In February, Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ was appointed undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops. The subsequent media attention on Sr. Becquart, as well as her own interest in promoting the concept of synodality, has led to a spate of articles and thinking about the problems and possibilities synodality possesses. But even prior to Sr. Becquart’s promotion, there was serious interest in synodality because of Pope Francis’s promotion of the concept. Here’s a link roundup to some of those pieces:

  • Q&A with Sr. Becquart at Global Sisters Report: “I realized that many sisters received [my nomination] for themselves.”
  • An interview with Sr. Bequart on EWTN
  • In November 2020, Cardinal Mario Grech, the Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, gave an address indicating he supported helping synodality take root in local conferences and dioceses: “But I believe and desire that the Secretariat may be able to do more, for example, supporting the bishops and the episcopal conferences in maturing in a synodal style, without interfering, but accompanying the processes underway at various levels in the Church’s life.”
  • An article from The Tablet points out that synodality has a balance to maintain: “Sr Nathalie stresses that synodality needs primacy. The Pope or a bishop makes the final decision but should do so without rendering synods toothless ‘advisory’ bodies.”
  • In the National Catholic Reporter, Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB opines on how synodality can be a key part of church reform
  • Two older articles, one from Catholic News Agency and one from Word on Fire, offer explainers on synodality
  • In 2018, the International Theological Commission, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published a document outlining the theological basis for synodality
  • Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, in this Vatican News article, calls synodality “a fundamental feature of the Church’s identity”
  • The Catholic Apostolate Center has an FAQ on synodality with a links to article explainers and church documents for a deeper dive into the history and theory of synodality