The national response had 700,000 individual responses from 22,000 parishes and groups.
The report has four major sections: Enduring Wounds, Enhancing Communion and Participation, Ongoing Formation for Mission, and Engaging Discernment.
Polarization along political lines was noted as well as the rift over the celebration of the “pre-Conciliar” Mass, i.e., the pre-Vatican II Mass.
The second section called for a more welcoming church. It quoted one consultation, “People noted that the Church seems to prioritize doctrine over people, rules, and regulations over lived reality. People want the Church to be a home for the wounded and broken, not an institution for the perfect.” It noted a desire for a more welcoming attitude toward the LGBTQ+ community and towards the divorced, for more inclusion of Black and Indigenous Catholics and of youth.
The Synthesis noted a strong desire for a larger role in leadership for women, including ordination as deacon or priest.
The Ongoing Formation sections noted the hope for life-long spiritual, pastoral and catechetical formation, for pastors to explain Catholic social teaching, and improved communications between diocese and parishes, and parishioners.
More poignantly, nearly all of the synodal consultations saw clear, concise, and consistent communication as key to the strong desire for appropriate transparency. The general category of transparency was mentioned over and over again: Transparency in the sex abuse crisis, transparency in making difficult decisions, transparency in financial matters, transparency in admitting when something goes wrong, transparency in planning, transparency in leadership. Transparency brings accountability which many people feel is lacking in the Church. To be a trustworthy Church, transparency is going to need to be an essential component in every level and aspect.
Missing from this synthesis was any mention of moving away from priest celibacy.
How this process will cycle back to actions in the Archdiocese of Seattle remains to be seen but St. Therese is already working on welcoming and communications.