“There is no going back!”
That is the strong message I am hearing from many delegates during the concluding week of the Synod on Synodality as they refine the proposals of the draft final document before voting on the completed text on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The refrain “there is no going back” reflects the deep-rooted conviction that the synodal process that was started by Pope Francis in October 2021 and has been experienced by millions of people in dioceses and parishes throughout much of the Catholic world since then, is destined to continue and spread throughout the Catholic Church in the 21st century. That process will be largely based on the fruits of the synod, some of which are likely to become church law.
What then are the fruits of the synod that we might expect? Since I have not yet seen the document, and it is being amended as I write, I can only speculate at this stage on some of the proposals that seem likely to be included in that text, based on what I have gleaned from delegates about the discussions that have already taken place.
I expect a clear statement affirming that henceforth the Catholic Church is to be a synodal church: that is, a church that listens, seeks to involve people, is inclusive and consults its members before taking decisions; a church that moves away from a pyramidal vision of exercising authority to a synodal way, where relations between bishops, priests, religious and lay people are seen in a way that each one is recognized as a brother and sister in the family of God; a church that promotes co-responsibility for the mission, as a consequence of baptism, calling each of the baptized to play their part.
I expect a strong emphasis on the Catholic Church being a missionary church in the 21st century; a church that reaches out to those who do not know Jesus, including those with no religious affiliation, and seeks to share the joy and hope of the Gospel with everyone.
I would be surprised if the text does not strongly affirm the role and place of women in the church and state clearly that—with the exception of the priesthood and diaconate—the door is open for access to most other roles of responsibility in the church, including participation in decision making and administration, as well as in exercising ministries that do not require Holy Orders, such as preside at weddings, baptize, be eucharistic ministers, serve as catechists, lead communities and maybe even preach. This push for the affirmation of women has come as a tidal wave from all the synodal consultations worldwide.
Because the need for accountability and transparency has likewise emerged throughout the synod process worldwide, I expect this to be underlined in the final document, especially with an insistence on the need for accountability at all levels throughout the church: accountability of the bishop not only to Rome but also to his diocese; accountability of the parish priest to both his bishop and his parish; accountability of the Roman Curia not only to the pope but also to the college of bishops worldwide.
As one bishop delegate told me, “Synodality has come of age when not only bishops but also priests, religious and lay people—both men and women—openly challenge a top Vatican official [for his absence], call for accountability and insist ‘we need to be respected,’ as happened on Oct. 18 in relation to Study Group 5.” He said such an open challenge would have been unthinkable in past decades, but it is happening now because of the synodal process.
I expect an endorsement of the requirement to work in a synodal way not only in the Roman Curia as already required by “Praedicate Evangelium,” the constitution for the reform of that body, but also at the diocesan and parish levels, as well as in episcopal conferences.
It would indeed be surprising if the final document does not underline the need for much greater, more effective solidarity in concrete ways between all the Catholic churches across the globe. This has been raised in the synod in relation to those suffering from poverty, wars, the effects of climate change and the crisis of migration. There could also be a significant ecumenical and interreligious dimension proposed in this context.
I do not wish to continue what is speculation on my part, so I conclude by asking what will happen to the final document.
Given that it is the result of an extraordinary synodal process, including the methodology of “Conversation in the Spirit” and discernment, and given its importance for the life of the church, it will be interesting to see how Pope Francis deals with it.
His options are spelled out in Article 18 of the Apostolic Constitution on the Synod of Bishops, “Episcopalis Communio,” which was promulgated on Sept. 15, 2018. According to No. 1 of that article, Francis could simply order its publication, but if it is “expressly approved” by him, then “the Final Document participates in the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter.”
On the other hand, No. 2 of that same article states that “If the Roman Pontiff has granted deliberative power to the Synod Assembly, according to the norm of canon 343 of the Code of Canon Law,”—something that has never happened up to now with the synod of bishops—then “the Final Document participates in the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter once it has been ratified and promulgated by him.” In this case, it says, “the Final Document is published with the signature of the Roman Pontiff together with that of the members.”
In the past, Francis has given clearance for the immediate publication of the final document, along with the voting tallies, and later followed up with his own concluding document, known as an apostolic exhortation, that then became part of the church’s magisterium. That way forward as a possibility cannot be excluded.
Stay tuned as we await the publication of the synod’s final document on Oct. 26.
Other news from in and around the synod hall:
- Today’s press briefing at the Vatican featured a discussion on the authority of national bishops’ conferences, which has been a central topic in synod discussions about the decentralization of decision-making in the church. Recognizing the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences does not mean allowing them to reject the teaching authority of the pope, but rather to apply church teaching to their unique context, said the head of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops.
“Each episcopal conference needs to have a certain authority in terms of saying, ‘How are we going to understand this (doctrine) in the concrete reality in which we are living?'” Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, said during an Oct. 23 briefing on the Synod of Bishops. Read more.
