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St. Peter's BasilicaMichael Haynes

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Synod on Synodality is now in its final session in Rome, and LifeSiteNews’ full coverage of all the updates connected to the international event can be found on this regularly updated page.

As the three-year process of the synod comes to a close at the end of this month, focus is placed on the meetings currently taking place in Rome between the Pope, prelates, and lay members of the synod. The highly controversial meeting is largely happening behind closed doors.

READ: Here’s what will take place at the Synod on Synodality this October

LifeSiteNews is providing full coverage of the event on the ground in Rome, and updates in real time can be found on this page and on X/Twitter account of LifeSite’s Vatican correspondent.

The full updates are found below, with the oldest at the bottom of the page…

Tuesday, Oct 29: Notable discrepancy between draft text and final version

A new report by the Register’s senior editor has revealed a significant insert into the Synod’s final text on the question of female deacons. By far the most contentious paragraph of the final text was paragraph 60 (258 votes for/97 against) dealing with certain questions relating to the role of women in the Church, and including the statement that “the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open.”

Acccording to the Register – who viewed the draft report – there was no mention of female deacons at all in the draft report issued to the synod participants on October 21.

Read the details on LifeSite here, along with Michael Haynes’ analysis of what could have influenced such a change.

Cardinals and bishops at the Vatican, Oct 2024.

Monday, Oct 28: Leading cardinals join Fr Martin in praise for the Synod text

In the wake of the Synod’s final document having been published, the various members of the event are now in the midst of issuing their responses to the text, welcoming it warmly. Cardinals Robert McElroy of San Diego, Blase Cupich of Chicago, Christoph Schönborn of Austria, and Father James Martin, SJ all commented about how notable the text was and how various aspects of it should be implemented immediately.

The “whole hierarchy is called to embrace this important effort of building a synodal, missionary church,” said Cardinal McElroy. For his part, Martin praised the “surprisingly positive” approach to “LGBTQ” questions at the 2024 session contrasted with the 2023 session. He added how “I was surprised to find the conversations about LGBTQ Catholics much friendlier, much more relaxed and much more open this year.”

For full details, find LifeSite’s report on the clerics’ comments here.

Sunday, Oct 27: Pope closes Synod criticizing Church for being blind

With the Synod’s final document now released, Pope Francis presided over the formal closure of the Synod on Synodality. In 2021 Francis opened the Synod by calling for it to produce “a different Church.” With the Synod’s final document it appears that goal may have been realised, and Francis used his homily to issue the final charge to the Synod and the Church.

Accusing the Church of already being unable to recognize global issues, Francis said that “if we remain seated in our blindness, we will continue to fail to see our pastoral urgencies and the many problems of the world in which we live.”

“We do not,” he said, “need a sitting and resigned Church, but we need a Church that takes up the cry of the world and – I want to say this, maybe some people are shocked – a Church that gets its hands dirty to serve the Lord.”

Find Michael Haynes’ report here.

Francis at the Synod 2024 closing Mass. Credit: Haynes

Saturday, Oct 26: Synod final document released

After three years the results of Pope Francis’ pivotal Synod have been announced. Topics such as female deacons and LGBT issues are not officially decided upon, but the topic of female deacons is declared as remaining an “open” question.

Rather, the synod’s final text true import lies in the call for changing in Church practice of decision making, implementing “mandatory” councils at varying levels, and warning that the Pope’s authority cannot exceed that of the amassed decision of “consultative” bodies.

See Michael Haynes’ analysis on the text here, with subsequent coverage being forthcoming on LifeSite shortly.

Cardinals Hollerich and Grech. Credit: Haynes

Thursday, Oct 24: New Synod council members appointed

The vast majority of the Synod members are on an official break Thursday and Friday, while the alterations they agreed on for the final document are inserted into a final draft. More than 1,000 alterations were suggested, while last year there were 1,200.

But in the meantime, the assembly voted late on Wednesday for the new members of the Ordinary Council for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops – the governing body overseeing this Synod, and all synods generally.

Each Ordinary Council is in place for one synod. Its members are tasked with implementing the synod just completed – in this case the Synod on Synodality – and preparing for the next synod.

Twelve members were elected by the Synod assembly, and another four will be appointed by the Pope, along with the head of whichever body of the Roman Curia is most relevant for the theme of the next synod. The Council is chaired by Pope Francis.

Wednesday, Oct 23: German bishop signals Church division over women

Readers will remember that on Monday Cardinal Fernández issued a statement saying that the question of female deacons is “not mature,” thus seeming to rule it out but only on a temporary basis. {See entry of Oct 22 and Michael Haynes’ analysis}

Less than 24 hours later, one of the leading campaigners of Germany’s heterodox Synodal Way revealed that the division in the Church on the subject of women’s ordination is here to stay. Speaking to the press Tuesday, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck called for a “new answer” for the role of women in the Church, adding that he has commissioned women within his diocese to “preach” due to a dirth of priests.

For more details about the revelatory statement, see David McLoone’s report here.

Wednesday, Oct 23: Fr Radcliffe issues denial

During the Synod press briefing October 23, Dr Ruffini read out a statement from Cardinal-elect Timothy Radcliffe regarding an issue LifeSite’s Michael Haynes raised during an October 22 press briefing. Radcliffe denied suggesting that foreign money had influenced the African bishops’ stance over Fiducia Supplicans, thus making his own intervention after Cardinal Ambongo conveyed a message from his yesterday. {See the entry further down from Oct 22}

Find the details of the latest development in the controversial case in Michael Haynes’ report.

Tuesday, October 22: Cardinal Fernández and female deacons

Late last week, furor erupted after Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, who leads Study Group 5 which is assessing the issue of female diaconate, did not attend a meeting between Synod members and the Study Group. He subsequently issued a clarification this week, in which he reiterated that the question of female deacons is “not mature,” thus seeming to rule it out but only on a temporary basis.

He also announced the reconvening of a 2020 commission into the topic of female deacons and call for a “step by step” process for women to attain more influence and authority in the Church.

The wording of his statement has given some cause for concern that future attempts to implement a form of female ordination, in contravention of the Church’s teaching, might yet take place.

Find the full details of the cardinal’s notable intervention here, in Michael Haynes’ analysis.  

Cdl. Fernández greets the members of the college of cardinals, Sep 2024. Credit: Haynes

Tuesday, October 22: Fr Radcliffe denies writing article about African bishops

During a press conference Tuesday, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo told LifeSiteNews that an article published by L’Osservatore Romano – the Vatican-owned daily newspaper – apparently written by Father Timothy Radcliffe O.P. about the African bishops’ response to Fiducia Supplicans was not in fact authored by him.

The article further alleged that the African bishops’ rejection of Fiducia Supplicans was due to outside influence and money from the U.S., Russia and Muslim countries. But Ambongo stated that Radcliffe had told him in recent days that he had not authored the article, despite it having his name on it.

Read the details of the peculiar incident here, from Michael Haynes

Monday, October 21: Cardinal Brandmüller warns about bishops conferences

In an analysis published via Sandro Magister’s website, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller issued an in-depth analysis of bishops conferences and their proper roles – an essay which comes against the backdrop of the Synod’s discussion last week about designating doctrinal authority to episcopal conferences.

The German cardinal called for a proper understanding of local provincial synods and episcopal conferences, saying that the undue empowerment of the latter is “an expression and a cause of a creeping process of secularization of the Church in our day.”

Brandmüller is one of the five cardinals who issued a dubia to Pope Francis last summer about concerns regarding questions being discussed in the Synod.

Find the details about the cardinal’s intervention here.

Monday, October 21: Final week and final document

On Monday morning, Synod participants began the final week of the process which has lasted some three years. All discussions and debates officially ended on Friday, with this week given over to the work of drafting the final document, and voting to approve it. The document will be issued late Saturday night, Rome time.

The participants gathered for Mass in the Vatican before then moving to the Paul VI Audience Hall to resume their customary positions. Cardinal-designate Timothy Radcliffe delivered a meditation prior to proceedings, as has been customary. Quoting from controversial theologians Yves Congar and Henri du Lubac, Radcliffe encouraged those who might be “disappointed with the decisions of the Synod.”

“Some of us will consider these to be ill-advised or even wrong,” he said, adding later that “we do what we believe to be right and the rest is in the hands of the Lord. This is just one synod. There will be others.”

Find the details on the first day of the last week in Michael Haynes’ report here.

Friday, October 18: Synod members about to begin final document

Briefing the Vatican press corps on Friday, Dr. Paolo Ruffini noted that the Synod members finished their final day of discussions on the fourth module on Thursday evening. (Click here to read about what the Synod was discussing in this module, and then here to hear about the debate)

At the end of Friday morning the reports from the circa 35 small groups were presented to the Secretariat of the Synod, and will serve to form the drafting of the final document. When the members reconvene officially on Monday their meetings will be “decisive,” as they shall be devoted to working on the final document, which they will vote to approve on Saturday, Oct 26.

Cardinal Grech, Oct 2, 2024. Credit: ©synod.va/Lagarica

Friday, October 18: Chinese bishop promotes ‘sinicization’ to the Synod

During the first full week of the Synod, Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of the Chinese Diocese of Hangzhou gave a “free intervention” before the Synod. He praised the controversial Sino-Vatican deal, and said the Catholics in China “adhere to the direction of the sinicization of Catholicism, and preach the Good News.” More segments of his speech were just published by the Vatican this week.

Yang is a member of the Chinese state church, which is not recognized by the Vatican, and is joined at the Synod by another Chinese bishop with strong links to the Communist ruling party. Yet also at the Synod are a bishop from Taiwan and the cardinal of Hong Kong, meaning that the Synod has become a melting pot of Holy See diplomacy in the far East.

Read more about the significant event and its implications in Michael Haynes’ report here.

L-R: Bp. Pu (Taiwan), Bp. Yang (China), Cdl Chow (Hong Kong), Bp. Zhan (China). Credit: Haynes

Thursday, October 17: Strong debate over question of doctrinal authority

Beginning Wednesday, sources from inside the Synod began to reveal that there was significant pushback and debate over the question of “doctrinal authority.” Members began looking at this theme on Tuesday, with the proposal being made for bishops conferences to have “doctrinal authority.”

But Synod members have expressed their concern about this, both inside and outside the Synod hall. “A majority is clearly opposed,” one member told the Register.

Find LifeSite’s full details on the matter here.

Thursday, October 17: Cardinal Zen issues Synodal warning shot

Cardinal Joseph Zen, emeritus of Hong Kong, published another essay today warning about the Synod on Synodality along with the continued confusion and discontent in the Church following the publication of Fiducia Supplicans. Making reference to the style of the Synod and the involvement of lay voters, Zen wrote that “[o]bviously, the purpose of this conference was to overthrow the hierarchical class of the Church and implement a democratic system.”

He singled out Cardinals Hollerich, Grech, and Fernández, saying that “the two cardinals leading the assembly and the Pope’s appointed head of the doctrinal office did not emphasize preserving the faith, but emphasized making changes changes to, in particular, the operational structure of the Church and its ethical teachings; and the ethical justification of ‘sex,’ especially regarding homosexual relationships.”

To read full coverage of the cardinal’s essay see Michael Haynes’ report here.

Cdl Zen at Pope Benedict’s funeral. Credit: Haynes

Wednesday, October 16: Synodality the ‘long-game’ of Pope Francis

In recent days, Synod cardinals close to Pope Francis have told journalists how the Synod on Synodality is the key theme linking a number of elements of Pope Francis’ pontificate. Notably, the elements they identified were some of the more controversial. The Amazon Synod,  Amoris Laetitia, Fratelli Tutti, Laudato Si’,  were all linked to the Synod on Synodality – and the themes contained in each of those events and texts are indeed found in the Synod on Synodality.

As the Synod on Synodality presents a new manner of ecclesial life and governance, one in which endless questioning, round-table discussions, and joint decision making becomes the norm, the traditional hierarchy and unchanging teachings of the Church risk being sidelined.

Read more of how synodality is – to use Cardinal Tobin’s words – Pope Francis’ “long-game” in Michael Haynes’ analysis here.

Pope Francis in the 2024 Synod. Credit: ©synod.va/Lagarica

Tuesday, October 15: Could bishops decide doctrine?

In the fourth module of the Synod discussions, the members are discussing arguably the most controversial of all the topics which are officially on the table this month. (Female deacons and LGBT issues are technically not the focus of the Synod but of the study groups.)

Drawing from the Instrumentum Laboris, the members are for the next seven working days looking at a proposal that would give individual bishops’ conferences “doctrinal authority,” essentially having the Catholic Church break up into numerous different, often contradictory bodies.

Such a proposal is also being posited in line with another key Synod theme, namely the inculturation of the Gospel in accordance with local cultures.

Read Michael Haynes’ analysis of the news here.

Tuesday, October 15: Female deacons already exist in Amazonia?

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner gave revelations about the reality of the Church in his Archdiocese of Manaus and the role of women. Prompted by a question from a priest of his own diocese amongst the press, Steiner repeated lines which he had previously given in Fatima on Saturday.

In Fatima, Steiner revealed that he “lays hands” on women who he has commissioned to baptize in order to show they are receiving “a ministry” since they are going to “celebrate a sacrament.”

Read the striking details in Michael Haynes’ report here.

Cardinal Steiner. Credit: Haynes

Monday, October 14: Female ordination advocates holding protest

Members of the  Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) and Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) are staging a series of regular protests in Rome during the Synod, calling for the Church to allow the practice of women’s ordination.

Though the Catholic Church has clearly pronounced the impossibility of women’s ordination to any part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the activists call for a change in the Church’s teaching on ordination, attesting that “it’s time to lay to rest the heresy that women cannot image Jesus in the priesthood.”

Find Michael Haynes’ report here.

Monday, October 14: Cardinal Müller joins Synod

On the last day of the third module of the Synod (with just under two weeks to go), Cardinal Gerhard Müller returned to the Synod after having to miss the first two weeks due to illness.

According to “synod sources” of Vaticanist Hendro Munstermann, Müller renewed his previous criticism of the Synod, saying that due to its make up of lay people it is not a proper synod.

Interestingly, this point was not included by the Vatican’s Paolo Ruffini in the summary of interventions provided to journalists at the daily press briefing on Monday.

Friday, October 11: Pope leads ecumenical prayer vigil

While the 2023 Synod began with an ecumenical vigil, this year it was placed in the middle of the month, marking the anniversary of the opening of Vatican II. Francis’ homily, though not delivered, was delivered to the press and later published online.

“The journey of synodality… is and must be ecumenical, just as the ecumenical journey is synodal,” Francis said. During the event passages from Lumen Gentium and Unitatis Redintegratio were read out by ecumenical delegates, interspersed with hymns.

See photos and details in Michael Haynes’ report.

Pope Francis Oct 11. Credit: Michael Haynes

Friday, October 11: Cardinal Tobin says synodality is Pope’s ‘program’ linking everything

With “Amoris Laetitia, Fratelli Tutti, Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis has “distilled wisdom” from previous synods, opined Newarks’ Cardinal Joseph Tobin at a Holy See press briefing Friday.

With Synodality, said Tobin at a Holy See press briefing, “it became clear to me that the Holy Father was not simply proposing a program, but that he was helping me and others to understand that in order to do to this, to respond to the Lord this way, you need to think differently about how the church lives and acts.”

See the cardinal’s remarks and Michael Haynes’ report here.

Friday, October 11: Fr Gerald Murray slates female diaconate and Fr Martin’s LGBT event

Joining EWTN host Raymond Arroyo on the Papal Posse late evening October 10, Fr. Gerald Murray excoriated comments recently made by Sr. Mary Barron. (See below on October 7, and the LifeSite report here)

If she thinks the Holy Spirit is in favor of the ordination of women to the priesthood & diaconate…she’s wrong,” quipped the Canonist firmly. “This is typical of what we’re dealing with.”

He also had strong condemnation of Fr James Martin’s recent Outreach event, which briefed Synod members on LGBT issues. {See below entry on October 8 and LifeSite’s report here

The event, said Murray, was “a sign of the auto destruction of the Church.”

“Catholic morality is not a prejudice or form of ignorance,” he added, warning that promoting homosexual behaviour and questioning the Church’s teaching on the issue “is an offense against God.”

Thursday, October 10: Cardinal Koch links Synod to ecumenism and responds to LifeSite’s question

At a Synod press briefing Thursday, Cardinal Kurt Koch spoke on the intimate link between the Synod and ecumenism. Koch – prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity – said that “among the most significant fruits there is the intensity of the ecumenical promise that marks it. Synodality is the condition to be able to continue our ecumenical journey towards the visible unity of Christians.”

He also responded to LifeSite’s query regarding the key document released earlier this year, placing the papacy subject to ecumenism and synodality. See a video of Cdl. Koch’s interchange with Michael Haynes below and the full report here:

Thursday, October 10: Cardinal Müller’s absence over illness

Cardinal Gerhard Müller is perhaps the most vocal critic of the process who is nevertheless a member of the Synod. A papal appointee to the Synod, Müller has been notably absent at the Synod so far in its 2024 meetings.

He confirmed to Vatican journalist Hendro Munsterman Thursday that the reason for his absence is due to a “hernia,” but that he will attend upon receiving approval from the doctor. Müller, newly returned from a lecture and Mass tour of North America, recently had to cancel a planned Mass he was due to celebrate in Canada due to back issues.

Wednesday, October 9: New cardinals have a pro-LGBT record

Amidst the busy daily schedule of the Synod, Pope Francis’ announcement of new cardinals Sunday took many by surprise. Some of the cardinal-elects are at the Synod, while others are not. A number of them have been vocal in their praise of the Synod as a new way forward for the Church – perhaps explaining their selection by Francis – but their record on LGBT issues is troubling.

Read David McLoone’s analysis of the new cardinals here.

Cardinals at the August 2022 Consistory of Cardinals.

Wednesday, October 9: Chinese bishop praises secret deal

According to Dr. Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communications, a Chinese bishop used his free intervention on the Synod floor to praise the secretive 2018 Sino-Vatican deal. Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang made the comments in front of the other Synod members, though their response was not reported.

The bishop was announced as having been appointed bishop of Hangzhou, earlier this year. Elected as vice-president of the state-approved church in China in 2016, he is one of two bishops sent to the Synod from mainland China – thus, approved by the Communist authorities in the country. In 2022 he was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Association.

The Sino-Vatican deal is due to be renewed this autumn, according to Cardinal Parolin.

Tuesday, October 8: Commission overseeing final document named

Following a vote amongst the synod members on Tuesday, the full 14 names of the commission tasked with overseeing the drafting of the final document were released. They include seven members appointed by vote, three appointed directly by the Pope, and four others participating by virtue of their office.

Read the details about the drafting commission here.

Tuesday, October 8: Fr. James Martin briefs synod members on accepting homosexual ‘love’

In a closed door meeting in the Jesuit Curia house, in the shadow of the Vatican, Father James Martin, S.J., and his Outreach group held an event for synod members.

A bisexual Catholic man “married” to another man invited the assembled synod cardinals and other members to “get to know the real people behind the ‘mask’ who are trying to live a Catholic life. Let’s allow love to be expressed.”

Find Michael Haynes’ coverage of the event here.

Image
Credit: James Martin/X

Tuesday, October 8: Head of Latin America comments on Amazon rite

Fielding a question from LifeSite’s Vatican correspondent, Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, said that married deacons and priests may be a help for regions with few priests, while also confirming to this correspondent that the Amazon rite and indigenous inculturation of the liturgy is taking place in Brazil.

Spengler – a cardinal-elect – serves as the president of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) and his question comes in light of recent developments regarding the implementation of the Amazonian rite earlier this year.

See Michael Haynes’ report here.

Monday, October 7: Leading religious sister on women ‘called’ to priesthood

Replying to a persistent question about women in the Church, Sr. Mary Barron – president of the International Union of Superiors General – stated that the issue of female deacons was being addressed incorrectly.

“We tend to look at it from the question of ‘can women be ordained in the church today’ and I think we have to look at the question very much from the spirit,” she said. “Is the spirit calling women, because some women do sense a call to priesthood or diaconate?”

Find Antonino Cambria’s report here.

Monday, October 7: Day of prayer and fasting

Following the calls by Francis and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, October 7 was marked by prayer and fasting for peace in the world, especially in the Holy Land and surrounding region.

In a letter sent to Catholics of the Holy Land, Francis wrote that “[p]rayer and fasting are the weapons of love that change history, the weapons that defeat our one true enemy.” 

During the synod meetings, the members also held a collection for the Catholic parish in Gaza, with over €60,000 ($65,580) amassed in total.

Sunday, October 6: Pope announces 21 new cardinals and prays Rosary for peace

In a shock announcement ending his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis listed the names of 21 new cardinals, whom he will create on December 8. The list includes a number of prelates who have welcomed Fiducia Supplicans, but the most controversial name is that of Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P, a notable and long-time LGBT advocate.

By the end of 2024, including the new cardinals and then with two others ageing out (reaching their 80th birthday and being too old to vote in a papal conclave), Francis will have created 111 of the 140 eligible voters.

Read Michael Haynes’ analysis of the news here, and the fact that Radcliffe’s LGBT record online has been removed.

Pope Francis also attended St. Mary Major’s to pray the Rosary for peace, particularly in the Holy Land. He was joined by other members of the synod along with diplomats and other dignitaries in Rome.

Pope Francis greets cardinal-elect Timothy Radcliffe in October 2023. Credit: ©synod.va/Lagarica

Saturday, October 5: Lebanese bishop makes impassioned peace plea

Also during a press office briefing, Lebanon’s Bishop Mounir Khairallah of the Maronite Church urged that peace be swiftly sought in the Holy Land region. Lebanon “has been engulfed in fire and blood for fifty years,” he said.

Khairallah also warned that “U.S. and Western countries” are too motivated by “political and economic” interests to intercede for Lebanese people.

Read the bishop’s moving testimony of how he forgave his parents’ assassin in Michael Haynes’ coverage.

Friday, October 4: Synod members demand welcome for female priests

During the free interventions on Friday, which take place periodically during the synod meetings, individual members of the synod called for the Church to accept the “marginalized’ in the Church. As announced to the press corps on October 5, the un-named synod members said the Church must welcome all, including women who feel called to the priesthood, and LGBT people.

Friday, October 4: Bishop slates ‘niche issue’ of female deacons

Speaking in the Holy See press briefing room, Bishop Anthony Randazzo strongly criticized the promotion of what he termed “niche issues” at the synod, including the female diaconate. Synodality can often be “focussed on niche issues of the West,” he attested, adding that such issues are “promoted so much that they’re an imposition to other areas of the Church.”

See Michael Haynes’ report and video here.

Related to the question of female deacons, Father Gerald Murray – New York priest and EWTN commentator – condemned the continued push by some for female deacons, noting how there have never been female deacons in the Church for a reason, because Jesus didn’t intend that and the apostles understood that.”

Thursday, October 3: Pro-abortion group protests

On the morning of October 3, the pro-abortion “Catholics for Choice” (CFC) group displayed a 50-foot-long quilt banner on the ground of the Via della Conciliazione – the road leading straight out of St. Peter’s Square. The group’s quilt was comprised of squares which wove “together dozens of abortion stories in front of the Vatican with a simple message: Pope Francis, listen.”

They urged the synod to accept abortion, IVF, contraception, and not to condemn those who have abortions.

Find Michael Haynes’ coverage here.

Wednesday, October 2: First synod meetings and update on female deacons

Nearly all the synod members gathered in the Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday afternoon, where all the meetings are being held. Pope Francis gave a speech, in which he said “the synodal process is also a learning process, in the course of which the Church comes to know herself better and to identify the forms of pastoral activity best suited to the mission entrusted to her by her Lord.”

Cardinals Mario Grech, the General Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, and Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the Synod on Synodality, both also gave opening addresses.

Read Michael Haynes’ report on the opening speeches here.

Among the reports from the study groups on various synod questions was that given by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, who leads the group studying the female diaconate. Fernández said that though “there is still no room for a positive decision by the Magisterium regarding the access of women to the diaconate, understood as a degree of the Sacrament of Holy Orders,” his office “judges that the opportunity to continue the work of in-depth study remains open.”

Find Michael Haynes’ full report on the cardinal’s briefing here.

Wednesday, October 2: Opening Mass

At 9:30 a.m., Pope Francis opened the synod’s second session with a Mass in St. Peter’s Square, attended by all the synod members.

He reiterated that the event was “not a parliamentary assembly, but rather a place of listening in communion.”

Francis’ themes for the synod were continued in the bidding prayers of the Novus Ordo Mass, with petitions requesting divine aid so that “the Church on its synodal journey may experience a culture of encounter, able to transform distances into closeness and differences into welcome.”

He also invited people to join him in keeping October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, as a day of prayer and penance, thus taking up a call issued by Jerusalem’s Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Find here Michael Haynes’ coverage of the opening Mass and the Pope’s prayer request.

Tuesday, October 1: Penitential vigil

Pope Francis joined with all the synod members in St. Peter’s Basilica Tuesday evening for a penitential vigil marking the end of the two-day retreat.

As part of the para-liturgy, seven cardinals read out “confessions” in which they collectively grouped members of the Catholic Church in having committed certain “sins,” and collectively asked forgiveness from God for.

The sins included:

  • Sin against peace
  • Sin against creation, against indigenous populations, against migrants
  • Sin of abuse
  • Sin against women, family, youth
  • Sin of using doctrine as stones to be hurled
  • Sin against poverty
  • Sin against synodality/lack of listening, communion, and participation of all

Read LifeSite’s full coverage of the event here.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò condemned the event in a public statement the next day, arguing that the public confession of a number of “politically correct” and loosely defined sins was another step toward a “globalist religion.”

Find LifeSite’s coverage here.

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