More Synod talk, this time with the official Word from Rome:

To date, Western Europeans, especially the French and German bishops, have offered the weightiest theological reflections, focusing on questions such as the real presence of Christ, transubstantiation, and the sacrificial character of the Mass. Bishops from the developing world have been more likely to discuss the priest shortage, inculturation, and the link between the Eucharist and challenges such as social justice and ecology.

Bishops from the nations of the former Soviet sphere, on the other hand, have so far focused mainly on two key ideas: 1) keeping alive the memory of the sacrifices made by believers in those regions to remain true to the faith; 2) the need for careful, reverent adherence to liturgical norms. The latter point has been so consistent that one synod father referred to an "Eastern front" on the issue. In part, this may reflect the cultural reality that Orthodoxy puts a high premium on precise celebration of liturgical rites, and Catholics in majority Orthodox nations are no doubt influenced by that expectation.

To understand this dynamic, I sat down Thursday afternoon with Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow. The following are excerpts from our interview.

For Russian Catholics, what are the most important issues in this synod?
Kondrusiewicz: "For me personally, I would say accuracy in celebrating the Mass and the liturgy. I’m very sensitive to this expression of our faith. My seminarians know this about me very well; I believe very much in lex orandi, lex credendi, ‘the law of worship is the law of faith.’ The Mass is not the property of the priest. It was established by Christ, and its essentials come from above. The church can change some things, as it did after the Second Vatican Council, but it does so in the form of norms, and we have to preserve them. It’s not some kind of show for the priest to arrange according to his own whims.