How Bono tops the bishops Our Eucharistic celebration is hollow without a concern for the poor

Many observers have been keenly disappointed with the October Synod of Bishops in Rome, particularly in missing the opportunity to issue a resounding call to tackle the great problems of world hunger and poverty. Many of the bishops did speak strongly on these issues, but the impact of their interventions was obscured, partly by those arguing for a return to 'traditional' devotional practices. This must have been deeply galling to bishops from countries immersed in a desperate struggle against poverty and hunger. The gap in the religious consciousness between those struggling against poverty and others focusing on a return to piety could hardly have been more stark. As the Australian theological expert at the Synod, Fr Frank Moloney, noted, the standard of many speeches revealed a 'very mediocre' level of theological understanding, particularly in Scriptural foundations and the history of Church practice and doctrine.