Participants in this month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality selected by organizers to brief reporters have praised the process as open and balanced, saying everyone is welcome in the Church and there is no “private agenda” driving the discussion.
They also applauded the process as being inclusive, and said the synod has done a sufficient job at including women’s voices. While stressing that issues such as women’s ordination and the welcome of the LGBTQ community are not the primary focus, they claimed discussion on these topics has been balanced despite vastly different opinions.
They also insisted that the synod is not going to make decisions on any singular issues but is rather aimed at promoting a “synodal culture” within the Church.
Speaking to journalists during an Oct. 16 press briefing, Sri Lankan Father Vimal Tirimanna, a moral theologian and a theological advisor of the synod who teaches in both Sri Lanka and in Rome, said, “This synod is not a private agenda of Pope Francis, it is a continuation of Vatican II.”
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