Latest from the Vatican on creating a Synodal Church
As the Synodal Process Continues…
Here is a roundup of some of what is happening in the Vatican and around the world
10 Study Groups to be formed.
Announced today, the Vatican is going to establish study groups to address 10 themes that came out of the Synthesis Report of the First General Assembly last October.
Recognizing that all the themes require further in-depth study and consideration from a variety of angles; and recognizing that these cannot all be accomplished in one month of the Second General Assembly next October, Francis has asked Cardinal Grech to establish study groups with people from all over the world and not just to look at past research but to look at present experience; and to have them continue the work in a synodal manner into 2025, and beyond!
When you read the 10 themes you will see that they have potentially they could envision a complete overhaul – from canon law to ministerial definitions to episcopal selection, to name a few that caught my eye.
Quite comprehensive. This won’t be fast, but we have to take the long view! https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-03/pope-francis-indicates-to-cardinal-grech-ten-themes-for-synod.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterVN-EN
Parish priests were missing at the Synod. Now 300 will meet at the Vatican.
The Holy See announced a worldwide meeting of priests as part of the Synod on Synodality to be held this spring in Rome. Three hundred priests, sent by the Bishops’ Conferences and the Oriental Catholic Churches, will participate in a global meeting of listening, prayer and discernment, entitled: “Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting,” to be held on April 28-May 2.
At the request of the Holy See, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) was asked to submit a list of priests who have been involved in promoting synodality in their local parishes in order to send to the meeting.
Synod Samples from other places
The Australian Conference of Catholic Bishops has appointed a Diocesan Contact Person to manage the process. The list of diocesan coordinators is available here. As well they have created a reflection guide which provides guidance to groups as they consider the different contexts and circumstances of their communities and how they might best live the Gospel message in those situations. They are also planning a national-level consultation to reflect on the relations between Churches, groupings of Churches and the Bishop of Rome. Responses from these consultations will also be included in the national report.
The Belgian and Dutch Churches have also issued guidelines for discussions preparing the next Synod session under three broad priorities – an open Church, a living and evolutive tradition, and unity in diversity.
Irish Synodal Pathway
The Irish Synodal Pathway continues to evolve and has made significant progress in advancing its ambition to hold its first synodal assembly in the Autumn of 2025. Building upon the previous listening and consultation stages of the Universal Synod, those attending local consultations have been encouraged to envision a Church whereby the mission of the people of God is enhanced by all the baptised members of the Church taking responsibility for the mission in different ways. They have also been invited to share testimonies and examples of effective synodal practices within their respective communities. The responses will be gathered by 25 March for the preparation of a ten page document for the universal process. In the spirit of circularity – which has been used throughout the synodal process in Ireland – this draft submission will be presented for regional feedback in late April and in collaboration with the Bishops’ Conference, will culminate in a final submission to the Secretariat of the Synod in Rome by 15 May next.The U.S. bishops' conference says it also will conduct consultations at the national level with a focus on participation, social justice issues and vocations promotion. They have published The guidelines for American dioceses, which urges clergy and lay Catholics to pray and spiritually prepare for local meetings through the beginning of 2024 and hold between two and three “listening sessions” during Lent.
What’s happening with the Synod in Canada?
Concerned Lay Catholics has been faithfully offering our Nurturing Synodality sessions on the first Sunday of each month since last November 2023 - with each month our numbers grow! If you have been attending, you know that we spend our time discussing ideas for how we can become a more synodal church after listening to an inspiring presentation on a topic relevant to synodality. If you have not attended or only rarely, you are still welcome! Sr Elizabeth Davis will join us on Sunday May 5.
We have been receiving inquiries from people in various parts of the country about what our National Conference is doing to prepare for the next General Assembly in Rome October 2024. To date, we have not been able to find anything official to answer this question. We hear through the grapevine that since the Vatican has not required any specific process for this phase of the Synod, the National office is leaving it up to individual dioceses to decide for themselves. Any work produced by this devolved process is to be submitted to the CCCB by April 15. Many people we hear from are quite disappointed that a more coordinated effort is not being undertaken, especially people who live in dioceses where nothing seems to be happening.
[Fig 5 Gary]
Dr. Gary Warner, Chair of CLC wrote on behalf of Concerned Lay Catholics, to Archbishop McGrattan, President of the CCCB and Canadian Synod Team Leader to inquire about the Canadian approach. In his letter, Gary stated:
We have not seen any guidelines, or preparative documents, on the CCCB website concerning the development of the Canadian input at the October 2024 Assembly. In particular, we believe that Lay Canadian Catholics have an important role to play in this process. We hope that the CCCB, like other Bishop’s Conferences around the world, will publish similar guidelines and processes which will facilitate and include the participation of Lay Catholics in Canada. We look forward to hearing back from you in the very near future.
In the meantime, Concerned Lay Catholics will continue to nurture synodality with anyone who is interested and collect input to forward to the CCCB and the Canadian Synod Team.