The final report of Study Group 9 of the Synod on Synodality, released last week, offers a distinctive and hopeful way of addressing a contested issue that has split apart every other Christian denomination.

On his way back to Rome from Aparecida in 2013, Pope Francis deliberately signalled a change in Catholic discourse by saying: “If someone is gay, seeks the Lord, and has good will, who am I to judge?” This was immediately picked up with joy by many, and with consternation by some. My question at the time, having been, ahem, a “humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord” on this issue for many years, was: “How’s he going to do it?”. Every Christian denomination which has allowed this into discussion at all has effectively splintered over it. So, how do we Catholics get through the Petrine office enabling this shift into non-vehement, reasoned discourse while simultaneously avoiding schism?

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