Category: Synod Watch

The so-called Synod on Synodality — officially, the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the theme of which is, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” (Oct. 2021–Oct. 2023) — opened in Rome the weekend of …

I have a confession to make. It’s embarrassing to admit. I feel like less of a man because of it, if I can even call myself a man. I blame society. I blame my parents. I blame anything pre-Vatican II. …

Editor’s note: this is the third part of a series. Read part I here and part II here. Purchase The St. Gallen Mafia by Julia Meloni. Throughout long talks I had with him between 1980 and 1981, Don Mario Marini, not yet a …

Editor’s note: read part 1 of this series here. Purchase The St. Gallen Mafia by Julia Meloni. In the last months of 1980 I received an unexpected visit from a priest who was seriously concerned about the future of the …

Editor’s note: in this ongoing series, Synod Watch, we will analyze the machinations of the “mafia” in the Vatican – past, present and future. Anyone who wants to understand what is behind the “Synod on Synodality” opened on October 10 …

I am one of those “aging boomer” priests that, according to the stereotype, is supposed to cherish Saint Louis Jesuit music, liturgical dance and the like. Only I don’t and even in my exclusively Novus Ordo days never really did. …

Cardinal Martini Lives on. This is a story about the origins of the “synod on synodality.” It is a story about dreams—and déjà vu. All his life, Carlo Maria Martini (pictured above left) was a dreamer. In the Italian documentary …