Father Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and commentator, said this week, that the Second Synod on the Family was likely to fail. It seems that there is just too much information to discuss and the bishops and cardinals do not have the theological expertise or competence to dialogue.  Although, as of Thursday, October 22^nd, the German Bishops have a proposal for allowing certain married/divorced people to receive communion. The impression I am left with about this Synod meeting, is that the Institutional Church has put off talking about current ecclesiastical and pastoral issues far, far, too long. It begs the question: Can the Institutional Church catch up?

If the Catholic Church wants to address modern family issues, it must organize itself to do so, and that involves greater strategic planning. I suggest that groups of Catholic Bishop’s Conferences be assigned to study an issue, in depth, making sure they have consulted the lay people, and secular and ecclesiastical authorities. There could be combinations of Conferences to research various topics on the table.  For instance, the Canadian and American, and Irish Conferences might examine “women in the Church” or perhaps, the so called “New Missal”.  When all the Conferences have concluded their research, then, Vatican III ought to be invoked, and let them all, once again, “hash it out” in Rome.

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