I remember Brian McLaren, a Christian theologian, suggesting in one of his books that there is always hope that organisations and institutions can change when we see how the Second Vatican Council turned the Catholic Church round and set it on a new course of renewal and relationship with the world. It certainly did that, but it takes many years, maybe even centuries, for a Council such as that to settle down and be accepted into the life of the Church. One of the things central to the Council was that despite its hierarchical structure equality was at its heart and that the essential vocation of all the baptised was to be holy, to reflect on the signs of the times and respond accordingly.
One of the institutions established as a result of the Council by Pope Paul VI was the Synod of Bishops, a new consultative body to discuss issues of concern to the Church and provide counsel to the Pope. The most recent has just ended. But it was a synod with a difference. First, synodality was the focus of discussion so that it became a Synod on Synodality. Participation of the whole Church was paramount as it focussed on the fundamental question of how ‘journeying together’ was happening in the local church and what steps needed to be taken to grow in this journey. The process was one of listening to one another in silence, responding to what had been heard and reflecting together on hopes and possibilities for the future. It began three years ago in local diocese after which reports were collated at a national level, then continental level before being fed into the document that would form the basis for discussion at the actual month- long Synod meetings which took place in Rome in 2023 and now concluded in 2024. Significant about these meetings was the inclusion of lay men and women who formed about a quarter of the participants.
This process, the first of its kind, gave ordinary Catholics the chance to talk about issues and areas of church life that they found difficult. They welcomed an opportunity to participate and were excited by the possibilities it raised. For some it raised expectations that issues they felt needed looking at would be dealt with. One of the issues that came to the fore at all levels of discussion was that of the place of women in the Church and the question of the ordination of women to the diaconate if not the priesthood – something that has been discussed and written about for many years. Much as this was recognised as an important issue there was disappointment and consternation when before the first session of the Synod Pope Francis stipulated that this and other specific issues would not be discussed. Rather study groups would be set up to continue reflection and discussion on these issues. For many women this felt like rejection and a missed opportunity to show that the rhetoric of respect for women and their place in the Church could be translated into reality. Some complained, some got discouraged and I think not a few lost interest in a process that had promised so much.
While I understand this frustration I think I have come to understand the logic in this. For one thing the topic of the Synod was synodality and I know myself in teaching and leading workshops how easy it is for people’s special interests to deflect from the topic on hand. Pope Francis is trying to steer the Church to a more open and inclusive community at all levels of church life. He is trying to change a clerical mentality that sees or gives the ordained clergy excessive influence in church life. He is trying to keep the Church moving in the direction of the Second Vatican Council. Some of the issues that people hoped would be discussed are ones fraught with difficulties that could cause conflict and polarisation. I can quite understand that an 87-year-old Pope might not have the energy for that. One of the marvels of the Catholic Church and one that I have come to realise is respected by people of other faiths is the sense of unity that exists despite differing opinions. I see the official voice of the Church as centre point on a continuum that has more radical voices on one side and more conservative voices on the other. But somehow we all belong.
Now the Synod is over, and the final document has been published with several calls for changes in canon law and church governance to include a synodal perspective and the involvement of lay men and women in church structures. It has been accepted by the Pope. I have not read the document but from reports it seems rather an institutional document but, as one participant reported, it is about “a structure that exists, that is being remodelled, refashioned, restructured…. so that it is able and capable of listening to the realities of our times”. This is what Pope Francis has in mind and at the end of the Synod he told delegates to be attentive to the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization and the many wounds that afflict humanity. "A sedentary church” he said “ that inadvertently withdraws from life and confines itself to the margins of reality, is a church that risks remaining blind and becoming comfortable with its own unease. If we remain stuck in our blindness, we will continuously fail to grasp the urgency of giving a pastoral response to the many problems of our world." If the Synod is a step in this direction it is indeed good news.
One of the institutions established as a result of the Council by Pope Paul VI was the Synod of Bishops, a new consultative body to discuss issues of concern to the Church and provide counsel to the Pope. The most recent has just ended. But it was a synod with a difference. First, synodality was the focus of discussion so that it became a Synod on Synodality. Participation of the whole Church was paramount as it focussed on the fundamental question of how ‘journeying together’ was happening in the local church and what steps needed to be taken to grow in this journey. The process was one of listening to one another in silence, responding to what had been heard and reflecting together on hopes and possibilities for the future. It began three years ago in local diocese after which reports were collated at a national level, then continental level before being fed into the document that would form the basis for discussion at the actual month- long Synod meetings which took place in Rome in 2023 and now concluded in 2024. Significant about these meetings was the inclusion of lay men and women who formed about a quarter of the participants.
This process, the first of its kind, gave ordinary Catholics the chance to talk about issues and areas of church life that they found difficult. They welcomed an opportunity to participate and were excited by the possibilities it raised. For some it raised expectations that issues they felt needed looking at would be dealt with. One of the issues that came to the fore at all levels of discussion was that of the place of women in the Church and the question of the ordination of women to the diaconate if not the priesthood – something that has been discussed and written about for many years. Much as this was recognised as an important issue there was disappointment and consternation when before the first session of the Synod Pope Francis stipulated that this and other specific issues would not be discussed. Rather study groups would be set up to continue reflection and discussion on these issues. For many women this felt like rejection and a missed opportunity to show that the rhetoric of respect for women and their place in the Church could be translated into reality. Some complained, some got discouraged and I think not a few lost interest in a process that had promised so much.
While I understand this frustration I think I have come to understand the logic in this. For one thing the topic of the Synod was synodality and I know myself in teaching and leading workshops how easy it is for people’s special interests to deflect from the topic on hand. Pope Francis is trying to steer the Church to a more open and inclusive community at all levels of church life. He is trying to change a clerical mentality that sees or gives the ordained clergy excessive influence in church life. He is trying to keep the Church moving in the direction of the Second Vatican Council. Some of the issues that people hoped would be discussed are ones fraught with difficulties that could cause conflict and polarisation. I can quite understand that an 87-year-old Pope might not have the energy for that. One of the marvels of the Catholic Church and one that I have come to realise is respected by people of other faiths is the sense of unity that exists despite differing opinions. I see the official voice of the Church as centre point on a continuum that has more radical voices on one side and more conservative voices on the other. But somehow we all belong.
Now the Synod is over, and the final document has been published with several calls for changes in canon law and church governance to include a synodal perspective and the involvement of lay men and women in church structures. It has been accepted by the Pope. I have not read the document but from reports it seems rather an institutional document but, as one participant reported, it is about “a structure that exists, that is being remodelled, refashioned, restructured…. so that it is able and capable of listening to the realities of our times”. This is what Pope Francis has in mind and at the end of the Synod he told delegates to be attentive to the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization and the many wounds that afflict humanity. "A sedentary church” he said “ that inadvertently withdraws from life and confines itself to the margins of reality, is a church that risks remaining blind and becoming comfortable with its own unease. If we remain stuck in our blindness, we will continuously fail to grasp the urgency of giving a pastoral response to the many problems of our world." If the Synod is a step in this direction it is indeed good news.
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