Additionally, the availability of the Synod’s working group assignments calls into question organizers’ decision to not make the information available to the media. Paolo Ruffini, president of the synod’s information commission, has previously said that he did not know the assignments and wasn’t willing to obtain and share them with members of the press.
The assignments have been a source of controversy because, in a break from precedent, only certain Synod members have been assigned to focus on certain topics. This has raised concerns that table reports might not reflect the views of the entire assembly—especially on controversial issues like pastoral ministry for same-sex attracted and transgender-identifying individuals, as well as the possibility of opening the diaconate to women.
The table reports will serve an important basis for a summary document of the monthlong assembly, which will in turn provide the starting point for the second and final Synod gathering in October 2024.
Furthermore, the Pillar’s general description of table reports raises doubts about Synod leaders’ long-standing claim that the Oct. 4-29 assembly would not focus on Church teaching, but on how the Church can better include its members. As the Pillar reported, “while some working groups emphasized doctrinal fidelity, at least one report expressed a call for the Church to reconsider doctrine on sexual morality.”
The finding aligns with Ruffini’s recent remarks at a press briefing that some Synod members have asked for “greater discernment on the teaching of the Church on the subject of sexuality,” while others have said “there’s no need for this further discernment.”
More broadly, the Pillar noted that the working groups reports reflected the “synod updates provided by the Vatican press offices.”
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