Much of this month will be taken up by the Synod on Synodality, the latest instalment in the synodal process which has been such a distinctive element of this pontificate. John Allen discusses its nature and its prospects elsewhere in this issue and, as he points out, it seems unlikely to result in any disruptive change to doctrine or practice within the Church. The most neuralgic issues, such as the ordination of women to the diaconate or the blessing of same-sex unions, have either been dealt with by Pope Francis directly or kicked into the long grass.
Indeed, the remarkable feature of the event is that it is a process about a process. In the Catholic Church, synods have normally been assemblies of bishops, but this one includes 100 non-bishops – of whom 54 are women. We should note that the least-represented group is the diocesan clergy, who would be obliged to weather the brunt of any changes of a controversial kind in their parishes.
And so it is possible to claim that the important thing about the Synod is that it is happening at all. This is the outcome of a global listening exercise which began at parish level with people having the opportunity to participate in their own groups, and which provided the Synod with material for discussion. Quite how much of the initial contributions will be evident in the final outcome remains to be seen. There are obvious attractions in the idea of a Church that does not simply make pronouncements to the faithful, but listens to them, and some of the responses from the initial consultation were salutary and useful.
Yet the real danger was always that Catholics may get the impression that the Church is a democracy; that if the majority wishes for changes in teaching and practice, then that is what will happen. We have seen where that ends in the separate German Synodal Way, which produced resolutions that no pope could possibly accept. The result is a sense of thwarted expectations, which results from false assumptions about what the process can achieve in the first place.
The Church is, inter alia, a teacher; that is to say, it conveys the truths of the faith and applies them to changing circumstances. Where disputes arise about what that teaching is, it is a matter for the Pope, sometimes with a council of the Church, to adjudicate. In that sense the role of the pontificate is very limited. But although Cardinal Newman long ago outlined the necessity of consulting the laity and pointed out that at critical points in history, as in the Arian controversy, ordinary Catholics were more orthodox than the bishops, he nowhere suggested that the laity should decide what Church teaching should be by majority vote. There are Christian denominations that work on that basis, but the Catholic Church does not; its authority is grounded on the rock of Peter and tradition inspired by the Holy Spirit. This does not sit easily with a consultative model.
During the Synod there will be discussion of a number of issues by working groups, of which potentially the most contentious will be “Theological and synodal methods for addressing controversial doctrinal, pastoral and ethical issues”. But, again, it is a discussion about a process. The upshot is likely to be that those who hoped for the Synod to represent liberal opinion will be disappointed that no change of substance will happen, while those who regard the Synod as at best an opportunity for talk and at worst a source of confusion will be pleased that nothing much will change.
But there are dangers in creating expectations of radical reform that are not realised. This is what Pope Francis has done, and his personal (rather than pontifical) authority may be diminished as a result. Meanwhile, observers of the opening penitential service that seeks to atone for various sins against migrants, the poor, synodality and, provocatively, “using doctrines as stones to be hurled” may be baffled rather than edified.
We shall see whether this exercise, which has been costly in terms of time and effort, will be useful. Perhaps the synodal process will accustom bishops to asking the faithful about the ways their dioceses are run, but in many respects bishops and priests are happy to delegate responsibility to lay councils.
No one was quite sure what the Synod was expected to achieve, so Pope Francis can take what satisfaction he can from the fact that it has happened at all, that laity and women have joined the bishops in discussing the direction of the Church, and that people of differing points of view have exchanged opinions in a fraternal spirit. But it will not change the Church – and that’s just as well.
<strong><strong>This article appears in the October 2024 edition of the <em>Catholic Herald</em>. To subscribe to our award-winning, thought-provoking magazine and have independent and high-calibre counter-cultural and orthodox Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">HERE</mark></a></strong></strong>.
