Mixed opinion re Unproven Synod on Synodality

[MarieT]

Mixed opinions about unproven Synod on Synodality
John Warhurst
Mitre
The Second Session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality is now just weeks away. Opinions differ markedly among reformers about its trajectory so far. Some are deeply disillusioned and fearful. Others see evidence of real progress even if change is slow and incremental.

The views of the former were represented in a recent editorial by the Melbourne-based renewal group, Catholics for Renewal, which raised fears that this may be a “Clayton’s Synod” which might fall short of real renewal, stalled on its journey by hesitancy, opposition and a “refusal to commit to co-responsibility”.

Others see evidence of real progress even if change is slow and incremental. Among them are several recent international visitors close to the international process, Dr Myriam Wijlens and Professor Massimo Faggioli. Their renewal credentials are undoubted, shown by their role as international consultants and co-authors of the 2021 official report, The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-responsible governance for the Catholic Church in Australia.

Among those Catholics deeply involved in and committed to church renewal two distinct groupings have emerged. There are those who are persuaded that some renewal is already underway and that more is now inevitable, and those who are yet to be convinced and who maintain their determined drive against the status quo. The former believe that synodality as a way of being church is now so embedded that there is no going back, while the latter want a synodal model that addresses the existing dysfunctions, including gender inequality and lack of co-responsibility, more decisively and more quickly.

As the second and final session approaches, keen interest remains within the church in Australia, stimulated both by the international event and local developments in introducing the elements of a synodal church, including some new diocesan assemblies and pastoral plans. The latter are patchwork at best. Catholics for Renewal estimate that as of this August, only six of 28 Australian territorial dioceses, less than a quarter, have adopted a “synodal and co-responsible governance approach”.

Progress has been made. Credit must be given to those diocesan authorities (including Adelaide and Parramatta) who have invited Faggioli, Wijlens, and other “progressive-centrist” international expert speakers to spruik both the Synod event and the idea of synodality at all levels of the church. Credit goes also to the renewal movement which has sown the seeds for such church enterprises over many years. Only deep dives into the church will build commitment to synodality. Faggioli, professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University, US, was invited to Adelaide for two weeks by Catholic Education South Australia to engage in an extensive program of talks and meetings with educational leaders, clergy and the wider Catholic community.

One major part of this engagement was his Zoom talk on “Towards the Synod 2024 Opening: October and Beyond”, sponsored by two warriors of the renewal movement, the Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform and Garratt Publishing, along with Catholic Education South Australia. The continuing appetite for church renewal was shown by the almost 3,000 registrants.

They heard Faggioli argue that the Synod was part of a long process of transition in the church and that synodality had been not just embedded, but already cemented into the church by local experiences. Synodality, he argued, was bigger than Pope Francis himself and there would be no turning back.

He believed that three major issues must be dealt with at the October session: (i) How to “revitalise the role of lay people as baptised persons with rights and duties that are quite clear in doctrine”; (ii) how to restructure the local churches around the world, including rethinking the role of clerics; and (iii) how to reimagine the relationship between the universal church, represented by the Pope and based in Rome, and the local churches; that is balancing diversity with unity.

Faggioli recognised that high expectations. are a problem during a period of transition. During such time, people need to be both patient and impatient; pushing for renewal, but understanding that major cultural reform takes time. Such an approach meant, he admitted during discussion, that the present renewal generation must be self-sacrificial because they will not see the ultimate fruits of their efforts. This strikes me as a reminder of the frustrations in the wider community over climate action progress. It’s hard to believe in the long term without seeing progress in the present.

Just about everyone in the renewal movement in Australia sees gender inequality as the major problem for the church and precisely the area where “outcomes so far have fallen well short of expectations”, in the words of Catholics for Renewal. Even that measured statement itself falls well short of recognising the sadness, anger, hurt and despair among many women which was palpable among Faggioli’s audience. Professor Tina Beattie gave voice to just these sentiments in her recent article in The Tablet in Britain entitled “Work not in progress”, a stirring denunciation of the meanderings of the church on gender inequality.

Faggioli, for his part, pins his hopes for women’s equality on “reading between the lines” of the Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) for the Synod’s Second Session. Despite its disappointing treatment in the document, he argues that discussion on women’s equality would occur informally because there was a lot not said in the document, but still hoped for. Such deep change required a conversion of mentalities and culture.

Undoubtedly, the proof will be in the pudding for the Synod, but just when the judgement should be made is one area of contention. October is not the end of the action. Ten study groups will report in mid-2025. Implementation, if that is the word, will stretch into the future. Like the AUKUS submarines’ delivery, even 2040 may be too early to judge.

I desperately want to believe renewal of the Catholic Church is underway, and that the vehicle to carry us along the way will be the synodality enshrined in the Synod on Synodality. But I remain torn, leaning more to the fearfully hopeful camp than the comfortably optimistic one.

Warhurst John
John Warhurst AO is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University, and was the Moderator for Massimo Faggioli's talk. He was founding chair of Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn and a member of the Plenary Council, and a regular columnist with the Canberra Times and Eureka Street.

[MarieT]

a few comments on the so called "reformers" (we know what happened to martin luther.....).

He believed that three major issues must be dealt with at the October session:

(i) How to “revitalise the role of lay people as baptised persons with rights and duties that are quite clear in doctrine”;

(ii) how to restructure the local churches around the world, including rethinking the role of clerics; and

(iii) how to reimagine the relationship between the universal church, represented by the Pope and based in Rome, and the local churches; that is balancing diversity with unity.

point 1...how to "revitalise" the role of the laity, assumes that baptised lay persons do not contribute ?....woah
this is way off the mark as anyone who attends church will affirm.

Crucial is the surprise commentary on Doctrine

Doctrine is quite clear on the role of the laity and just to emphatically say that Doctrine as handed down through Jesus to the Apostles to the bishops....CANNOT be changed. Anyone writing contrary to this is in grievous error. adding to it is also an issue.

point 2...the structure of the churches around the world are defined and one must query why anyone would want to change them.....the roles are defined also......weird comment to make.....what does he propose?

point 3...no need to "reimagine" the role of the universal church and pope and local churches....sadly the diversity of which he speaks could more accurately be defined as "errors" of francis in even thinking he can change doctrine......as Cardinal Burke reiterated many times at the beginning of bergoglio's "papacy"......not even the pope has the authority to change doctrine .....his role is to defend it and to proclaim it in ways the people of the times will understand it

not confuse them.....