Christopher Lamb ("Open to the voice of the future", The Tablet, 11 October) writes eloquently on the proceedings of the Synod on the Family. He quotes Archbishop John Dew as saying that the Vatican II teaching on collegiality is close to the heart of Pope Francis and "that he wants to use this Synod to express that and put it into action".
It calls to mind the memorable words of the Augustinian theologian Fr Gabriel Daly. As far back as April 1981 he was in despair at what he perceived to be the rolling back of the reforms of Vatican II under the papacy of John Paul II. I quote from an article which he submitted to The Tablet at the time. “The collegial ideal which might have been the queen of Vatican II's achievements is now a sleeping princess. Some day her prince will come; but on present showing he will need to be a man of unusual qualities, not indeed in order to awaken her -which will be easy for anyone with the ability and desire to reach her – but to occupy the fortress where she has been placed in suspended animation.”
It may well be that Fr Daly’s prince has arrived in the person of Pope Francis. Hopefully he will succeed in occupying the fortress.
Fr Iggy O'Donovan, Limerick, Ireland
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