In October this year in Rome, hierarchy and laity will gather for what many say will be the most important gathering of the Church since Vatican II. It will be Part I of the Synod on Synodality, with Part II to be held next year.
This Synod is part of Pope Francis’ attempt to reorient the way we are Church. Pope Francis has stated that ‘it is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium’. He said it is a process to ‘plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands’.
The word synodality comes from its Greek roots, syn and odos, which literally means ‘Together on the road’. Synodality is about renewal and reform of the Church, in particular by walking together on this journey. But, as we know, there is often not much ‘togetherness’ on the journey. Pope Francis has had his fierce critics in the Vatican curia and elsewhere.
FINDING CONNECTION
On Pentecost Sunday, in his homily at Mass in Rome, Francis said; ‘In our world today, there is so much discord, such great division. We are all “connected”, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anesthetised by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude.’ The Pope went on to say that ‘fuelling our hostilities is the spirit of division, the devil, whose very name means “divider”.’
It is not just in church circles that we find toxic divisions between different ways of thinking and acting. We find it in society. ABC’s Stan Grant recently was forced to retire from hosting Q+A because of the relentless racial abuse he was subjected to on social media. The devil is still at work against the Holy Spirit in the Church, and in the world.
Preparations for the Synod on Synodality have been happening on every continent for the past couple of years. ‘What is the Spirit saying to the Church?’ This is the question people around the world have been asked to answer. The Continental reports have been gathered by Rome and the agenda prepared for the October meeting.
Much has been written about the German Synodal Path. Some in the Vatican thought it was bordering on schism, forgetful of the poor, too accepting of the spirit of the times, and dismissal of the rules of the universal Church. But Jérome Vignon, a French lay observer at the German Synodal Path, expressed astonishment at the flimsiness of such criticisms, which paid little heed to Pope Francis’ invitation to local churches to show creativity in the face of the new conditions of evangelisation.
LONG 19TH CENTURY
There were divisions in the early church between Peter and Paul and how the Gospel could reach the whole world. Many divisions developed through what historians call ‘the long 19th century’ which began with the French Revolution and its appeal to liberty, equality and fraternity, leading to the counter revolution of Pius IX and the declaration of papal infallibility in Vatican I. It drew to a close following major intellectual strides in scriptural, liturgical, historical and sociological research, with Pope John XXIII’s quest for aggiornamento in Vatican II.
Vatican II has not been fully received. The ‘People of God’ and the ‘world’ were key terms in the Vatican Constitutions on the Church. But many feel the church is still too hierarchical and clerical, and focused too heavily on Rome.
These tensions continue, and will surround the Synod on Synodality. Some traditionalists fear the Church is moving towards a new Protestantism. Liberals fear the hierarchy will continue to dominate.
The theme of the Synod is ‘For a synodal church: communion, participation, mission’. The Secretariat expands this theme by quoting Isaiah: ‘Enlarge the space of your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly, lengthen your ropes and make firm your pegs’ (Isaiah 54:2).
MARKS OF A SYNODAL CHURCH
Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego gave a lecture in the US in February, and said that Pope Francis points to eight major marks of a synodal Church: journeying together, listening, Eucharistic, humble, inclusive, participative, missionary, and discerning. For Pope Francis, and for us, this means a new way of being church.
Some dioceses in Australia have initiated Diocesan assemblies ‘to walk together’. Many parishes operate already on synodal methods.
The synodal journey has barely begun. Perhaps the devil will be against us. But the Spirit will be on our side. Pope Francis’ heartfelt push for a Synodal Church runs parallel to our nation’s attempt to enshrine the Voice of our First Peoples in the Constitution. Both will be long journeys marked by heartbreak, but growth in wisdom’s way.
Fr Peter Matheson is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. He retired after serving as parish priest at Cheltenham and Montmorency. He taught for 11 years as head of RE at the Institute of Catholic Education before it became part of the Australian Catholic University. He has also lectured part-time for a number of years at Catholic Theological College.
Image: Jesper Storgaard Jensen
