Synod on Solidarity? Where is the Diocese of Portland?

As a practicing Maine Roman Catholic, the Synod was never brought to my attention until a priest from North Carolina visited and expressed surprise about my complete ignorance regarding this subject. Why? Because, in my experienced opinion, the Diocese of Portland, Maine did not extend to parishioners the opportunity to participate.  

Reported in The Conversation:  

Pope Francis opened a big meeting, the 16th Synod of Bishops, this week. He also swore in 21 new cardinals, who come from many different parts of the world. And he released his new encyclical on the climate crisis.

The synod’s agenda includes discussions of many hot-button issues that have divided the church, such as the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, the role of women in the church and whether priests should be allowed to get married.

For the first time, its voting members will not only be bishops but other Catholics from around the world. As Daniel Speed Thompson, a Catholic theologian at the University of Dayton, writes, the meeting is significant because it indicates Francis’ intention to give “all Catholics a voice in the decision-making process of the church.”

Similarly, Holy Cross specialist in medieval Christianity Joanne Pierce argues that the appointment of 21 new cardinals representing the diversity within Catholicism, will have a profound impact on the future of the Catholic Church.

Meanwhile, the new encyclical is an addendum to “Laudato Si,” a Vatican document on environmentalism and the Christian faith, first released in May 2015. It strongly reproaches wealthy nations and links environmental problems with economic, social and technological issues. UC Santa Barbara environmental ethicist Lisa H. Sideris, in analyzing Francis’ critique, writes why with this, too, Francis is trying to highlight deeper issues that society has neglected to address. Above all, he points to the denial of how interconnected the world is.

The 16th Synod of Bishops, the first part of which will take place in Rome on Oct. 4-29, 2023, and the second in 2024, will be the culmination of a two-year, worldwide conversation in the Catholic Church.

The term “synod” usually refers to a local or regional meeting of church leaders. The Synod of Bishops was established by Pope Paul VI in 1965 as a permanent body in the Catholic Church, although its members do not meet on a regular schedule. It specifically refers to a meeting of selected bishops from around the world to advise the pope on matters of governance.

The Synod of Bishops was set up after the Second Vatican Council, which was held from 1962 to 1965, to bring reforms and updates to the church. The Second Vatican Council stated that the entire college of all Catholic bishops, under the authority of the pope, also serve as the church’s highest authority. Paul VI instituted the Synod of Bishops as a way for Catholic bishops to exercise this authority. The council also stated that lay Catholics have an active role to play in the church.

As a theologian who studies the Catholic Church, with an emphasis on the period during and after Vatican II, I argue that this upcoming synod reflects Pope Francis’ efforts to advance the reform agenda of Vatican II. He wants all Catholics to take an active role in thinking about the future of their church and wants the bishops to exercise their authority by first listening to the people.

(Hmmmm....?) 😕Well maybe.....but surely the Catholic Diocese in Maine forgot about me.