09/07/2025 08:30
- 10:45
HALL: Seminar Room 07
Chair:
Wood R.L.
Proponent:
Cesari J.,
Froehle B.
Speaker:
Cesari J.,
Cuda E.,
Faggioli M.,
Froehle B.,
Guardado L.
The Catholic Church under Pope Francis has launched a worldwide effort to simultaneously: i) advance 'synodality'—deep listening processes by which ecclesial authority are to be better informed by expertise and better grounded in the day-to-day life of laypersons in the world; and ii) advance the inculturation of Catholicism in diverse cultures—not simply 'catholic' by geography but more fully 'catholic' in culture and spirit. Such a project raises a host of questions demanding intellectual expertise as well as prudent judgment: how can large-scale 'listening processes' best be structured in ways that keep dominant biases in check, reach the 'margins of society' as well as elites, and produce insight that is valuable for informing ecclesial decision-making? What organizational forms can best provide discipline and structure to such processes? What is the relationship between synodality and the structure of authority within Catholicism? What elements of Catholic practice and decision-making can be productively decentralized to better inculturate the faith? What elements must remain centralized to assure coherence and faithfulness to the core tradition? What is the role of intellectual expertise in all these matters? This session will host a discussion on this intellectual terrain among theologians, social scientists, ethicists, ecclesiologists, historians, attorneys, organizational experts, and others interested—with an eye toward strengthening global intellectual networks to 'think with the Church' toward the future. Session sponsored by the journal Concilium and the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies.