The Synod Office have received 104 National Syntheses out of the 114 Bishops conferences from around the world. But less than 50% of these National Syntheses are publicly available!
While the Synod Office “strongly recommended” that each Diocesan Syntheses should be made public, they left it to the individual bishop’s conferences to decide whether to publish their National Syntheses or not. And over 50% have reverted to their traditional position of SECRECY. The majority wish to avoid transparency and accountability.
Pope Francis’ Synodal process had proposed listening at the grassroots level: From communities to parishes to diocese to country to continent to global synod. But it appears the majority of bishops prefer to mold their National Syntheses to their personal liking, rather than reflecting what the Holy Spirit is saying through the people of God. The synodal process should be transparent at all stages.
The Continental Syntheses now being prepared are to be reviewed in each country, which provides some scope for checking manipulation. Hopefully the committees will be free to speak openly where they identify manipulations.
The Synod in October 2023 is to be made up of 300 men and 1 woman. That should be changed by Pope Francis to 300 men and 300 women. That would show a clear move towards the “inverted pyramid” Pope Francis has spoken about.
Colm Holmes
Chair, We Are Church International
E
M +353 86 606 3636
We Are Church International strongly supports the work of the German Synodal Path which follows the principle ‘what affects all should be decided by all’. The church in Germany is fortunate to have a structure which allows lay women and men to work with the clerics how best to follow Christ today.
The Principles for a Charter of fundamental rights and responsibilities for Catholics were articulated by the Ordinary Synod of Bishops in 1971. Its final document was entitled “Justice in the World.” Importantly, the document preserves the remaining core of a larger project commissioned by Paul VI at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. It came to be known as the Lex Ecclesiae Fundamentalis (The Basic Law of the Church) and was meant to stand alongside of Paul’s Credo of the People of God. Together they were intended to capture Vatican II’s evangelical vision and mission of the Church and function as the moral principles that would inform the interpretation of Canon Law as well as provide a guide for the life and governance of the Church. Most importantly, the moral foundations of right relationship in the Christian community are grounded in the teaching of Jesus: So, whatever you wish that others do to you, do to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Mt 7: 12).