Perspectives on the Synod

In March 2020, Pope Francis announced a major event in the life of the church: the Synod on Synodality. Built around the themes of communion, participation and mission, the pope called this Synod—the 16th such meeting since its reintroduction by Pope St. Paul VI in 1965—“what the Lord expects from the church of the third millennium.” It is a “walk together,” a way of proceeding driven by the Holy Spirit and implemented by the People of God.

In 2023, more than 360 people from around the world—bishops and cardinals, religious sisters and clergy, members of the laity and Outreach’s own James Martin, S.J.—gathered in Rome to discern where the Holy Spirit may lead the Catholic Church. The October meeting marked the opening of the Synod’s “universal phase,” which was preceded by listening sessions and opinion gathering at the diocesan and continental levels. The Synod is set to conclude with a final gathering next year.

Are you curious about the perspectives of Synod attendees? Do you wonder what this global gathering will mean for the future of the church? Outreach has you covered.

Check back here as we feature analysis and commentary on the Synod from participants, theologians, LGBTQ people and those who minister with them.

Images from the Synod

Swiss guards seen inside the Vatican on October 4, 2023.
Pope Francis arrives for the opening session of the Synod on Synodality at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 4, 2023.
Synod members and onlookers attend the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
Synod participants gather for the opening session of the Synod on Synodality at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 4, 2023.
From left: Bishop Enrique “Kike” Figaredo Alvargonzález, S.J., of Cambodia; Antonio Spadaro, S.J.; and James Martin, S.J., before the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
Synod participants gather for the opening session of the Synod on Synodality at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 4, 2023.
Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., of the Eparchy of Bratislava, part of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church (left) and Bishop Marek Forgáč of Košice, Slovakia before the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
Synod participants gather for the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
Synod participants confer at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
A book of the Gospels seen at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
“The Resurrection,” a monumental sculpture on nuclear war by the 20th century Italian artist Pericle Fazzini, seen inside Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
St. Peter’s Basilica seen at night in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
Julia Osęka, a Polish-born undergraduate student at the Jesuit-run St. Joseph’s University in Philadephia, Pa., poses in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
Pope Francis greets Synod participants in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 6, 2023.
Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., greets Pope Francis at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 6, 2023. Behind Father Martin is Synod participant Antonio Spadaro, S.J. (Photo courtesy of Vatican News)
Swiss Guards stand at the aula of Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 10, 2023.
Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., (right) speaks with Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the U.S.C.C.B. president, at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 11, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., poses with Archbishop Péter Fülöp Kocsis, who leads the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 11, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., share a laugh during a Synod break at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 11, 2023. (Photo courtesy of OSV News/Vatican Media)
Synod participants gather in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 12, 2023. At left is Outreach editor James Martin, S.J. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith, poses with Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 12, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Julia Osęka)
Synod delegate Julia Osęka, a Polish-born university student, and Outreach editor James Martin. S.J., converse in Vatican City, October 13, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Michael Haynes/LifeSiteNews)
Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta listens to Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in Vatican City on Oct. 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Edward Pentin/National Catholic Register)
From left: Outreach editor James Martin, S.J.; Antonio Spadaro, S.J.; Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.; Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J.; and Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J., pose outside Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 16, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Colleen Dulle/America Media)
Synod delegates pose in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 17, 2023. Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., stands in the back row, second from right. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
David McCallum, S.J., the vice president for mission integration and development at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., stands with Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 18, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C.)
From left: David McCallum, S.J.; Outreach editor James Martin, S.J.; and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C., of Mongolia seen inside St. Peter’s Basilica, October 18, 2023. (Photo courtesy of David McCallum, S.J.)
Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, holds a copy of “Come Forth” alongside Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 19, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
Pope Francis presides over a nightime prayer service for refugees in St. Peter’s Square, October 19, 2023.
Pope Francis greets Synod delegates in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 20, 2023.
Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., greets Pope Francis in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 20, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Vatican News)
Synod delegates pose in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 21, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
Synod cantors and a musician pose in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 21, 2023.
Austen Ivereigh (right), appointed by Pope Francis as an expert advisor to the Synod, stands with Grant Gallicho, a communications professional for the Archdiocese of Chicago, in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 21, 2023.
Synod prelates gather after a morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, October 24, 2023.
Synod delegates gather in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 28, 2023.
Synod delegates, part of a small discussion group, gather around a table in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 28, 2023. Outreach editor James Martin, S.J. (center) is flanked by Cynthia Bailey Manns and Archbishop Paul Martin of Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
Synod delegates gather before the closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 29, 2023.
A rainbow arches over St. Peter’s Square before the morning Synod session, October 25, 2023.
Synod delegates gather before the closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy of James Martin, S.J.)
    Swiss guards seen inside the Vatican on October 4, 2023.
    Pope Francis arrives for the opening session of the Synod on Synodality at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 4, 2023.
    Synod members and onlookers attend the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
    Synod participants gather for the opening session of the Synod on Synodality at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 4, 2023.
    From left: Bishop Enrique “Kike” Figaredo Alvargonzález, S.J., of Cambodia; Antonio Spadaro, S.J.; and James Martin, S.J., before the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
    Synod participants gather for the opening session of the Synod on Synodality at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 4, 2023.
    Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., of the Eparchy of Bratislava, part of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church (left) and Bishop Marek Forgáč of Košice, Slovakia before the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
    Synod participants gather for the opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, October 4, 2023.
    Synod participants confer at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
    A book of the Gospels seen at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
    “The Resurrection,” a monumental sculpture on nuclear war by the 20th century Italian artist Pericle Fazzini, seen inside Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
    St. Peter’s Basilica seen at night in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
    Julia Osęka, a Polish-born undergraduate student at the Jesuit-run St. Joseph’s University in Philadephia, Pa., poses in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, October 5, 2023.
    Pope Francis greets Synod participants in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 6, 2023.
    Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., greets Pope Francis at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 6, 2023. Behind Father Martin is Synod participant Antonio Spadaro, S.J. (Photo courtesy of Vatican News)
    Swiss Guards stand at the aula of Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 10, 2023.
    Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., (right) speaks with Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the U.S.C.C.B. president, at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 11, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., poses with Archbishop Péter Fülöp Kocsis, who leads the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 11, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., share a laugh during a Synod break at Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 11, 2023. (Photo courtesy of OSV News/Vatican Media)
    Synod participants gather in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 12, 2023. At left is Outreach editor James Martin, S.J. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith, poses with Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 12, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Julia Osęka)
    Synod delegate Julia Osęka, a Polish-born university student, and Outreach editor James Martin. S.J., converse in Vatican City, October 13, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Michael Haynes/LifeSiteNews)
    Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta listens to Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in Vatican City on Oct. 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Edward Pentin/National Catholic Register)
    From left: Outreach editor James Martin, S.J.; Antonio Spadaro, S.J.; Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.; Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J.; and Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J., pose outside Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 16, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Colleen Dulle/America Media)
    Synod delegates pose in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 17, 2023. Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., stands in the back row, second from right. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    David McCallum, S.J., the vice president for mission integration and development at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., stands with Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 18, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C.)
    From left: David McCallum, S.J.; Outreach editor James Martin, S.J.; and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C., of Mongolia seen inside St. Peter’s Basilica, October 18, 2023. (Photo courtesy of David McCallum, S.J.)
    Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, holds a copy of “Come Forth” alongside Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 19, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    Pope Francis presides over a nightime prayer service for refugees in St. Peter’s Square, October 19, 2023.
    Pope Francis greets Synod delegates in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 20, 2023.
    Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., greets Pope Francis in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 20, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Vatican News)
    Synod delegates pose in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 21, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    Synod cantors and a musician pose in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 21, 2023.
    Austen Ivereigh (right), appointed by Pope Francis as an expert advisor to the Synod, stands with Grant Gallicho, a communications professional for the Archdiocese of Chicago, in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 21, 2023.
    Synod prelates gather after a morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, October 24, 2023.
    Synod delegates gather in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 28, 2023.
    Synod delegates, part of a small discussion group, gather around a table in Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City, October 28, 2023. Outreach editor James Martin, S.J. (center) is flanked by Cynthia Bailey Manns and Archbishop Paul Martin of Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo courtesy of Synod.va)
    Synod delegates gather before the closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 29, 2023.
    A rainbow arches over St. Peter’s Square before the morning Synod session, October 25, 2023.
    Synod delegates gather before the closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy of James Martin, S.J.)

      All photos courtesy of James Martin, S.J., unless otherwise stated.

      James F. Keenan, S.J. / February 2, 2024

      James F. Keenan, S.J.: The Synod should embrace the “radically inclusive friendship” of the LGBTQ community

      So as to propose a bridge between the church and its LGBTQ community, I propose raising up a value that is paramount within the gay community. I call it radically inclusive friendship.

      Lisa Sowle Cahill / January 22, 2024

      Lisa Sowle Cahill: LGBTQ People, the Synod and Blessing Same-Sex Couples

      From almost the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has signaled that LGBTQ people should not be excluded from the circle of Catholic faith and practice.

      Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J. / James Martin, S.J. / January 9, 2024

      How to address questions of “identity and sexuality” raised by the Synod

      We may quarrel over how to interpret Scripture or how to understand the church’s teaching on human sexuality, but we cannot deny the reality of same-sex relationships as integral to the meaning of the church as the People of God.

      David Palmieri / December 13, 2023

      Five commitments the Synod made to the church and what they mean for LGBTQ Catholics

      Two years of global listening brought forward the joys and sorrows of LGBTQ Catholics, so we need to be empathetic towards those who say the Synod report was a letdown.

      Elizabeth Sweeny Block / December 5, 2023

      The Synod emphasized the lived experience of the faithful. This must include LGBTQ people.

      Genuine reciprocal listening, dialogue and communal discernment would include a diversity of perspectives and make space for the LGBTQ community.

      Brandan Robertson / November 22, 2023

      As a gay Protestant pastor, I have mixed reactions to the Synod report

      While I understand the challenge for the Synod to explicitly affirm LGBTQ people, these two references feel like too little at best and patronizing at worst.

      Cristina L.H. Traina / November 16, 2023

      Synod report reveals compromise and disagreement on gender and sexuality

      By providing a pathway to deeper discernment, and not simply urging consensus, the report signals that the church’s cooperation with the Holy Spirit is ongoing

      Outreach Staff / November 14, 2023

      Watch: Father James Martin on LGBTQ people and his optimistic view of the Synod process

      In July, Pope Francis personally appointed Outreach editor James Martin, S.J., to the Synod on Synodality, a two-part worldwide gathering in Rome attended by more than 360 prelates, clergy members and lay people.

      James Martin, S.J. / November 3, 2023

      Father James Martin: I experienced the Synod as a spiritual journey

      We had our differences, and maybe some of the delegates would never agree with me on LGBTQ issues, if they even used that term. That’s okay. As we were told often about the Council of Jerusalem, in the Acts of the Apostles, there was a lot of disagreement then, too.

      Brody McCurdy / Grace Woodward / November 3, 2023

      A queer Catholic and his Presbyterian friend journey to Rome for the Synod

      It was a beautifully liberating moment, one of the first times in my life where I felt that pieces of myself—my queerness and my Catholicism—became truly integrated. I could be both/and instead of either/or in such a public way.

      James Martin, S.J. / October 30, 2023

      Father James Martin: My experience at the Synod

      To my mind, that was the most important thing that occurred at the synod: Friendships were built across boundaries, within the boundary of our love for Christ, whose love knows no boundaries.

      Ryan Di Corpo / October 28, 2023

      The first Synod report addresses many topics. So where are LGBTQ people?

      By multiple accounts, LGBTQ people—at least through their stories and struggles—were present in the Synod hall. But they are noticeably absent from this document.

      Brian Flanagan / October 28, 2023

      Why I’m happy to not know everything about the Synod

      I hope that this privacy has enabled richer conversations freed from the limits of instantaneous, public debate. This shows just how different this assembly is from so many other forms of shared decision-making in our world.

      Robert Shine / October 27, 2023

      Will the Synod on Synodality really bring significant change for LGBTQ Catholics?

      The hopeful “yes” to my question about significant change begins with the simple fact that the conversation is happening. At last, after decades of Catholics advocating for an open dialogue on issues of gender and sexuality, that dialogue has arrived, albeit in nascent form.

      Ryan Di Corpo / October 25, 2023

      Pope Francis shows support to LGBTQ Catholic groups as Synod meets

      These papal meetings come amid widespread speculation and significant interest about discussions between Synod delegates on LGBTQ topics.