Pope Francis Biographer Austen Ivereigh Discusses Global Synod at IACS Event

A global initiative from Pope Francis that will chart the future direction of the Catholic Church was recently discussed by Vatican journalist and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh.

Hosted by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, “Enlarging the Space of our Tent” was held in early February at Holy Family Church in South Pasadena and featured Ivereigh leading an in-depth conversation on the Synod on Synodality.

Launched by Pope Francis in March 2020, the synod is a multi-year process aiming to generate feedback from Catholics across the globe.

The Synod on Synodality is an opportunity for lay Catholics to have their voices heard at the highest levels of the church, Ivereigh said.

“It’s the biggest and most important thing that has happened in the church in my lifetime,” said Ivereigh, who has written books both about and with Pope Francis. “I think it’s clearly already showing that it’s bringing about change and things are moving in the church. This process is of God and of the spirit.”

Pope Francis has called the synod “an exercise of mutual listening, conducted at all levels of the Church.” The word synod comes from the Greek synodos, which translates to “walking together.” The Synod on Synodality is considered to be the largest and most important listening and consultation effort ever undertaken by the Catholic Church.

According to Ivereigh, about 750,000 Catholics across the U.S. have participated in listening sessions at parishes, online surveys and Diocesan-wide meetings between clergy, parishioners and bishops.

Ivereigh has worked on behalf of the Vatican with clergy and lay Catholics to collect synod reports from dioceses, synthesize information and craft a detailed report outlining early themes: the role of women in ministry, welcoming young people and marginalized groups into the church, confronting division and embracing diversity, according to Ivereigh.

“There are huge implications for how the church will develop in the future and we’re just at the beginning of the journey,” he said. “It’s striking how every single report talks about how the gifts of the ministry of women are not recognized in the church as it should be.”

At a time when divisions run deep in the Catholic Church and across society, Ivereigh said the synod serves an important role in bringing viewpoints and ideas together to unify Catholics.

“Catholics are divided into tribes, just like the whole of our society seems to be into tribes,” Ivereigh said. “Maybe what needs to happen is that we need to listen and hold together our disagreements and not try to resolve them. It’s not about being right or wrong, but being able to be honest about how we feel and see things, and speak from our experience.”

“Catholics are divided into tribes, just like the whole of our society seems to be into tribes.”

Consisting of four phases, the landmark initiative is expected to conclude in October 2024.

Watch a replay of “Enlarging the Space of our Tent” on the IACS YouTube channel.