With most voting members of the synod on their second day of “vacation,” there hasn’t been much news to report from these final days. Except for yesterday’s much-anticipated make-up meeting of some synod members with Study Group 5, the body convened to consider new possibilities for ministry in the church, especially for women, the synod’s work is essentially done. Now we wait with great anticipation—hope and apprehension, too—for the writing committee to present its final draft of the synod’s document, which will be read aloud and voted on paragraph by paragraph in the Paul VI Synod Hall tomorrow. (We anticipate that it will be made public tomorrow in the early evening here in Rome, which corresponds to the afternoon in the United States.)
But another notable event took place yesterday—something that some thought was a calculated distraction from the business of the synod in its crucial final days. Instead, it may actually be a final, carefully orchestrated intervention in disguise, intended to be integral to the synodal process—and it comes from Pope Francis himself.
At midday yesterday, the Vatican released Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, “Dilexit Nos,” in which he invites us, the faithful, to return to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and rediscover our own hearts. While much of this new papal instruction is a call to personal, spiritual conversion, it also serves as a clarion call for the whole church. As the church’s yearslong global listening process draws to a close, the pope does not want us to forget the point of this whole endeavor.
Enter “Dilexit Nos.” Gerard O’Connell, my colleague and America’s veteran Vatican correspondent, quoted this paragraph from the encyclical in his report yesterday:
The Church also needs that love, lest the love of Christ be replaced with outdated structures and concerns, excessive attachment to our own ideas and opinions, and fanaticism in any number of forms, which end up taking the place of the gratuitous love of God that liberates, enlivens, brings joy to the heart and builds communities.”
“Francis surprised Vatican observers by releasing the encyclical on the eve of the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality,” Gerry wrote. “It was perhaps no accident, as it contains an important message for synod delegates and bishops worldwide.” If Gerry is correct, perhaps I need to check some of my growing hopelessness about the synod that prompts me to attribute an ulterior motive behind the timing of the encyclical’s publication.
I recognize that the synod is unlikely to provide much detail on structural reform or even to propose any radical changes for the church in its final document tomorrow. Nevertheless, Pope Francis is not defeated. Perhaps, he sees the growing pains of this process—its frustrations and miscommunications—as the impetus for the structural changes he thinks are necessary. I am reminded of what he said when he first announced the Synod on Synodality back in October 2021:
If we want to speak of a synodal Church, we cannot remain satisfied with appearances alone; we need content, means and structures that can facilitate dialogue and interaction within the People of God, especially between priests and laity. This requires changing certain overly vertical, distorted and partial visions of the Church, the priestly ministry, the role of the laity, ecclesial responsibilities, roles of governance and so forth.
It remains, of course, to be seen whether the synod will present concrete proposals that have emerged from its discernment. But let’s not quickly dismiss the radical departure from the norm that the round tables, global listening stage and lay involvement in a Synod of Bishops represent.
Perhaps we can also view the work of the study groups in a new light—moving beyond the initial concern shared by some that they might tame the synod’s ambitions—and trust Pope Francis in his determination to prioritize process over content. Now that significant representatives of the church have engaged in this synodal laboratory, we may finally begin to discuss the real issues at hand and openly address the structures that no longer serve us—and even imagine new ones.
As I reach the end of my time in Rome, I find comfort in the advice my novice master would always give us as we entered the last day and hours of a retreat: “It’s not over yet. Trust that God still has more to give. God isn’t limited to the end of this retreat.”
This wisdom sustains my hope for the synod, and it is what I will pray as we await the final report—and I will keep praying as the study groups continue their work into next year.
The synod is not over yet; trust in God still.
