© LEEDS CASTLE FOUNDATION
An oak altarpiece c.1400 made for the Dominican nuns of Dartford Priory 16
COLUMN
Christopher Howse’s Notebook ‘The underpass was the prime candidate for a sad bunch of flowers marking my passing’ / 8
REGULARS Word from the Cloisters 13 Puzzles 13 Letters 14 The Living Spirit 15 Across the Universe 30 Glimpses of Eden 30
CONTENTS 2 NOVEMBER 2024 // VOL. 278 NO. 9576
FEATURES
4 / The Church at a turning point The Synod on Synodality has ended with the promise of processes and structures to transform how the Church listens, discerns and decides / BY AUSTEN IVEREIGH
6 / ‘On the boat, together’ A summary of the 52-page Final Document of the Synod of Bishops entitled
‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission’
10 / Sharing the journey A participant in the Synod on Synodality offers his nine key takeaways from this unprecedented global ecclesial moment / BY AGBONKHIANMEGHE E. OROBATOR
11 / Relearning the language of the heart Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Dilexit nos, is a beautiful and enthralling combination of all the themes of his papacy / BY JACOB PHILLIPS
12 / Big election, small candidates As the US presidential elections show, politicians are no longer people of vision,
and people of vision are no longer drawn to politics / BY JON M. SWEENEY
NEWS
22 / The Church in the World / News briefing 23 / Pope approves final Synod on Synodality document
25 / View from Rome 26 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing
27 / Francis ‘speaks language of the heart’
29 / Obituary / Gustavo Gutiérrez
COVER: ALAMY/AP, ANDREW MEDICHINI
ARTS / PAGE 16 Exhibition Medieval Women: In Their Own Wo r d s JOANNA MOORHEAD Theatre Oedipus; The Other Place; The Duchess MARK LAWSON Cinema Small Things Like These ISABELLE GREY Television Eternal You LUCY LETHBRIDGE
BOOKS / PAGE 19
Nicholas King SJ The Bible: A Global History BRUCE GORDON Jonathan Tulloch England: A Natural History JOHN LEWISSTEMPEL Catherine Pepinster Speed reading on prime ministers Ian Bradley Spirituality and Christian Belief KEITH WARD Christopher Bray Our Evenings ALAN HOLLINGHURST
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2 NOVEMBER 2024 | THE TABLET | 3
