WHEN WILL THE CHURCH LIVE TRUE SYNODALITY, MEANING, WALKING TOGETHER NOT TO CHANGE DOCTRINE AND BEGIN PROCESSES THAT LEAD TO THAT, BUT LISTENING TO CATHOLICS ABOUT WHO SHOULD BE CHOSEN TO LEAD THE CHURCH IN WALKING TOGETHER IN ORTHODOXY AND ORTHO-PRAXIS, NOT FORCED HETERODOXY AND HETEROPRAXIS?

Recently Pope Francis, perhaps the most authoritarian pope since Vatican II, gushed over his idea of synodality turning things upside-down, meaning that leadership in in the Church is from the bottom up rather than the top down. One has to wonder if the pope is expressing Holiness' complete hubris given his micro management of local bishops and their parishes’ bulletins or the effects of extreme old age is compromising Holiness' expressions!  

I am no fan of synodality that turns the Church into political factions manipulating the system to get their way through political means and backroom deals. Or worse yet, gaslighting Catholics into heterodoxy and heteropraxis by beginning processes that will change the faith, doctrines and morals of the Church over the course of time in a horribly discontinuity way. 

Where I think synodality has great potential, is in the selection of candidates for the priesthood and as diocesan bishops. 

When I was Vocation Director for the Diocese of Savannah, I had a group of laity who would interview potential candidates for the seminary, but in a casual, home-setting way. Then they would write an evaluation of the candidate in terms of the pros and cons of accepting the candidate. I valued their evaluations and helped me to make good recommendations to my bishop in terms of his final yes or no concerning potential candidates for the priesthood. 

As well, seminarians on pastoral assignments in diocesan parishes were evaluated by lay staff and certain parishioners. That helped too and in big measure!

When it comes to the selection of bishops for dioceses, I think it is wise to consult with a wide variety of other bishops in the area about who would make a good candidate for a particular diocese. As well, priests, deacons, and religious in the diocese in question, should be consulted as well.

Local laity should be consulted too, especially those in employment positions in dioceses but also rank and file parishioners. 

With an Archdiocese of such National and International importance as Washington, DC, I wonder who would have been identified as the best candidate for the Archdiocese if a broader consultation process had taken place.

As far as I can tell, right now there are two groups of cardinals who made different recommendations to Pope Francis. Ultra-progressive Cardinals Cupich and Tobin proposed ultra-progressive Cardinal McElroy to the pope as the new archbishop. The Cardinal Nuncio and Cardinal Gregory proposed someone else. 

Pope Francis obviously listened to Cardinals Tobin and Cupich and then made his top down decision on ultra progressive/liberal Cardinal McElroy!

Were only those four the ones consulted?????

So much for synodality!