Diocese of Pittsburgh Releases Report on Three Additional Synodal Sessions

A new Synodal Synthesis report is now available detailing insights on Church life, provided by those who work and minister within the structures and organizations of the Church, young adults, and the clergy. These groups met for discussion at synodal sessions held during Lent 2024.

Their insights were gathered at the request of a gathering of a Synod of Bishops, held in Rome last October.

In his opening letter to the new Synodal Synthesis report, Bishop David Zubik emphasized that journeying together through this synodal process is intended to give Catholics a deeper understanding of the faith lives of those around them.

“Living synodality does not require documentation; instead, it’s about encountering our sisters and brothers in Christ and being open to truly listening and learning from their experience of the faith,” he said.

The synodal process began in late 2021 and early 2022, when the Church of Pittsburgh participated in the local phase of the 2023-2024 Synod of Bishops – For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission. Local Catholics were asked to gather in their parishes, schools, workplaces, and homes to hold conversations aimed at helping each other genuinely listen and hear from each other’s experiences.

At the conclusion of that process, a diocesan synthesis was written and shared both with our local Church and with the hierarchy. Our experiences, synthesized together with those from every diocese in the world, formed the basis of the October discussion held by the Synod of Bishops in Rome, where further consultation at the level of the local churches was requested.

The additional consultation focused on two questions:

1. Where have I seen or experienced successes—and distresses—within the Church’s structure(s), organization, leadership, and life that encourage or hinder the mission?
2. How can the structures and organization of the Church help all the baptized to respond to the call to proclaim the Gospel and to live as a community of love and mercy in Christ?