JPII's grande purge. Sad.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThrowing women into leadership positions, even into the Auto da Fe or magisterium or whatever they call it now would CHANGE things. Whether it would IMPROVE things would depend on the women. My guess is that they would be chosen for orthodoxy and tractability so the fellas can do what they want and say, "See, the girls like it!"
ReplyDeleteMost reform comes from outside Rome and its local apparatchiks in diocese and parish. The Church has always been hinky about people like Francis, Dorothy Day, and the beguines.
The hierarchs keep the doors open and make rules. But it's the radicals who get them in the door to begin with.
Off topic: Anyone hear about St Javelin, the fake saint that has raised $1 million for Ukraine? She's basically an icon of the BVM cradling a Javelin missle instead of Baby Jesus. Shows up around Ukraine on walls, mugs, backpacks. There's a Web site. Makes me a tad nervous on several levels ...
Well, the reality is that women will never be ordained in the RCC. The men who run the world’s largest multinational have too many hangups about women to begin with, starting with Augustine’s perceptions of women as temptresses (see - Original Sin), and including their sinful attachment to power, privilege, and wealth. Women are part of the problem in the church. Note how many become dizzy with joy whenever Rome tosses out a few breadcrumbs. So now women may “officially” be seen as “ ministers” when they lector or serve as acolytes. But it’s still ok for bishops to ban girls from serving. One might think that after 2000 years of fighting patriarchy women would have a little more self- respect than to look at this gesture as a major step for womankind. So now a few (three?) very carefully chosen women hold relatively high administrative jobs on the Vatican. I’m sure they were chosen, as you note Jean, for their orthodoxy and tractability. Women said Hossanahs throughout the kingdom of the RCC, while men smiled, knowing that this tiny gesture should be enough to satisfy for a long time. The teachings will not change, and some of them will continue to harm the people of God.
ReplyDeleteJean, Anne - what's your view, from the "inside" as it were, of how the Anglican Communion has handled its integration of women clergy? My impression, looking at it from the outside, and perhaps influenced by media which were unsympathetic to the project, is that it nearly (or more than nearly) broke the communion. I don't offer that as an argument not to ordain women, but as an observation that, if the Catholic church was determined to go down that road, it would be well-served not to repeat whatever mistakes Anglican leadership might have made. But what are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteWell, without writing you a book:
DeleteNo, it did not "almost tear apart" the communion, and, because Anglican vestries hire/fire the priests, women clergy were not forced on anybody. In the US, many male clergy helped the transition by inviting women in as guest priests.
That was how I saw a woman priest for the first time. She was terrified, and, to my surprise, our very conservative parish did its best to make her welcome. No, they didn't want a "lady priest," but they did respond to her according to their better natures.
In my experience gay clergy and the new Episcopal prayer book in the 1970s were more controversial.
The RCC is not designed to accommodate change. I used to think that was good. ECUSA had too many freelancers at one time, but things do tend to pull back to the center. I fear it's the RCC that is too brittle.
DeleteThere's a smug sense among American Catholics who feel some animosity with ECUSA that it is a dying denomination or being torn apart by women and sex deviants.
But the American RCC is also shrinking, and, worldwide, the Anglican Communion is still the third largest Christian denomination after the RCC and Orthodox.
Jean was ECUSA years ago. My experience is more recent, dating back about ten or twelve years. I’ve never heard even a whiff of controversy about women priests. After all, the ECUSA began ordaining women in 1974 - almost 50 years, and after some other mainline Protestant churches. The Methodists started ordaining women minister in the 1950s. Many - maybe most- Episcopalians barely remember a time when they didn’t have women priests. The Church of England didn’t ordain women until 1992. Some in the CoE were unhappy so they came up with “flying bishops” to oversee the scattered parishes that didn’t want women priests. Not very many. The flying bishops (whose parishes were geographically widely dispersed so they sometimes took airplanes on their episcopal - small e - visits) were empathetic and would not force women priests on those parishes. This is the group Benedict hoped would swell the pews of Catholic parishes in England when he went recruiting there and set up the Ordinariate, promising that they could keep their married priests and also their liturgy. But married priests could not become Catholic bishops. It attracted a couple of thousand converts in the first year or so, but hardly any after the first year. Some British Catholics now resent the money being spent to keep the handful of Ordinairiate parishes afloat.
DeleteA dozen years ago ECUSA was still dealing with the controversy about ordaining gays and the acceptance of Bishop Robinson’s election by his diocese. He was the first openly gay ECUSA bishop so some ECUSA parishes quit when the EC House of Bishops accepted him at the national meeting. Somewhere around 5% left the ECUSA to join global south dioceses run by anti-gay-priest bishops. Most are African dioceses, but a couple are in South America, and a few disgruntled parishes formed a new American Anglican Church. The biggest issue that followed the departures of parishes unhappy about gay priests were fights over who got to keep the church properties. The courts ruled mostly in favor of the ECUSA in the cases that I am familiar with, but it depended on the state laws. The controversy about the 1979 Prayer Book revision is ancient history.
In my EC parish there were few cradle Episcopalians - a minority of the congregation. Both priests had also converted to the EC.. One grew up Presbyterian, the other grew up Baptist. I attended a six week education session for people wanting baptism or confirmation. I did not want either, but was curious about their prep course for adults. Of the nine in the class, seven were RC. I was the only one to not choose confirmation and neither my husband nor I are officially Episcopalians. That means we can’t serve as Eucharistic ministers, or be delegates to diocesan or national conventions. Otherwise we are treated as equals to the official members of ECUSA in the parish. Apparently the fall in membership in the ECUSA may have hit bottom and is slowly reversing. Unlike the RCC, they don’t include all baptized Episcopalians as members. They have to be active members, on the rolls in a parish. They also don’t count people like me - only those in the parish congregation who have been officially confirmed. It is attracting converts from both Catholicism and from conservative, evangelical Protestantism. Anglicanism refers to itself as the Via Media, and perhaps that is now coming into play in the ECUSA.
Jean - right. My apologies if I come across as smug; I try not to be. I think the Catholics in the pews aren't brittle; in fact, I think they probably put up with more bs than is good for anyone to put up with. Some people in authority may be brittle.
DeleteThe Catholic church is, by a lot of visible measures, shrinking in the developed world, apparently still is growing in the developing world. I believe the same is true of the Anglican Communion?
"A dozen years ago ECUSA was still dealing with the controversy about ordaining gays and the acceptance of Bishop Robinson’s election by his diocese. He was the first openly gay ECUSA bishop so some ECUSA parishes quit when the EC House of Bishops accepted him at the national meeting. Somewhere around 5% left the ECUSA to join global south dioceses run by anti-gay-priest bishops. Most are African dioceses, but a couple are in South America, and a few disgruntled parishes formed a new American Anglican Church."
DeleteRight, these are some of the things I recall.
Regarding Robinson: I assume what scandalized some people was not that he was gay per se, but that he apparently was in a sexually active union of some sort with his partner. Do you agree?
At one time, some African bishops were boycotting the Lambeth Conference. Have those breaches been healed?
Robinson was in a sexual relationship outside of marriage. This was against requirements for any clegy, gay or straight. At that time, of course, gay marriage was not legal, so the rule was waived. It seemed at the time more important to Shelby Spong and his faction to get a gay bishop than to wrestle with the underlying teaching. The thinking was to blow stuff up, force people's hands. Really as divisive as the narrow minded rule following conservatives.
DeleteYes - he was divorced from his wife and was open about his gay partner with whom he was living. The people in Episcopal pews select their own bishops via a democratic process that begins at the parish level, then with representatives elected by the people in the parish who become part of the diocesan search committee which eventually selects the new bishop. Robinson was the choice of the Episcopalians in his diocese in 2003. They knew that he had a male partner. (They married in 2008). The 2022 Lambeth Conference just ended, postponed two years because of Covid.. As I recall, ten years ago the African bishops didn’t want Canterbury to invite the ECUSA bishops. Several African bishops conferences boycotted the previous Lambeth Conference in 2910 because of the Americans coming. They were invited - with the exception of Robinson, and a bishop of the newly founded Anglican Church of America (Marty Minns). He was not invited by Archbishop Welby, but the Africans said they invited him as a guest bishop sponsored by them. So he went, but apparently as an observer. He had been pastor of one of the most well known breakaway parishes in the Virginia suburbs of DC (Truro) Friends of ours used to be members of that parish because it was one of the few charismatic episcopal parishes around. After the gay controversy, they left all forms of Anglican church and have been members of non- denominationalevangelical christian churches. They change every couple of years to find the most charismatic churches near them. There weren’t any boycotts by African bishops this year, but homosexuality was still very controversial. However, the meetings did not focus on that issue l
DeleteYes, bishops are elected, more or less, but clergy were still required to live within certain parameters. Robinson was not doing so, so the concern was whether he was a valid, licit member of the clergy to begin with. Of course the underlying prejudices against gay clergy were at work, and that became the ugly story. But had he been living with a woman he wasn't married to, the same questions could have been raised.
DeleteSpong retired in 2000, before Robinson became a bishop.But he remained a member of tte a house of Bishops I believe. According to wiki, He said that Robinson had become a mentor when he was younger and that Robinson’s influence was a major factor in his journey from a conservative, almost fundamentalist understanding of christianity to the very liberal understanding he eventually became known for.
DeleteJim - yes, Anglicanism is growing in Africa as are almost all Christian denominations. Whichever denomination gets to an unconverted location first wins with church growth. Christianity in the west continues to decline in numbers, especially active Christians as opposed to cultural christians. On one of our visits to our d-I-laws parents in France they said that few in the professional/ educated demographic still go to church even though nominally Catholic. Her mom is Polish and they married in the church in Poland to please her parents, but were never active Catholics after. Our son and their daughter got married in Poland, in the same small town where my d-I- law’s mom grew up and got married, but they did not have a religious ceremony like her parents, only the legal marriage at the town hall. Poland is still very Catholic, but the young, educated adults are leaving there just as they did in Western Europe. The latest religion survey in the US shows that the decline in christian affiliation continues pretty much across all denominations and also in evangelical churches. Christianity is only growing in the global south, mostly in Africa.
Robinson mentored Spong? Robinson is nearly 20 years younger than Spong. Not that the young can't mentor the old, but seems unusual.
DeleteSpong was pushing some notion that St Paul was gay. Doesn't matter to me if he was, but his case wasn't real persuasive because how could it be from this distance in time?
I am skeptical of Wikipedia. They cited me as a male historian expert on the beguines in their entry. I had to edit it. To paraphrase Groucho Marx, I don't want to be in any encyclopedia that would have me as an expert.
But Jim's question was about what the RCC could learn about women priests. My answer is "nothing" because the RCC is not the Anglican communion.
So I digress and repeat myself.
Woozy from my omicron vax, I guess!
Lol! I skimmed the wiki article and didn’t catch that his mentor was an Anglican bishop named John Robinson, who scandalized Anglicans with his views expressed in a book called Honest to God. I looked up the wiki article after you mentioned him angling to get NH Bishop Robinson approved, because I thought Spong had retired before the American Bishop Robinson was elected. Which he had. Spong retired in 2000.
Delete"Jean was ECUSA years ago." I have not been to church since the pandemic, but if/when I return, I will go to Mass with Raber to maintain peace and unity.
DeleteHowever I changed my religious preference from Catholic to Episcopalian several years ago on my medical records,
I use the Psalter and prayers in the BCP, and the arrangements I made for my graveside service--I do not want a funeral--is Episcopalian.
I'm not an ecpert on the Anglucan Communion, but I do spot occasional areas where Catholics get it wrong.
Just so we're all sorted.
Jean, I don’t want a funeral either. I will probably want a Catholic hymn, the Ave Maria, and one other at a graveside service, sung by one person. I love the prayers in the BCP. I hope for a green burial in the woods somewhere. Last year when I had my cancer surgery I also put Episcopalian in the record.
DeleteOne of my concerns about synodality is that the only wheels that will be heard are the squeaky ones; they are the ones who are motivated to show up for listening sessions.
ReplyDeleteHow confident should we be that the full range of views across the church are represented in that synodal document? My guess is, maybe one in twenty Catholics in our parish ever heard the term "synodality", and one in one hundred could explain what it means.
Most medieval synods were held in public, debate style, over a specific issue. The bishop (or king in very early synods) made a public determination.
DeleteMy objection to the new "synodality" is that parishes and dioceses mostly just set up questionnaires online, and the results are published in a short, perfunctory summary without fanfare.
Who actually responded and how were the summaries compiled?
Lots of room for people to question the validity of the outcome.
It's not a thing that's going to catch on, imo, especially in locales that are resistant to change in the first place.