Pope calls for church that is far more decentralised
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has called for a Catholic Church that is far more decentralised, where the laity play a greater role, bishops conferences take care of certain problems and even the papacy is rethought.
Pope Francis talks during a special audience to mark the 50th anniversary of Synod of Bishops in Paul VI hall at the Vatican. Photo: Reuters
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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has called for a Catholic Church that is far more decentralised, where the laity play a greater role, bishops conferences take care of certain problems and even the papacy is rethought.
Francis issued the call during a ceremony today (Oct 17) marking the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops, a consultative body formed during the Second Vatican Council that was intended precisely to encourage more collegiality in the running of the church by inviting bishops to offer their advice to Rome.
Over the past five decades, the synod has been little more than a talk-fest. Francis has sought to reenergise it, and the contentious meeting underway at the Vatican, in which conservative and progressive bishops are squaring off over ministering to families, has been the result. AP
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