As the three-year synodal process that will culminate in the 2023 World Synod of Bishops gets underway, John W. O'Malley, S.J., offers some historical context for what synodality is all about.

Is the church really interested in listening and learning from former Catholics? Or is it only “listening” to get them to come back to Catholicism?

The Vatican has included a group that advocates for women’s ordination on a website promoting the 2023 synod, indicating that Pope Francis wants to hear from all Catholics during the process.

Have the “nones” consciously rejected religion, or have religious institutions failed to involve them and respond to their needs? The only way to find out is by asking.

Catholics uncomfortable with a synodal model of the church, Cardinal Tobin said, may be put off by the messiness dialogue often unearths. But, he said, refusing to live with tension can be a form of heresy.

A synod on synodality is a process about a process. And that stuck with me. A process about a process seemed to be without content. Where would this lead us?