The interview was published following the Mediterranean Theological Encounters held near Rijeka, Croatia, where Cardinal Cupich participated alongside senior Church leaders. On the opposition to synodality, Cardinal Cupich suggested that resistance often stemmed from concern that engaging contemporary questions might distance the Church from its past. “It creates a sense of shared responsibility within the Church,” Cardinal Cupich said of the synodal process. “We must be very careful not to reduce this to a political process,” Cardinal Cupich said. “I think the most important thing is to continue the path of renewal called for by the Second Vatican Council,” Cardinal Cupich said.