One of my children heard me discussing the upcoming Synod on the family currently in preparation for October. She asked me, “Dad, what is a synod?”
“Well honey, a synod is a gathering of Bishops in Rome with the Pope where they discuss certain issues in the Church with many possible solutions to which the Pope ultimately must say NO.”
Despite the headline making reformation of the Curia now under discussion in Rome, the Pope’s first big challenge will be the Synod on the family. It is not that the reformation of the Curia is not important, but that it is so much inside baseball. Whatever the decisions there, they will be difficult to decipher for most folks, particularly the financial elements.
What all the regular Joes and Marys are looking to, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, is the Synod on the family. Even 6 months out, expectations are being set, questions and solutions are being framed, and hopes are being raised. Hopes, I hope will be dashed.
