Synod on Synodality nears its end: A long journey coming to a close

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More than four years after it began, the Roman Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality ends Saturday.

On March 7, 2020, Pope Francis announced the process that began with worldwide listening sessions leading to two month-long assemblies in Rome, one in October 2023 and the second this month to discuss the future of the Church. 

The past week has been one of long days as delegates pored over a draft of the final document, making more than 1,000 suggested revisions. 

When they finally vote on it, it will then be up to the world’s almost 1.4 billion Roman Catholics to see how synodality — the process of journeying, listening and learning together — can be put into practice at diocesan and parish levels.


Read about the ending of the synod, including its controversies and acclaims, in the Free Press, along with a sidebar about why people who hope for big changes should brace themselves for a "cold shower."



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