"Rushing" to open the diaconate to women in the Catholic Church would short-circuit a necessary reflection on the relationship between ordained ministry and charismatic leadership, particularly as it impacts the participation of women in the church, said the head of the Vatican's doctrinal office.

The second meeting of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops begins this week at the Vatican. Like last year's meeting, it's a four-week-long gathering of 368 voting delegates -- with scores more of nonvoting participants -- from six continents to address the theme "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission" and experience synodality, a posture of listening, accompaniment and communion in the church.

The Catholic Church cannot be credible in its mission of proclaiming Christ unless it acknowledges its mistakes and bends down "to heal the wounds we have caused by our sins," Pope Francis said.

The second session of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, set to bring 368 bishops, priests, religious and laypeople to the Vatican, will begin by asking forgiveness for various sins on behalf of all the baptized.

Unleashing congregants' talents and leadership abilities, embracing open-minded listening and fostering synodality at the parish and diocesan levels were prominent topics of conversation during the Canadian National Online Gathering for Priests video conference Aug. 14.

The working document for the October assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality has called for responses to how all the baptized can better serve the Catholic Church and help heal humanity's "deepest wounds."

Fr. Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M., is “riding a high” one week after returning from the Parish Priests for the Synod international meeting in Rome.

The council of the Synod of Bishops will ask Pope Francis to authorize studies on the need to update canon law, revise the rules for priestly formation, deepen a theological reflection on the diaconate -- including the possibility of ordaining women deacons -- and consider revising a document that provides norms for the relationship of a bishop with members of religious orders in his diocese.

Three of us from Concerned Lay Catholics agreed to make the trip to Rome. We saw this as an opportunity to connect with and learn from similar organizations working in other parts of the world, and to learn as much as possible about the official Synodal process itself. We had connections to people both inside and outside the process, so we were confident that our experience would be balanced and well-informed.

On the eve of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis released his Apostolic Exhortation "on the climate crisis," emphasizing the need to "rethink... the question of human power." The Synod is also about the meaning and limits of power with the seeming goal of turning the Catholic Church into a sort of procedural republic, a fellowship of listeners who through “conversations in the Spirit” learn to find a word from God in each other’s experiences. But they will still have to find ways to distribute power, or ways will be found for them.

A statement to the Synod on Synodality from Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops

The months leading up to the now concluded first phase of the Synod on Synodality were marked by anticipation and anxiety in influential Catholic circles. While the majority of Catholics might remain perplexed or indifferent to the Synod, invested Catholics saw change on the horizon.

A report summarizing discussions at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops said the church may need more welcoming pastoral approaches, especially to people who feel excluded, but also acknowledged fears of betraying traditional church teachings and practices.

On Sunday Oct. 15, members of Concerned Lay Catholics had the opportunity to join Dr. Catherine Clifford for lunch following English Mass at the Jesuit Caravita community in Rome.

As members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops return home, share the results of their work and prepare for the final synod assembly in 2024, they must be on guard against people who will want to make them take sides as if the synod were a political debate, said Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe.