With Kristina Millare

Vatican City, 26 October 2024 / 11:00

As the second session of the Synod on Synod draws to a close, U.S. bishops serving as delegates to the synod shared their insights and experiences in a series of interviews this week with EWTN News hosts Catherine Hadro, Matthew Bunson and Father Thomas Petri, OP.

“We walk together, and of course for us, we walk with Christ,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told EWTN News.

“Actually, we are all responsible; We all make up the Church, we are all living stones.”

“We walk together, and of course for us, we walk with Christ,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told EWTN News. “Actually, we are all responsible; We all make up the Church, we are all living stones.”

The Military Services archbishop emphasized that this shared responsibility must first begin at the parish level before it can emerge effectively at the diocesan level.

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, USCCB vice president, emphasized that synodality is primarily about the “internal culture” of the Church and how Catholics understand God’s will together.

“It is more about…listening to the Lord and His words, to the Church and to tradition; Listening to each other (and) understanding what the real desires are,” Lori explained.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, described synodality as requiring “a conversion to the way and manner of Jesus.” At the same time, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, emphasized that synodality serves the Church’s core evangelistic mission.

“The final mission is to bring to the world the truth and beauty of the Bible, this message of salvation in Christ,” Rhoades said. “Synchronicity is not the end. “It is a means to an end.”

Global Perspective

The bishops emphasized how their interactions with delegates from around the world deepened their appreciation for the challenges and vitality of the universal Church.

Broglio described illuminating conversations with a bishop from Nepal, where Christians face significant restrictions, including declaration of conversion requirements.

During a recess of the synod, Lori visited Ukraine and met with war widows and mothers who had lost their sons in the conflict. He witnessed “tremendous faith and endurance” despite tremendous suffering.

Looking ahead, bishops emphasized the practical application of synodality in their dioceses. Cultural change did not happen overnight, Lori noted, but many dioceses are beginning to implement more collaborative approaches to church governance.

Rhoades pointed to existing structures such as district pastoral councils and presbyteral councils as tools for implementing a more synodal approach. “It’s about taking these councils really seriously,” he said.

Kristina Millare is a freelance journalist with a professional communications background in the humanitarian and development sector, news journalism, entertainment marketing, politics and government, business and entrepreneurship.