Will the synod about synodality currently being held in the Vatican bring clarity or confusion? Will it help the Church become more relevant or will it foment division? Cardinal Raymond Burke, Archconservative-in-Chief, says that this synod is Babel. Someone tweeted back: Pentecost not Babel.
Our compatriot, Cardinal Mario Grech, the synod’s secretary general, recognises that, today, the Church finds herself at a crossroads. “The urgent challenge… is how the Church can, in this moment of history, become a sign and instrument of God’s love for every man and woman.”
Whatever position one takes, most agree that the synod will influence a lot, if not change radically, the way one lives one’s Catholic beliefs. Its agenda includes issues ranging from decision-making to priestly formation, from the role of women to the welcoming of migrants. It will also address the pastoral care for homosexuals, cultural traditions and climate change.
Some project this synod as if it is Vatican III. Pope Francis thinks otherwise. The Church is not ready for Vatican III, he said. In fact, the agenda of the first pope who was not a member of that momentous Council, is for the Church to put into practice the 1962 Vatican II!
Similarities and differences, however, there are.
Following the crucifix leading the procession for the inaugural mass in 1962 there were the bishops. This time round, the pride of place was taken by the non-bishop members of the synod. This highlights that this synod is a Synod of Bishops Plus. For the first time, out of the 365 voting members, approximately one-fifth will be lay people, including 54 women.
The setting in the Paul VI Audience Hall where the assembly is meeting consists of round tables. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, the synod’s relator general, said that this was purposely done to “remind us that none of us is a star in this synod”.
The prophets of doom and gloom were present in the Church during Vatican II and are vociferously present again today. Pope John XXIII, in his opening address, had said: “We feel we must disagree with those prophets of gloom who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand.”
This time round, the pride of place was taken by the non-bishop members of the synod- Fr Joe Borg
Today, such prophets are a plenty. They even held a conference in Rome coinciding with the opening of the synod. Pope Francis answers them by his prophetic vision for the Church which is based on his deep trust in the Lord.
In his homily during the inaugural mass, he said:
“In the face of the difficulties and challenges that lie ahead, the blessing and welcoming gaze of Jesus prevents us from falling into some dangerous temptations: of being a rigid Church, which arms itself against the world and looks backward; of being a lukewarm Church, which surrenders to the fashions of the world; of being a tired Church, turned in on itself.”
The big temptation of the secular media is to evaluate what is happening in the Church and during the synod from the perspective of the dynamics that operate in a complex organisation or in political alliances. Undoubtedly, there are similar elements in the way the Church operates but there is more, much more.
There is, as Francis said, “the Holy Spirit who often shatters our expectations to create something new that surpasses our predictions and negativity”.
With the Spirit’s inspiration may Pentecost prevail over Babel.