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

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

On June 20, 2023, the Working Document (commonly known as the Instrumentum Laboris or “IL”) was published for the Synodal Assembly taking place in Rome this October. This Assembly will be the first of two sessions bringing the Synod on Synodality to fruition at the level of the universal Church. ...read more

The reports issued during the diocesan and continental phases of the Synod on Synodality 2021-2024 offer a consistent call for a renewed understanding of the universal or baptismal priesthood. ...read more

When in October 2013 the Vatican announced the first ever two-stage Synod of Bishops, many in the Catholic Church were hopeful about the possibilities of an in-depth discussion and consultation. After all, a year in between the two Synods is a lot of time, right? Not necessarily. The Vatican didn’t publish the Lineamenta—a discussion guideline ...read more