Cardinal Michael Czerny hopes the legacy of the Synod on Synodality launched by Pope Francis will be the implementation of the Second Vatican Council in order to exercise the mission of Jesus Christ in the modern-day world. Source: National Catholic Register.
“The central insight of Vatican II is that we are all enjoying equal dignity as Christians by our baptism,” the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said in an interview with EWTN.
“It is as the people of God that we walk together – who are ordained, or in authority, or both – are at the service of God’s people,” he elaborated. “This kind of service needs to be refreshed and, in a certain sense, brought up to date.”
To “more effectively, more flexibly, [and] more generously” respond to the “great hunger and thirst” of people, the Canadian cardinal said that synodality is intended to confirm the authority and tradition of the Church.
“If you want to sum up the Synod, we are seeking ways and means to assure that kind of authority so that the Church will be able to carry out its mission and not be handicapped or distracted by sins and mistakes which, in fact, consume and eradicate authority,” he said.
On the topic of the participation of women in the Church, the cardinal said the different ministries of women can be better “integrated” within Church structures so as to provide better “recognition, authority, formation, [and] recompense” for the work they carry out at the service of God and others.
In spite of the “enormous challenges of our times” – such as forced migration or conflict – Czerny said many of the Catholic faithful living on the margins or peripheries are witnesses of a “hopeful Church” and are therefore an example for others.
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Cardinal Czerny: Legacy of Synod Will Be Implementation of Vatican II (National Catholic Register)
