By the time you see this I will be in Rome and unpacking my bags for the Synod of Bishops on the Family in the Modern World. I’ve worked very hard to prepare for it and, now that I’m here, I’m looking forward to it very much.
People keep asking me what do you think will happen at the Synod. All I can say is: “I’m not sure”. I think we could be in for surprises. The Holy Spirit is like that.
Nobody saw the Second Vatican Council coming and I hope, at least, we’re in for a few surprises at this Synod. Because, if we just say the same things in the same way, why bother having two Synods as Pope Francis has decided we’ll have?
We’re on a journey together and it’s a journey of discovery. It’s not just about marriage and the family. That’s where the rubber hits the road. But it’s also about the Church and how the Church relates to the modern world. Because in some ways we’re drifting apart. And that’s not the Catholic way. The Catholic way is to engage.
So, how can we as the Church engage the modern world and how seriously can we as the Church take history and all that history throws up to us? So, there are big questions caught up in this Synod but there are also those intimate questions concerning marriage and the family.
So I invite all of you to surround us Bishops here in Rome with your prayer through the next three weeks.