Uploaded March 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Pope, Councils, Bishops, and Synods: Insights from the St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers for Governance in the Church
An evening lecture with Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP (Lay Mission Project)
February 27, 2020
Gavin House
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The malfeasance of bishops and priests has led to a call for reform of the institution of the Church. There is a peril in this: the Church is animated and governed by the Holy Spirit and an overemphasis upon the institutional structure of the Church runs the risk of stifling the Spirit. As a path for reform, Pope Francis is building on Paul VI and John Paul II and has emphasized synodality—a mode of consultative governance which emphasizes the communion of all of the members of the Church. In their polities, religious orders have institutionalized and structured themselves around particular gifts of the Holy Spirit. The model of governance in the Dominican Order—with a balance of authority, faithfulness to a charism, and the particular life of local communities—offers insights into how synodality might answer the call for reform.
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Read more about this event on our website: lumenchristi.org/event/2020/02/religious-governance-as-a-model-for-synodality-in-church-fr-michael-sweeney-op
To subscribe to Lumen Christi's YouTube page, click here:
youtube.com/user/LumenChristiInt
Pope, Councils, Bishops, and Synods: Insights from the St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers for Governance in the Church
An evening lecture with Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP (Lay Mission Project)
February 27, 2020
Gavin House
---
The malfeasance of bishops and priests has led to a call for reform of the institution of the Church. There is a peril in this: the Church is animated and governed by the Holy Spirit and an overemphasis upon the institutional structure of the Church runs the risk of stifling the Spirit. As a path for reform, Pope Francis is building on Paul VI and John Paul II and has emphasized synodality—a mode of consultative governance which emphasizes the communion of all of the members of the Church. In their polities, religious orders have institutionalized and structured themselves around particular gifts of the Holy Spirit. The model of governance in the Dominican Order—with a balance of authority, faithfulness to a charism, and the particular life of local communities—offers insights into how synodality might answer the call for reform.
---
Read more about this event on our website: lumenchristi.org/event/2020/02/religious-governance-as-a-model-for-synodality-in-church-fr-michael-sweeney-op
To subscribe to Lumen Christi's YouTube page, click here:
youtube.com/user/LumenChristiInt
