SoS Sat Report: Synodality is a point of no return

Round up, news and analysis of Day 14 of the Synod on Synodality

This morning the funeral of José Carlos de Sousa was held in the Chapel of Santa Monica, close to the Vatican. He was a homeless man from Brazil who lived under the colonnades of St. Peter’s Square, offering tourists information in exchange for notebooks, paper and pens, so that he could write his poetry. His dream was to visit Jerusalem, but he died in August. May he Rest In Peace.

We have reached the final module of the Synod on Synodality, entitled “Places”, which include the topics of i) areas of shared journeying, ii) local Churches in the one and unique Catholic Church, iii) the bonds that shape the unity of the Church, and iv) the service to unity of the Bishop of Rome.

This is part of the Instrumentum Laboris that garnered the most attention before the start of the Synod, due the re-emergence of the once fabled decentralisation of genuine doctrinal authority, that Pope Francis first posited all the way back in 2013, with the publication of the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, the blueprint for his Pontificate.

I will quote the relevant section of the Instrumentum Laboris, the emphasis is mine: “Eastern hierarchical structures and Episcopal Conferences are fundamental instruments for creating links and sharing experiences between the Churches and for decentralising governance and pastoral planning. "The Second Vatican Council stated that, like the ancient patriarchal Churches, episcopal conferences are in a position ‘to contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete realization of the collegial spirit’ (Lumen gentium 23). Yet this desire has not been fully realized, since a juridical status of Episcopal Conferences which would see them as subjects of specific attributions, including genuine doctrinal authority, has not yet been sufficiently elaborated" (Evangelii gaudium 32). Seeking how to be a synodal Church in mission requires addressing this question.

From all that has been gathered so far, during this synodal process, the following proposals emerge: (a) recognition of Episcopal Conferences as ecclesial subjects endowed with doctrinal authority, assuming socio-cultural diversity within the framework of a multifaceted Church, and favouring the appreciation of liturgical, disciplinary, theological, and spiritual expressions appropriate to different socio-cultural contexts; (b) evaluating the real experience of the functioning of the Episcopal Conferences and the Eastern hierarchical structures, and of the relations between Episcopates and the Holy See, to identify the concrete reforms to be implemented; the ad limina visits, which fall under Study Group 7, could be a fitting context for this evaluation; and (c) ensuring that all Dioceses or Eparchies are assigned to an ecclesiastical Province and an Episcopal Conference or Eastern hierarchical Structure.”

Spoiler alert: This is not going to happen. The Germans and the Belgium bishops have put pay to the idea that the Holy See is going to give Bishops’ Conferences ‘genuine doctrinal authority’. The revolt of the African bishops to Fiducia supplicans also helped put a halt to that idea. If I were Pope, I would abolish Bishops’ Conferences altogether. I know correlation is not causation, but the Church has been in decline ever since they were first established. I hate unnecessary bureaucracy, I detest the cliques that form as a result of these conferences, I do not like the divisions they expose in the Church, but I am not the Pope and Bishops’ Conferences aren’t going anywhere.

As to what the Pope will do, nobody knows, but the Holy Father himself already has a pretty good idea. This Synod has no authority, and is just a consultative body that will give recommendations to the Pope, who has a track record of ignoring these instead implementing some pre-conceived ideas, elucidated and ghost-written by Tucho Fernández. We will just have to wait and see what will happen.

Continue without giving in to fatigue
Jean Claude Cardinal Hollerich S.J, General Rapporteur of the Synod of Synodality, introduced the new module on “Places” to the Synod assembly this morning, by quoting from the Instrumentum Laboris, “the perspective of the places that are the tangible contexts for our embodied relationships, marked by their variety, plurality and interconnection, and rooted in the foundation of the profession of faith, resisting human temptations to abstract universalism.” I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, but Cardinal Hollerich then proceeded to say “emphasising the importance of place does not mean giving in to particularism or relativism but enhancing the concreteness in which, in space and time, a shared experience of adherence to the manifestation of the Triune God who saves takes shape”, again quoting from the Instrumentum Laboris.

He then went on the say that in this module the assembly will need to answer the following questions; “What does this mean for the fulfilment of our mission of announcing the Gospel? How should we rethink our institutions “in the logic of missionary service”, which takes place in a different context than in the past? Which institutional and organizational forms need to be changed and how?”

“Finally, the last paragraph focuses on "The service to unity of the Bishop of Rome". I believe I interpret the mind of the Holy Father by reiterating the invitation to approach the work and exchange on this paragraph in a spirit of parrhesia. The Holy Father has called us here to listen to our advice also on how to make his service and that of the Roman Curia more effective today. He has the right to know what we really think, starting from the life and needs of the People of God in the places where we come from.”

What followed, may God forgive me, made laugh out loud as I was watching. Cardinal Hollerich then invited each of the Synod delegates to look at the faces of everyone at their table, in silence, and after about two minutes he said “broaden our gaze, embracing the entire Hall”, this was then followed by more silence. I don’t think he appreciated how ridiculous the scene looked. He then summarised the Synodal journey, already trying to imbue a sense of nostalgia in the core memories of those who were the select few who were privileged to have taken part in this truly momentous time in the history of Holy Mother Church.

“In this very concrete place, the Paul VI Hall, we have now spent almost two months of our lives. In this place we have increased the relationships between us, in a network that is not limited by these walls, but that truly embraces the entire Church and the entire world. In this place we have lived a rich and intense experience. As in every synodal meeting, but in an even more special way, we have experienced that the encounter between brothers and sisters in faith is not free from hardships and difficulties, but leads to the encounter with the Lord and makes the joy of the Gospel flow.”

“If we kept this treasure only for ourselves, we would transform it into a privilege. This Module then offers us the opportunity to ask ourselves what are the ways, the organizational and institutional forms, so that the richness of the experience that we have lived here, in this place, becomes accessible to all the People of God, and not only through our story, but through the renewal of our Churches. It will not be possible to bring all the Baptized into the Paul VI Hall, but that is not the point: it is not necessary to come here to enter into the dynamism of the Synodal Church. The purpose of our work in the coming days is to propose tools that make it easier.”

Synodality really is the friends we made along the way. You cannot make this up.

Synodality is a point of no return

At today’s press conference, we were graced by the presence of Leonardo Ulrich Cardinal Steiner, O.F.M., Archbishop of Manaus, Brazil, back from a weekend in Fatima, where amongst other things he advocated for the creation of the ministry of women deacons. He predictably did the same as this press conference. If you had a drinking game every time that topic has come up in this Synod, people would be in a coma. Alongside him was Cardinal-designate Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin, and Archbishop-bishop of Susa, Italy. Completing the panel was Sister Nirmala Alex Maria Nazareth, A.C., Superior General of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel from India.

Sister Nazareth called this Synod “a unique experience”, where there is a “wealth that grows in diversity.”

Cardinal-designate Repole said that the aim of the Synod is “understanding how to concretely relaunch the message of the Gospel.”

Cardinal Steiner for his part said that "what is emerging from the Synod is a new way of being Church to announce the Kingdom of God and the Gospel", adding that this process is well under way in the Amazon, “many women, in the Amazon, are already leaders of their respective communities, there are many permanent deacons, in short, everyone participates actively in the life of the communities. What we experience here, therefore, helps us to understand synodality in our local Church even better." It’s amazing how in a place like the Amazon, which has already implemented Synodality, the Church is haemorrhaging faithful to Pentecostal Prosperity Gospel sects.

“Synodality is a point of no return, we are entering a movement that is our being Church, invited to participate in a way of being church by virtue of baptism, where everyone must feel responsible for the mission.” I mean this from an historical perspective is not factual. Synods were common during the Patristic age of the Church, but then went out fashion. Nothing lasts forever, especially if it does not serve its purpose.

Cardinal Steiner would go on to state, "I believe that we are called to live interculturality and interreligiosity more and more, because the Church must be rooted", adding "let us ask ourselves what is the place of the episcopal conferences, what is the place of migrants and so on."

Unsurprisingly journalists wanted to hear more from Cardinal Steiner and his experiences of the Amazon and why he so strongly advocates for a female diaconate. Steiner obliged saying that in his diocese many women are “in charge of communities” where there are no priests, where “they receive the ministry regarding the Eucharist and the word of God”, adding that these women “they are active in Caritas, in prison ministry, with people on the street." I do wonder what happened to the men, much like every else in the Church, the real crisis is the absence of men who are willing to actively participate in the activities of their parishes and communities. This needs to addressed, but unfortunately more emphasis is being put on the role of women, who already dominate parish life the world over.

More specifically on women deacons, Cardinal Steiner said “we would like for even the most distant communities [in the Amazon] could celebrate some sacraments, such as Baptism. Many of our women are de facto deacons, for us they are in all respects, even if not officially. We do not have a word that describes the role, but they do it and it is admirable. Why not restore the ordained female diaconate? We have already had a Church with this face, the female diaconate can go hand in hand with the male one. I do not believe that the issue is one of gender, but rather of vocation".

What Cardinal Steiner is describing is some kind of non-ordination instituted ministry for women that resembles the female diaconate of a bygone age, when adult baptisms were conducted in the nude, and women where need to perform this function for obvious reasons.

On the question of whether these women could have liturgical functions such as proclaiming the Gospel and preaching "in the celebration of the Word of God, the reflection is always done by God, it is not a man or a woman who reflects, if anything he helps to do so."

Voices glaring absence from the Synod

A journalist asked a rather good question, about the presence of people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities at the Synod, saying that the US bishops are drafting a document on how to “include people with intellectual disabilities in the consultative structures of the Church, pastoral councils, diocesan pastoral councils, and presumably synodal expression of consultation”, adding “I don’t think there are any people with intellectual disabilities who are participants at this Synod on Synodality”, before asking whether including these people was even a consideration for this Synod. The short answer is no. This is disappointing, but not unsurprising considering how rushed the process has been.

In the quest to be more welcoming and open, the Synod finds more ways of forgetting about people.