Understanding the Synod on Synodality, 2023 Session
A Community of Mutual Empowerment
Foreword by Fortunatus Nwachukwu
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
174 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.35 in
- Paperback
- 9798385224364
- Published: September 2024
$25.00 / £19.00 / AU$37.00
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No synod in modern times has grappled with so much contention and doubt from personages high in the church's hierarchy. The author situates this in context, guiding the reader through the theological and canonical footprints leading from Vatican II to the Synod on Synodality and outlining the communio ecclesiology at the base of this Synod. The book studies the Synod documents, especially the Instrumentum laboris and the Synod Synthesis Report, drawing out certain implications for a synodal church renewed by the Spirit and becoming a "community of mutual empowerment" in mission.
James Chukwuma Okoye, CSSp is professor emeritus of Old Testament studies, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, where he was the director of the Center for Spiritan Studies. He is the author of Genesis 1–11: A Narrative-Theological Commentary (2018).
“This book is truly a ‘treasure of historical, ecclesial, canonical, and magisterial teachings’ (xii). It traces the church’s thinking about ‘journeying together’ and the unfolding of this present way of being church. Having been one of the scholars who produced the Lineamenta for the African Synod, James Chukwuma Okoye is the perfect person to produce reflections on the relevant ecclesial documents on synodality produced these sixty years.”
—Dianne Bergant, distinguished professor emerita of Old Testament Theology, Catholic Theological Union
“Fr. James Okoye delights the reader with an insider’s perspective on the path toward a more synodal church and the rewriting of Catholic ecclesiology. With erudition and passion, he shows how Vatican II paved the way for a synodal church understood as communio—a vision that Pope Francis implemented. Fr. Okoye adopts a creative perspective with emphasis on documents, the progression in their interpretation, and their practical implementation. This book is a veritable treasure.”
—Radu Bordeianu, professor of theology, Duquesne University
“This is a landmark book on the 2023 synod of the church. It is written with the dexterity of a seasoned scholar, and with the knowledge and experience of a pastor who loves the church. Fr. James Okoye weaves into a brilliant tapestry the identity of a synodal church in communion with one another. Anyone interested in active participation in the life of the church will embrace the fervent invitation offered in the pages of this book.”
—Ferdinand Okorie, CMF, vice president and academic dean, Catholic Theological Union
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