Pray For A Synodal Church

Pray For A Synodal Church

by Deacon Alex

The Catholic Church is huge. As of 2022, her membership (1.39 billion) amounts roughly to one sixth of the world population (7.951 billion)¹ . Some six decades ago, she went ahead with a long overdue modernization as decreed in the Vatican Council II which was attended by more than two thousand Catholic bishops from all over the world as well as no less than 500 theologians as advisers, together with many observers from other denominations and governments. This Council lasted for three years. The attendants experienced something unexpected: The Church Fathers (i.e. bishops) refused to ratify documents the Roman Curia had prepared before the Council. They collaborated with the expert theologians to redraft the documents in a different way²! After the Council, they realized that they had rediscovered the original way the bishops governed the early Church: as a college of overseers, not as a monarch! Since 1965, Synods of bishops, attended by a smaller number of bishop representatives, would be convoked instead in the future, as an advisory body. Later, the term “Synodality” was coined.

Synodality is not a decision-making process with an opening prayer (Acts 1:24-26) nor a democratic institution within the Church, nor reaching a consensus through compromises! Rather, it is a process of listening carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through the participants. It is not enough to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit spoken to the elites and experts like what was achieved in Vatican II. The Church cannot afford to leave out the voices from the major portion of the People of God, the laity whose status within the Church was recognized and given appropriate position since Vatican Council II. All the baptized should actively participate in the life of the Church as members of the People of God, clergy as well as laity alike. The “sensus fidei” of the faithful must be heard! Of course, the quality of listening is of fundamental importance. Indeed, both bishops, experts as well as the participants from the laity need training in listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit so as to achieved an enlightened conscience. Otherwise, synods cannot be fruitful.

Since 1965, Synods were held for wide-ranging themes such as “Year of the Eucharist” in 2005, “The Word of God” in 2010, “The Church in Africa in service to Reconciliation” in 2011, “New Evangelization” in 2012, “The Vocation and Mission of the Family” in 2015, “Young People” in 2018 and “Pan-Amazon Region” in 2019 etc. This on-going Synod is already the sixteenth which began in 2021! The theme is “Synodality”, a reflection on the Catholic Church as a synodal Church³. One of the testing items on the agenda would be the restoration of the order of deaconess, an ecclesial order which has vanished from the Catholic Church longer than permanent deacons. Paul wrote, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant [deaconess in Greek] of the church at Cenchreae” (Romans 16:1). Attendants of this Synod must empty themselves of any pre-conceived solutions and listen humbly to the voice of the Holy Spirit to discern “what God wants the Church to become in order to proclaim the good news better to the world” instead of “what God wants the Church to do better”. Don’t forget, we Catholics bear a responsibility towards the remaining five sixths of the world population as well.

In October, let us pray in one voice with Pope Francis that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity. Amen.

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¹Vatican News
²La Croix News
³About the Synod on Synodality

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Picture Credit: synod.va