What will be the fruits of the Synod of Bishops just concluded in Rome?
The champion of the liberals, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, had already fired a shot across his fellow bishops bows in February by warning them not to take us backwards in respect of the Second Vatican Council. And the Instrumentum Laboris for the Synod has caused controversy by seeming to limit biblical inerrancy only to matters pertaining to salvation. Father Thomas Crean OP offers some introductory thoughts on the theme of the Synod. The Twelfth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops took place in Rome from 5-26 October. Three years ago, the theme for discussion was the Holy Eucharist. This year, the chosen topic was the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church. At the time of writing this article, only the working document (Lineamenta) produced by the General Secretariat of the Synod was to hand. A post-Synodal exhortation will no doubt be issued by the Supreme Pontiff in due course. But in the meantime, it may not be out of place to recall the Churchs teaching on this
