Synodality: A conversion aimed at becoming more
missionary
The Final Document of the second session of the Sixteenth
Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod recounts and relaunches an experience of
Church as communion, participation, and mission, with a concrete proposal of a
new vision that overturns established practices.
By Giampaolo Mattei
The Final Document, adopted today after each of its 155
paragraphs were approved, has been published, and will not become the basis of
an Exhortation by the Pope, who has decided that it should be released
immediately in order to inspire the life of the Church.
“The synodal process does not conclude with the end of the
current Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, but it also includes the
implementation phase” (9), involving all in the “daily journey with a synodal
methodology of consultation and discernment, identifying concrete ways and
formation pathways to bring about a tangible synodal conversion in the various
ecclesial contexts” (9).
In particular, the Document challenges Bishops on their
commitment to transparency and accountability, while noting, with Cardinal
Victor Fernandez, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith,
that work continues to provide women greater roles and greater power within the
Church.
Two key words that emerge from the text – permeated by the
perspective and proposal of conversion – are “relationships”, a way of being
Church; and “bonds”, marked by the “exchange of gifts” between the Churches
lived dynamically and, therefore, converting processes. It is precisely the
local Churches that are at the centre in the missionary horizon, which is the
foundation of the experience of plurality of synodality, with all the
structures at the service of mission, with the laity increasingly fulfilling
their role as subjects, or protagonists, of the process.
In this perspective, the Final Document emphasizes the
concrete reality of being rooted in a “place”. Notably, the Synod Fathers and
Mothers propose that the Dicasteries of the Holy See initiate substantive
consultations “before publishing important normative documents” (135).
The structure of the Final Document
The Final Document comprises five parts, rooted in the
Gospel accounts of the Resurrected Jesus appearing to the Apostles.
The first identifies “The Heart of Synodality”. The second
part, “On the Boat, Together”, is dedicated “to the conversion of the
relationships that build the Christian community and shape the mission in the
intertwining of vocations, charisms and ministries”; while the third, “Cast the
Net”, “identifies three practices that are intimately connected: ecclesial
discernment, decision-making processes, and a culture of transparency,
accountability and evaluation”.
The fourth part, “An Abundant Catch”, “outlines how it is
possible to cultivate in new forms the exchange of gifts and the intertwining
of the bonds that unite us in the Church, at a time when the experience of
being rooted in a place is changing profoundly”; with the fifth, “So I Send
You”, “allows us to look at the first step to be taken: caring for the
formation of all, of the People of God, all synodal missionaries”.
The Wounds of the Risen One continue to bleed…
The introduction of the Document (1-12) immediately
clarifies the essence of the Synod as “a renewed experience of the disciples’
encounter with the Risen One in the Upper Room on Easter evening”.
“Contemplating the Risen One”, the Document continues, “we have seen the mark
of His Wounds (…) that continue to bleed in the bodies of many brothers and
sisters, including through our own faults. Looking upon the Lord does not
distance us from the tragedies of history. Instead, it opens our eyes to the
suffering of those around us and penetrates us: the faces of war-stricken
terrorised children, weeping mothers, the shattered dreams of so many young
people, refugees who face terrible journeys, the victims of climate change and
social injustice” (2).
The Synod, recalling the many ongoing wars, joins Pope
Francis in “his repeated appeals for peace, condemning the logic of violence,
hatred, and revenge” (2).
Further, the synodal way is markedly ecumenical, oriented
towards “a full and visible unity of Christians” (4) – and “constitutes an
authentic further act of reception of the [Second Vatican] Council, thus
deepening its inspiration and reinvigorating its prophetic force for today’s
world” (5).
It was not easy, the Document recognizes: “We cannot deny
that we have faced fatigue, resistance to change, and the temptation to let our
own ideas prevail over listening to the Gospel and the practice of discernment”
(6)
The heart of synodality
The first part of the document (13-48) begins with the
shared reflections on “the Church as the People of God, Sacrament of Unity”
(15-20) and on “The Sacramental Roots of the People of God” (21-27).
It is through the “experience of recent years” that the meaning
of the terms “synodality” and “synodal” have come “to be better understood, and
what they represent more vibrantly lived. They have become ever more deeply
associated with the desire for a Church that is closer to people and more
relational – a Church that is God's home and family.
…
“In simple and concise terms, synodality is a path of
spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more
participatory and missionary, so that it can walk with every man and woman,
radiating the light of Christ” (28).
Recognizing that the unity of the Church does not mean
uniformity, “the appreciation of contexts, cultures and diversities, and of the
relationships between them, is key to growing as a missionary synodal Church”
(40). And with the revival of relations with other religious traditions, the
Church strives “together with them to build a better world” (41).
The conversion of relationships
The second part of the Document (49-77) opens with the
recognition of “the call for a Church with a greater capacity to nurture
relationships: with the Lord, between men and women, in the family, in the
local community, among social groups and religions, with the earth itself”
(50).
At the same time the Synod recognizes that some “continued
to experience the pain of feeling excluded or judged because of their marital
situation, identity, or sexuality” (ibid.).
“To be a synodal Church, we are required to open ourselves
to a genuine relational conversion that redirects each person’s priorities and
we must once again learn from the Gospel that attending to relationships is not
merely a strategy or a tool for greater organisational effectiveness.
Relationships and bonds are the means by which God the Father has revealed
Himself in Jesus and the Spirit” (ibid.).
They final document goes on to acknowledge “the widely
expressed pain and suffering on the part of many women from every region and
continent, both lay and consecrated, during the synodal process”, which “reveal
how often we fail to live up to this vision” (52).
In particular, “the call to renewed relationships in the
Lord Jesus flourishes in the different contexts in which His disciples live”,
joined to “the plurality of cultures”; yet “interaction by people from diverse
cultural contexts can also lead to distorted relationships that are not in
keeping with the Gospel” (53).
“The evils that plague our world… are rooted in these
dynamics”, the Document affirms, noting that “the most radical and dramatic
rejection is that of human life itself; this leads to the rejection of the
unborn, as well as of the elderly” (54).
Ministries for Mission
“Charisms, Vocations, and Ministries for Mission” (57-67)
lie at the heart of the document, which focuses especially on a greater
participation of lay men and women. The ordained ministry is “at the service of
harmony” (68); and the ministry of the bishop aims at “discerning and bringing
together in unity” the gifts of the Holy Spirit (69-71).
Within the discussion of the episcopal ministry, the
Document notes that “in the case of titular bishops today, the constitutive
relationship between the bishop and the local Church does not appear with
sufficient clarity, for example, in the case of papal representatives and those
who serve in the Roman Curia” (70).
Priests and deacons serve with the bishops for a
“collaboration between ordained ministers within a synodal Church” (74). So,
the experience of “Synodal Spirituality” is significant, for if “spiritual
depth at both personal and communitarian levels is lacking, synodality is reduced
to organisational expediency” (44).
For this reason, the Document notes, “practised with
humility, the synodal style enables the Church to be a prophetic voice in
today’s world.”
The conversion of processes
In the third part of the Document (79-108), the Synod notes
that “in prayer and dialogue, we have recognised that ecclesial discernment,
the care for decision-making processes, the commitment to accountability and
the evaluation of our decisions are practices through which we respond to the
Word that shows us the paths of mission” (79).
In particular, it notes, “These three practices are closely
intertwined. Decision-making processes need ecclesial discernment, which
requires listening in a climate of trust that is supported by transparency and
accountability. Trust must be mutual: decision-makers need to be able to trust
and listen to the People of God. The latter, in turn, needs to be able to trust
those in authority” (80).
In fact, “Ecclesial Discernment for Mission” “is not an
organisational technique but rather a spiritual practice grounded in a living
faith” and “is never just a setting out of one’s own personal or group point of
view or a summing up of differing individual opinions” (82).
“The Structure of the Decision-making Process” (87-94),
“Transparency, Accountability, and Evaluation” (95-102), and “Synodality and
Participatory Bodies” (103-108) are central points of the proposals contained
in the Document, arising from the experience of the Synod.
The Conversion of Bonds
The essence of the fourth part of the Final Document
(109-139) is expressed in its first paragraph: “In a time when there is great
change occurring in the places where the Church is rooted and on pilgrimage, we
need to cultivate new forms of the exchange of gifts and the network of bonds
that unite us. In this we are sustained by the ministry of the bishops in
communion amongst themselves and with the Bishop of Rome” (109).
The expression “Firmly Rooted yet Pilgrims” (110-119)
recalls that “The Church cannot be understood apart from its roots in a
specific territory, in that space and time where a shared experience of
encounter with the saving God occurs” (110).
This part of the Document also gives due consideration to
the phenomena of “population mobility” (112) and “the spread of digital
culture” (113).
In this perspective, “our walking together as disciples of
Jesus, with our diverse charisms and ministries, while at the same time
engaging in the exchange of gifts among the Churches, is an effective sign of
the love and mercy of God in Christ” (120).
“The guiding principle of the relationship among churches is
the perspective of communion through the sharing of gifts” (124). From this
starting point, the Document elaborates “The Bonds of Unity: Episcopal
Conferences and Ecclesial Assemblies” (124-129).
The synodal reflection on “The Service of the Bishop of
Rome” (130-139) is particularly significant. With reference precisely to the
promotion of greater collaboration and listening, the Synod exhorts Dicasteries
“to initiate a consultation with Episcopal Conferences and with the
corresponding structures of the Eastern Churches sui iuris” before
publishing “important normative documents” (135).
Forming a People for Missionary Discipleship
“The Holy People of God require proper formation so that
they can witness to the joy of the Gospel and grow in the practice of
synodality: first of all, in the freedom of sons and daughters of God in
following Jesus Christ, contemplated in prayer and recognised in those who are
poor” (141), the Document affirms at the beginning of the fifth part (140-151).
“One of the requests that emerged most strongly and from all
contexts during the synodal process is that the formation provided by the
Christian community be integral and continuing” (143). In this regard, too, we
see the urgent need for “an exchange of gifts between different vocations
(communion), in the perspective of a service to be performed (mission) and in a
style of involvement and education in differentiated co-responsibility (participation)”
(147).
“Another area of great importance is the promotion in all
ecclesial contexts of a culture of safeguarding, making communities ever safer
places for minors and vulnerable persons” (150).
Finally, “The themes of the Church's social doctrine, such
as commitment to peace and justice, care for our common home and intercultural
and interreligious dialogue, must also be more widely shared among the People
of God” (151).
Entrustment to Mary
“Living through the synodal process again, we have become
aware that the salvation to be received and proclaimed is inherently
relational”, the Document says in its penultimate paragraph. “We live it and
witness to it together. History reveals itself to us tragically marked by war,
rivalry for power, and thousands of injustices and abuses. We know, however,
that the Spirit has placed the desire for authentic relationships and true
bonds in the heart of every human being. Creation itself speaks of unity and sharing,
of diversity and of variously interconnected forms of life” (154).
The text concludes with a prayer entrusting “the results of
this Synod to the Virgin Mary”. “May she… teach us to be a people of disciples
and missionaries together, to be a synodal Church” (155).
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