The publication of the National Synthesis is a significant moment for the Church in the United States, responding to what our Holy Father Pope Francis has asked of us as the People of God in the world today. The Synthesis is, among other things, an expression of what we as a Church have heard each other say when asked about our deepest preoccupations and hopes for the Church of which, by the grace of God, we are all a vital part. The publication of this document is not a concluding moment, however; it is a reflective, forward-moving moment. It is an invitation to listen, to discuss together and to discern together as the Church, about how best to understand and act upon those matters that sit deeply in the hearts and minds of Catholics in the U.S.
As Pope Francis frequently reminds us, synodality is not a one-time event, but an invitation to an ongoing style of Church life. We have taken the first steps of this path, and we have learned much; we have more to learn and more to do. Let us pray that this National Synthesis will in some way serve to deepen our communion as a Church and encourage our continued path together as witnesses to Christ Jesus in our time. May God the Father, who by the gift of his Crucified and Risen Son has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us to renew all things, make fruitful the seeds that the Synodal path has planted among us.
Most Reverend Daniel E. Flores, STD Bishop of Brownsville Chair, Committee on Doctrine