John Allen (National Catholic Reporter)
Synod: Official text of pope's reflection
On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Pope Benedict XVI spoke for the first time during the Synod of Bishops on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church," working from notes he had taken in a small notebook during the first round of speech-making. On Saturday, Oct. 18, the Vatican released a much-anticipated official text of those remarks. During a Thursday press conference, Jesuit Fr.
Synod: Interview with Cardinal William Levada
Interview with Cardinal William Levada
October 16, 2008
Cardinal William Levada, the former Archbishop of San Francisco, is the first American to serve as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the powerful Vatican department once known as the ?Holy Office.? Colloquially, it's also been called, in Italian, La Suprema ? the ?supreme? office in the Vatican power structure. Levada, 72, was appointed to the position by Pope Benedict XVI. He worked under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger early in the future pope?s own tenure at the Holy Office, and later became a bishop member of the congregation.
Synod: Anglican bishop is a star of the show
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
In any Synod of Bishops, the real star is, of course, the pope. In second place typically come high-profile Catholic prelates from around the world, as well as the bishops of dioceses of particular interest ? such as Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Iraq ? and, of course, powerful Vatican officials.
At this synod on the Bible, however, one of the ?fraternal delegates," meaning a representative of another Christian confession, has more star power than most Catholic prelates in the hall: Anglican Bishop N.T. ?Tom? Wright, the bishop of Durham in England, and one of the world?s best-known New Testament scholars.
Synod: Interview with Cardinal Francis George
Interview with Cardinal Francis George
October 15, 2008
If the typical American bishop once upon a time was a ?bricks and mortar? man, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago is anything but typical. He?s a scholar-prelate who loves to chew over ideas (George holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Tulane), and he also has a deeply cosmopolitan view of the world ? a fruit, in part, of having lived for more than a decade in Rome as the Vicar General of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
Synod: Bishops hear the voices of women
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Given the all-male nature of the Catholic priesthood, a Synod of Bishops is, inevitably, something of a gentleman?s club. Nevertheless, because the business of a synod is, at least in part, to take stock of what?s happening in the church around the world, each synod also makes efforts to hear the voices of women.
Yesterday morning, eleven women taking part in the Oct. 5-26 Synod of Bishops, dedicated to ?The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church,? gave speeches from the floor. In their own ways, each offered a perspective that might not otherwise have been part of the mix.
Synod: Iraqi patriarch issues plea for his 'tortured and bloodied country'
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
One of the most moving speeches in the Synod of Bishops so far came on Tuesday from Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, the Chaldean Patriarch of Iraq, who described daily life as ?a Calvary? in his ?tortured and bloodied country.?
Without pointing a direct finger of blame at any party, or advancing any particular political solution, Delly spoke in dramatic terms about the country?s suffering, including that of its Christian community.
Synod: Interview with Chris Schenk of "FutureChurch"
Interview with Chris Schenk of "FutureChurch"
October 14, 2008
A bit like Washington when the Supreme Court is in session, a meeting of the Synod of Bishops in Rome always brings out voices from across the spectrum who hope to make themselves heard. Some groups that dot the Catholic landscape are represented inside the synod hall itself; the heads of movements such as Sant?Egidio and Focolare, for example, are official ?auditors.? Others, especially those espousing various reforms they would like the church to adopt, find themselves on the outside looking in. They, too, are part of the sights and sounds that surround the event.
Synod: Poll finds practicing, non-practicing Catholics in America are worlds apart
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
In reporting on American Catholics, the head of the Knights of Columbus today argued, media outlets should distinguish between ?practicing? and ?non-practicing? Catholics ? because new polling data he presented shows these two groups are, in many ways, worlds apart.
Carl Anderson, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, spoke this evening at a Rome news conference to release a new survey of Catholic voters, commissioned by the Knights and carried out by the Marist College Institute of Public Opinion in late September and early October.
Synod: For the first time, the pope speaks
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
For anyone with a spare dollar looking to make a wager about the Synod of Bishops, here?s the safest bet in the world, in the wake of this morning?s session: There will be a proposition on the relationship between exegesis and theology among the final recommendations presented to Pope Benedict XVI.
Truth to be told, the relationship between Biblical interpretation and other areas of Catholic theology had already emerged as a major concern. This morning, however, Pope Benedict himself took the unusual ? indeed, quite possibly unprecedented ? step of explicitly recommending that the bishops adopt a proposition on how exegetes and theologians can better inform each other?s work.
Synod: 'Fraternal delegates' add distinctive voices to the mix
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Delegates from other Christian bodies have long been invited to Synods of Bishops, but this time around they?re especially at home. The theme is the Bible, which represents the ?common ground? that all the divided branches of the Christian family still share.
Ecumenical sensitivity in this synod is palpable, from the large representation of ?fraternal delegates? to the decision to stage a joint vespers service on Oct. 18 led both by Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople ? the first time a non-Catholic prelate will co-preside over a liturgy during a Synod of Bishops.