At Diocesan Synod in March Bishop Steven encouraged a greater focus on children’s and youth ministry across the diocese.

Ecumenism, enculturation and the silence of the West

Today is my last full day in Rome.  I leave first thing in the morning to return to the other beautiful city built on seven hills (Sheffield).  Today is also the last full day of the five minute interventions.  We've heard around 160 so far. There…

Of small communities and modern martyrs

The Synod resumed this morning with a series of very fine presentations from many different parts of the world. Two themes came across very strongly to me today.  The first was the theme of small ecclesial communities or base ecclesial communities.…

An Anglican pilgrim in Rome

There were no Synod meetings today (as the programme says, Vacat Congregatio).  We had a pretty solid day yesterday of five minute speeches all the morning and afternoon sessions.  My cup was full, you might say. However that does leave…

Eat, pray, listen

The core of the Synod of Bishops is summed up in these three words. Eat It's not, of course, about the food but about sharing meals together and the conversation and growing connection and friendship.  I've been privileged over the last…

Remembering Vatican II and moving forward

Fifty years ago on this day in 1962, Pope John XXIII inaugurated the Second Vatican Council - a great assembly of the Roman Catholic Church from all across the world to attempt a great work of re-sourcing Christian theology and identity in the…

Archbishop Rowan: contemplation and evangelism

Archbishop Rowan is in Rome for three days.  Yesterday evening he addressed the Synod of Bishops. He chose as his theme the importance of contemplation as the foundation of evangelism.  The Archbishop's springboard was the hope engendered…

Ice cream and discipleship

Buon giorno e Roma! People say there is less of the Bishop of Sheffield than there used to be.  It's about a stone less to be precise (and still going down as of last Saturday).  This is partly due to Ann becoming very fierce on the matter…

New Evangelisation: humility, respect and silence

This morning the Synod began to listen to the contributions of the Synod Fathers.  Each speaks for five minutes only on any aspect of the topic or agenda and each is allowed only one contribution during the main plenary sessions. The contribution…

Around the world in 80 minutes

The Synod heard contributions from five different continents today.  Each speaker had 10 minutes to paint a picture of the need for the new evangelisation and what was already happening. My listening was inevitably subjective.  Some of…