The October Synod – Good News!
Submitted Ann Castiglione
(Taken directly from New Ways Ministry Blog by Francis DeBernardo 6.21.23)
It is nothing short of an amazing and true blessing that LGBTQ+ people were mentioned twice in the Vatican’s working document for the assembly of the Synod in October.
The language and style of the document, the Instrumentum Laboris, is highly generalized, mentioning very few specific topics, so getting not just one, but two mentions in the document signifies that LGBTQ+ issues are priorities [emphasis added] that cannot be ignored as the Synod participants continue to reflect on building a church that, as the document says, “welcomes all and respects diversity.”
[Instrumentum Laboris] emphasizes that the excluded “are bearers of Good News that the whole community needs to hear” and that “whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.” LGBTQ+ people are indeed bearers of Good News inviting the church to learn more about God.
The synod will certainly not resolve all the issues that LGBTQ+ Catholics have raised, but this document indicates they are taken seriously by church leaders. The document’s promise for respecting diversity, encounter, and dialogue ensures that LGBTQ+ Catholics will continue to be included in the synodal journey, with their concerns being taken seriously by church leaders.