Trying to Hear the Lord

Series on the Synod on Synodality:
Part 1: “Wasn’t There Something About a Synod Last Fall?”
Part 2: When the Synod Came to St. Ignatius
Part 3: Trying to Hear the Lord
Part 4: Renovation and Renewal

Trying to Hear the Lord

Part Three of our series on the Synod on Synodality

The Word of the Lord takes precedence over words of the Church. The words of disciples, even those of a Synod, are only an echo of what the Lord Himself says.

-Pope Francis

In the first part of our series on the Synod on Synodality, we explored the progressive understanding of the modern Synod of Bishops under Pope Francis—moving, as it has, from a model of a “rallying of the troops” to a more expansive model in which the whole People of God is called to discern the Spirit at the center of the Church. Then, last week, we reviewed the way in which St. Ignatius Parish entered into Francis’ call for more authentic discernment, and what hopes and concerns emerged from the heart of our assembly. Though the voice of St. Ignatius Parish is clearly not the voice of the whole Church, nonetheless, our prayerful and courageous honesty became part of the work of the Holy Spirit at the first session of the Synod, last October. And, surprisingly to many of us, we heard in the voice of numerous other communities and local churches, across the world, a similar spirit at work—a spirit profoundly desirous of deeper inclusion and compassion, greater humility and spiritual poverty in the Church; a spirit longing for the diverse voices of women and the poor to be heard more fully; a spirit weary of clericalism and legalism; a spirit that recognizes in the Incarnation of Christ the sacredness of all Creation, and the holiness of all persons. But more than any particular issue, what St. Ignatius Parish heard—what the world heard—from the gathering in Rome was that this process of synodal listening and discernment, this “journeying together” (as Francis calls it) of all the People of God, is the future of the Church.

The Synthesis Report is titled, significantly, A Synodal Church in Mission, and its first part, “The Face of the Synodal Church,” addresses both the nature of the Church, following Vatican II, and the theological, historical, and ecclesiological issues surrounding synodality. Identifying seven topic areas, which address both general themes (e.g., Synodality: Experience and Understanding) and specific communities (e.g., People in Poverty, Protagonists of the Church’s Journey), this first part of the Synthesis articulates a vision of the Church as a more than a hierarchical structure. Indeed, it envisions a synodal Church as one of various communities called together by the power of the Spirit and the salvific act of Jesus. As is true throughout the Synthesis,  this first section begins with “Convergences” that emerged in the course of the Synod, and then addresses “Matters for Consideration” (i.e., issues needing clarification or deeper discernment), concluding with “Proposals” which the Synod wishes to offer to the Holy Father and to others who may be called to follow up on the Synod’s work. Unlike the second session—which begins this October, and will concentrate on how to implement recommendations—this first session of the Synod sought to explore issues and gather focus; thus, the proposals are often brief, though indicative of some common agreement.

While the first part of the Synthesis Report discusses the vision of the Church as a whole, the second part turns to the Church as it regards persons and roles. Noting that the Church does not have a mission, but in fact is a mission, this part of the report, titled “All Disciples, All Missionaries,” seeks to address issues of inclusion and authority by listening to the experiences of various communities. For example, in its section on Women in the Life and Mission of the Church, there is a tremendous amount of convergence around the need of the official Church to dialogue with women, with dignity and true respect. As the document says, the Church needs to “avoid repeating the mistake of talking about women as a problem. Instead, we desire to promote a Church in which men and women dialogue together, in order to understand more deeply the horizon of God’s project, that sees them together as protagonists, without subordination, exclusion, and competition.” Even acknowledging that there remain serious and structural “Matters for Consideration,” this depth of convergence was a central feature of the Synod, a possibility only achieved because the voices in the room—and the voices heard in the various reports—were not simply those of clerics.

At the same time, though “All Disciples, All Missionaries” manifests much of the strength of the synodal process, raising as it does not only issues of the inclusion of women, but also issues of the relationships between various ministries in the Church (e.g., how Religious and lay movements relate to the hierarchy, and how various ordained persons relate to one another), it also led to some disappointment in the aftermath of the Synod. LGBTQ+ Catholics, especially, felt unseen in the document, since their role as disciples and missionaries in the Church was not directly discussed; and while the process itself may be hopeful, these specific omissions can be deeply painful.

The final part of the Synthesis Report, “Weaving Bonds, Building Communities,” begins the process of considering how a synodal Church begins to take its next steps. With seven topic areas, this part of the report begins a discernment which will transcend even the second meeting of the Synod. How are women and men to be formed as disciples and missionaries? How can we become a “Listening and Accompanying Church”? What are the structures needed for this missionary Church, and how might they be fostered in a digital environment? Though incomplete—as it must be—this part of the Synthesis Report begins the process of pushing the synodal model out of the Synod itself, and back towards the regions, the dioceses, and the communities, where it must live—including at St. Ignatius Parish. The question for us, thus becomes: are we ready to receive it?

Next week: In the year between Synod on Synodality sessions, what is happening? How do we prepare?

Fr. John Whitney, S. J.