Synodal Review and Papal Leadership

Pentecostal church minister speaks about synodal renewal and why Pope Francis is a leader to charismatic Christians The synod process in the Catholic Church is attracting interest from other Christian denominations, including from unexpected quarters. In this episode, I interviewed Neil Hudson, a Pentecostal pastor for 30 years. He is a senior leader at the Elim church in Salford, the northwest of England, and has worked at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. Neil recently took part in a significant synod gathering of Christian thinkers and leaders at Durham University to discuss the synodal process and admits that a generation ago, a Pentecostal minister would never have participated in a Catholic-led event. Nevertheless, he says that “what is happening in the Catholic Church has to be, to my mind at least, reflective of the Gospel” and that Pope Francis has connected with Christians from the Charismatic and Pentecostal traditions. “This Pope seems to speak the language that would not be out of place in a Pentecostal setting,” he says. Neal warns that the synod process should avoid becoming a series of “committee meetings” and needs to connect with ordinary believers and build up people’s faith. He insists that the decline of the church is not inevitable and finishes our discussion with an instructive — and very synodal — story about accompanying those searching for God. Producer: Silvia Sacco Editor: Jamie Weston