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
Part One of our series on the Synod on Synodality
The Synod 2021-2024 continues to draw on the energy of that seed [Vatican II] and to develop its potential. The synodal path is, in fact, implementing what the Council taught about the Church as Mystery and People of God, called to holiness.
-Synthesis Report, First Session
Although prevalent in the early Church, when bishops (often locally elected) would meet to discuss and debate issues in their regional churches, the institution of the synod fell into disuse in the Western Church as power and governance increasingly accrued to the papacy. Reaching its crescendo in the declaration of papal infallibility at Vatican I (1869-70), the centralization of Vatican authority tended to minimize regional leadership and emphasize an extremely hierarchical model of the Church, whose structure mirrored the imperial powers restored in the wake of the French Revolution. It was only after the destruction of such powers, in the wake of the two World Wars, that a new model of Church—less hierarchical and more in line with the early Christian community—emerged. Though still hierarchical, the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) restored the centrality of the People of God, and promoted the concept of collegial leadership in which the Pope was the “first among equals” in dialogue with the bishops of the world.
Following Vatican II, in the 1970’s, the modern Synod of Bishops began with Pope Paul VI as a means for following-up on the Council’s summons to greater collegiality. Meant as an advisory meeting to aid papal discernment, these Synods brought bishops from all over the world to inform the Pope as to what was happening in the wider Church, to consult with the Pope over key issues, and to hear from the Pope about matters affecting the universal care of the Church. Initially begun to break through the Roman bureaucracy that separated the Pope from the bishops, the Synods gradually lost this purpose, as the very people who ran the bureaucracy became those in charge of organizing the Synods, determining the topics discussed (and those not up for discussion) and drafting to the final documents—sometimes before the meeting began. Rather than hearing and responding to the experience of the array of bishops, these gatherings took on the character of a briefing, marginalizing dissent and encouraging uniformity—especially as the selection of bishops became more centralized around the prevalent Roman perspective.
With the election of Pope Francis, however, the notion of union built on uniformity began to be challenged, and early in his papacy, Francis implied a desire for more dialogue and discernment. Bringing into the Vatican consulting bishops from around the world, it was clear to many that Francis hoped to revitalize the work of Vatican II by creating a Church rooted in the People of God, and creating Synods with greater consultative strength and, perhaps, even authority. In the Synod on the Family, for example, Francis called on bishops to consult widely with those in their communities, and provided a preliminary session which raised issues previously forbidden in these contexts. Likewise, in the regional Synod on the Amazon, issues of ordination and ministry, previously seen as closed were suddenly opened, resulting in the possibility of (among other things) the restoration of the diaconate for women—a part of the Church unseen for over a millennium. In both of these gatherings, Francis sought to hear from the whole Church—though the hesitancy, in many places, of bishops and others to engage voices long excluded, made this desire more difficult to attain.
In response, then, to his belief that the voice of the People of God needed to be better heard and empowered, Francis called for a two-part Synod on Synodality, to meet in October 2023 and 2024. This was to be an official gathering—the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops—in which not just bishops, but also religious women and men, lay leaders and young people from across the world would have a voice and (for the first time ever) a vote in the direction of the Church. While not a Parliament for the Church—i.e., the work of the Synod is not legislative, but advisory, aiding the Holy Father in his discernment as primary teacher—the work of the Synod on Synodality was first to gather data from communities and local churches throughout the world, and then to allow a broad spectrum of Church leaders to discern prayerfully how the Church might become more alive to the Spirit and more synodal in its approach to issues about which the People of God had voiced their concern.
Seated not on hierarchically arranged tiers, as in earlier assemblies, but at round tables in a large hall, the bishops—including Pope Francis—sat in mixed groups with women and men, lay and ordained, all empowered to address the issues raised in a variety of communities, and then summarized in documents from every continent. Surprising in their consistency, these continental reports addressed a number of similar themes, albeit through various cultural lenses.
Among these themes were: the inclusion of women in the ministerial and governing structures of the Church; the preparation and training of ministers in the Church, and the sacramental formation of all Catholics; the selection and evaluation of bishops, as well as the manner of governance within local churches; the appropriate use of synodal and discernment models at various levels of the Church; the welcoming of all people more fully into the life of the Church, regardless of cultural or situational differences; the relationship between the Church and secular society, and the Church’s relationship both to the traditionally poor and the “new” poor created through climate change and war, migration and famine. While other themes also arose that had greater relevance in particular regions (e.g., the relation between Latin and Eastern Rite Catholics), and while some felt important issues were only vaguely addressed in the document (e.g., the term LGTBQ does not appear), still, most participants saw the gathering itself, with its prayerful and free-flowing discussions, as a significant moment of change for the Church. Indeed, most agreed that, as the synthesis document itself notes, “synodality represents the future of the Church” (Synthesis Report, 1:i).
Since this first session of the Synod ended in October, the Church has gone between holding its breath for what is to come, and almost forgetting that the Synod happened. For many of us, the Synod seems long ago, or perhaps we have forgotten that a second session is still to come. Yet, while we might suspect the influence of the Synod in some recent actions (e.g., the promulgation of Fiducia Supplicans which allowed for the blessing of persons in “irregular relationships”), the primary work of this year continues to be one of preparation for the second session. Recently, Pope Francis appointed ten study groups to prepare material for some of the more controversial issues raised in session one, and guidelines of how to hear from the faithful are being sent out across the world. In the next few weeks, we will present a series of articles, recalling our own synodal work at St. Ignatius; pointing out, in greater detail, what the first session of the Synod accomplished; and raising the question of what we can do to become a more synodal community going forward. Please join us in this journey.
Fr. John Whitney, S. J.
Part 2: When the Synod Came to St. Ignatius