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.

As the Synod on Synodality continues, the global gathering is providing an opportunity for Catholic leaders to share ideas and initiatives -- some of which dovetail with the aims of the National Eucharistic Revival underway in the United States.

Some confidential documents from the assembly of the Synod of Bishops were accessible online to anyone who had the address before synod officials restored the need for a username and password, said Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication.

With 364 members and dozens of special guests having the right to speak at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, accurately synthesizing the discussion will be a major undertaking.

Relative to its population, Canada is punching above its weight at the Synod on Synodality, currently in its second week in Rome.

With the completion of the opening days of the Synod on Synodality having taken place in Rome, a few observations can be offered.

While the doors of the Synod on Synodality, taking place in the Vatican Oct. 4-29, are closed to journalists and the public, a group of survivors of sexual abuse anxiously awaits news on how the assembly addresses the clerical sexual abuse that affected their lives so painfully.

The formation of seminarians, the Catholic Church as a welcoming home for all, migration and ecumenism arose as common themes of discussion among participants of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops Oct. 6, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis’ homily delivered in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the Oct. 4 opening of the Synod on Synodality.