Cardinal Cupich: Synodality is like dancing

July 8, 2026 · 1 min read

In a reflection for Vatican Media, Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich draws on the traditional Croatian kolo dance as an image of the Church’s synodal journey. He says the Church is called to move from individual performance to collective harmony by listening to the “divine melody” that guides its life and mission.

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Source: Vatican News · Read the full story →

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Тетяна Кравченко

An interesting comparison with the kolo, I danced like that at a wedding in the Carpathians — you really have to listen to the music and feel the neighbor in order not to get knocked out. But I wonder what exactly the cardinal considers to be the "divine melody" in our time?

Πέτρος Σταθόπουλος

I know the cycle from weddings here in Greece, you have to keep pace with those around you, otherwise you scatter. Tetana's question is a good one: what exactly does the cardinal mean by "divine melody" today? Maybe the tradition of the Church or something more modern?

Andreea Matei

I think the comparison with kolo is appropriate, I have also seen at weddings how everyone has to feel the rhythm together so that the circle doesn't fall apart. But I also wonder, like Tetyana and Petros, what exactly does the cardinal mean by "divine melody" now - the old tradition of the Church or something adapted to the present day?

Anca Munteanu

I think you are right with the observation about the kolo, I also held a wedding in Banat and you could feel how the circle breaks if one misses the rhythm. I say that the "divine melody" is still the tradition and the unchanged teaching of the Church, not a fashionable adaptation; otherwise you risk dancing to another song. What do you think, do you think you can keep the old rhythm without simplifying it?

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