The Authentic Pillar of a Synodal Church

 Last month we began our reflection on a document called, The Working Document for the Continental Stage of the Synodal Process: “Enlarge the space of your tent.” This expression comes from Isaiah 54:2. We let this tent image speak to us: the tent itself, its ropes and its pegs, as referring to the Church.

 This month we will consider what the General Secretariate of the Synod considers the very pillar or foundation of a truly Synodal Church: a deep re-appropriation of the common dignity of all the baptized. This new awareness and ownership is the theological foundation of a unity that is capable of resisting homogenization, Why? Because we might tempted to think, “OK, so now we are going to do away with hierarchy, priests, and bishops, and everybody is going to do everything.” On the contrary. Not homogenization, but a unity that enables us to promote and make good use of the variety of charisms that the Spirit pours out on the faithful. It is the recognition of differing gifts that create true Church unity.

The Secretariate has been reading the reports sent by Churches across the world. These reports give voice to the joys, hopes, sufferings and wounds of all of us. They also reveal a Church we would like to see, a Church that is inclusive, open and welcoming, a Church that is enthusiastic to respond in active participation, a Church that is not just priests and bishops. Even in this first phase, the process bore immediate missionary fruit…the open and honest expression of opinion, and the meeting with groups outside the Church.

 The early reports also revealed immense challenges. These stem from a distrust of the synod process itself and the fear it will change some of Christ’s teachings, to pushing the Church into democratic-type mechanisms. Then there is the view that the Church is a rigid institution, unwilling to change; the outcomes of the synod process are thus already determined. The resistance of some priests and bishops was expressed, and the passivity of a laity that feared to express itself openly. There is a widespread perception of separation between the priesthood and the people of God. The exhaustion of priests was expressed, and at times, the priest was viewed as an obstacle to the participation of the laity. An open wound remains from abuse by members of the clergy, spiritual, sexual, economic, or of conscience. There was a strong call for greater transparency, accountability, and co-responsibility. Bloody conflicts, whether political or tribal, remain, and give counter-witness to the unity of the Church.

 The foundational reference to Baptism where we all share a common dignity and vocation, needs to be a felt identity. This brings into focus the key to the synodal process itself and the actual realized mission of the Church. Walking together as a synodal Church is the way to become a missionary Church. This includes ecumenical encounter. The reports present the synodal process as an experience of novelty and freshness, the return from a collective exile. If the entire People of God is not synodal, no one can really feel fully at home.