Catholic Union Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, writes:
This weekend will see Bishops, priests, and laity heading to Rome for the latest stage of the Synod. With Parliament on party conference recess, the Vatican perhaps overtakes Westminster as the focal point for political intrigue over the next few weeks.
While the Synod is not due to conclude until October 2024, next month’s gathering in Rome is likely to give us a clearer sense of where the deliberations over the past two years will end up.
For some Catholics, the Synod has already heightened hopes and deepened fears about the direction of the Church. But perhaps the greatest concern is not the strong reaction from some but the lack of reaction from so many.
The reality is that most Catholics who attend Mass this Sunday will not be engaged in the Synod at all. One thing this Synod on Synodality has highlighted is how little Catholics know about how our Church is run and governed.
At the Catholic Union we are constantly encouraging people to engage in the governance of our country at all levels. But there is also governance of the Church, which should be just as much of a concern to lay Catholics. If a Synodal Church is the goal, then better formation of the laity needs to be at its heart.