Originally published at Southern Cross
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY — Parishes and dioceses must move quickly to give life to the consultative bodies and broad participation in mission and ministry already foreseen by Church law if the Catholic Church is to have any hope of becoming a more “synodal” Church, members of the synod assembly in Rome said.
“Without concrete changes in the short term, the vision of a synodal Church will not be credible and this will alienate those members of the People of God who have drawn strength and hope from the synodal journey,” the 355 members said in the final document they approved Oct. 26. One of them was Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, bishop of the Diocese of San Diego.
Pope Francis convoked the synod in 2021 and called on parishes, dioceses and bishops’ conferences to hold listening sessions before the first synod assembly in Rome in 2023. The 2024 assembly, including most of the same members, was held at the Vatican from Oct. 2 to 26.
(As a result of those listening sessions and further consultation of the faithful, the Diocese of San Diego began a project with 17 pilot parishes last spring to re-imagine their parish life and leadership in
