NCR: Hope for change endures decades after Vatican II and Detroit’s ’69 synod

Countless pieces of analysis have used the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis to argue that he is a breath of fresh air as he urges the church to consider difficult topics, most notably through the ongoing synodal process.  

And while that’s true, the spirit of synodality can also trace its origins in the United States to much earlier.  

In the years immediately following the Second Vatican Council, Detroit’s Archbishop John Dearden launched a process that feels thoroughly in sync with the goals of Francis. I learned more about this important history during a recent visit to Detroit, at the invitation of retired Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, to speak to a group of reform-minded Catholics carrying on that historic work and eager to see how the current process plays out. …

…As part of our NCR coverage to mark the occasion [of the 10th anniversary of the papacy of Pope Francis], on March 14, we hosted an NCR Live conversation with Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, and Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference. Both offered glimpses at the very different types of discourse happening in the Catholic Church today under Francis.

Read the full story by NCR Vatican correspondent Christopher White here.