The Rev. James Martin, an advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in the church, has been tapped by Pope Francis to attend the synod.

“Having reported on all the synods since 1985,” Gerard O’Connell writes, “I have come to believe that this synod could well be the most transformative event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.”

The slate of delegates is emblematic of the at-times competing ideological poles of the U.S. church—and the continued effort by Francis to reorient U.S. bishops toward his vision for the church.

“I’m honored to be invited by the Holy Father to participate in the Synod,” Father James Martin said. “As a Jesuit, I’m committed to this kind of group discernment.”

I have learned more about the church than I could ever have imagined, and the synod process has come to seem even more urgent and fruitful.

News reports, to the chagrin of the synod office, have focused primarily on the questions of the ordination of married men and women deacons—questions on which it invites discussion but makes no recommendations.