Abstract
In this volume, Declan Marmion and Salvador Ryan have brought together a collection of 11 scholarly essays on church reform in the key of synodality, which are an important contribution from Maynooth and Ireland to the global project of renewal and reform within the Catholic Church. The articles are scholarly but accessible: they will be of interest not just to theologians, but to pastors, students, and indeed to all those interested in the historic nature of what is going on in the Catholic Church over these years. This launch is particularly timely coming as it does in the wake of the recent Synod on Synodality in Rome.
The articles are supplemented by the editors’ joint introduction which is a summary description of what is to follow. There is also a fine epilogue from American scholar Kristin Colberg which provides a synthesis of what has preceded. The contributors are drawn from Australia, Europe (including Ireland), India, South America and the United States; ten men and four women. Christopher Bellitto sets the scene by offering a historical perspective on synods and reform. Shaun Blanchard focuses on more recent history and, in particular, the contribution of Yves Congar on true and false reformers, and, most helpfully, the principle of Tradition. Declan Marmion analyses and reflects critically on the document of the International Theological Commission (2018) Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church. There follow two contributions from Massimo Faggioli (on Synodality and the Appointment of Bishops—I note progress along the lines he suggests in the Synthesis document from the recent Synod of Bishops), and from Rafael Luciani (on an Effective Synodalization of the Whole Church). Bishop Vincent Long of Paramatta reflects on the Australian experience and its origins in the abuse crisis, while Francis Gonsalves notes how clericalism is one of the major obstacles to synodality for the Church in India. Pedro Trigo, writing from Venezuela, offers a valuable counter-point to any excessive focus on intra-church issues by focusing on the poor and the crisis facing our planet earth. Julia Knopp’s contribution is an analysis of the rigorous German experience, once again locating its origins in the abuse crisis. Agnes Desmazières analyses the key concept of dialogue in any synodal approach. Ethna Regan proposes three different approaches or ‘onlooks’ to church reform, among them, as part of an ecclesial ethics, the need for justice within the church if its missionary outreach is to be effective. Finally, Kristin Colberg provides a punchy overview of the book’s contents, drawing on her experience as a member of the theological commission assisting the Synod of Bishops.
I would like now, in the spirit of the book’s own aim to support and encourage reflection on the synodal project, to highlight very briefly three particular issues which emerge from this book, the Synthesis Document of the recent Synod, and the ongoing process.
First, there is the issue of church governance. Luciani in his article explores the possibilities of moving from a church characterized by episcopal collegiality and hierarchical communion to one of effective synodalization of the whole church and ecclesial communion. This would be based on our common baptism, and the binding relational nature of the link between the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. Building on a theology of the sensus fidei and the consensus omnium fidelium, he repeats the request of the Latin American Bishops gathered at Aparecida (2007) that ‘the laity participate in discernment, decision-making, planning and execution’ (p. 81). He offers various examples of steps already made in that direction in Latin America, the Amazon region and the Caribbean.
The Synthesis of the recent Synod engages with the same issue. Alongside minority concerns about even the presence of the non-ordained at such an event, there was majority support for the notion of a differentiated co-responsibility in which women played a more prominent role in decision-making at all levels of church life (9 m), legislation be introduced to ensure the obligatory nature of pastoral councils in Christian communities and local churches (18 h), more autonomy be given to Episcopal Conferences (reopening reflection on the Motu Proprio Apostolos suos, 19 h) and a general questioning of how we can interweave the consultative and deliberative aspects of synodality (18 g). One has the sense of an issue in flux, with real progress being made, and much more to do. I would sum it up this way: how does one include all in meaningful decision-making and still allow the decision-takers (the bishops) a more than token authority?
A second aspect of governance involves the papacy itself, which Francis has been more than ready to admit is in need of conversion. Luciani deals with this under the rubric of the unresolved juxtaposition in Vatican II between collegiality and primacy, seeking a solution in a pastoral rather than juridical perspective of an ecclesiology of the People of God. Blanchard (p. 23), noting the ambiguity of the term ‘reform,’ wryly observes that among some progressive Catholics there has arisen a kind of ‘liberal ultramontanism’ under the papacy of Francis, a point made elsewhere by Faggioli who points out that, as an instance of the law of unintended consequences, rather than a ‘healthy decentralization’ what may happen under Francis is that the power of the papacy is reinforced, not least because so much is left to his discretion (so, for example, whether a synod’s teachings may be declared deliberative and not just consultative, who should be invited to a synod, and so on). The Synthesis is silent on much of this, although it does recall the invitation of Pope John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint to reimagine the papacy in service of Christian unity, and proposes to enhance and strengthen the Council of Cardinals in service of the Petrine ministry(13 b and j) . In sum, a question emerges: is there need to explore the notion of effective, deliberative non-papal organs of authority?
All this needs to be replicated at local, regional and national level: real input by the non-ordained into decision-making that is binding on decision-taking, based on the share that all the baptized have in the kingly office of Jesus Christ. So, a change of culture, but also of structure, institution and law.
Secondly, there is the issue of church teaching. Declan Marmion adverts to this. Referring to the ITC document (2014) Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church, he quotes as follows in reference to situations where the majority of the faithful can be indifferent to or reject particular doctrines or moral teaching: ‘In some cases it may indicate that certain decisions have been taken by those in authority without due consideration of the experience and the sensus fidei of the faithful, or without sufficient consultation of the faithful by the magisterium’ (n. 123). Earlier he notes that while Francis has moved away from the policy of anathematizing the dissenter and has acknowledged how leadership has erred, official church teaching on homosexuality still borders on what Archbishop Weakland has called a ‘theology of contempt’ (p. 46).
The Synthesis document is most interesting on this topic. Francis himself, in his meeting with Portuguese Jesuits and his reply to the famous ‘dubia’ text, is clear that church teaching can, and does change (instancing slavery and the death penalty), and noting—despite his own adherence to current teaching—that the theological note of ‘definitive’ as applied to the teaching on the ordination of women is not yet fully developed and so leaves the matter open to further study.
Then, in the course of the Synod itself, Australian theologian Osmond Rush gave a very interesting input on the notion of Tradition, juxtaposing a static, legalistic, propositional and ahistorical notion with one which is dynamic, personalist, sacramental and rooted in history, ascribing the latter to the then Joseph Ratzinger’s reflections in the course of Vatican II.
Against this background, the Synthesis text makes some highly significant observations and proposals—that in the so-called hot button issues we need to ask if current anthropological categories used within the Church are adequate to fully understand the contemporary issues under discussion (15 g); there is need, therefore, for ongoing discussion between theology and the human sciences (Synthesis 9 j; 15 passim, especially b, c, g and k—to be set in motion before next Session of Assembly); there is also need, over the next year in particular, for a study to be made of certain church documents, including the two that Declan Marmion has drawn our attention to from the ITC (1 p—to be done before 2nd Session).
Two further observations here: first, one of these documents, the one on Sensus Fidei, has quite a developed protocol in place where there is dissonance between church teaching on non-dogmatic issues and the sense of faith of the faithful (which, it notes, may be discerned in synods, as well as elsewhere): this may involve clarification, reformulation or even revision of said teaching (nn. 80, 84). This is theological dynamite: it opens up considerable possibilities for doctrinal development, now on the agenda at the highest level. However, secondly, the Synthesis document itself tends to frame this issue under the rubric of a tension between love and truth, with some kind of resolution to be found in the concrete, pastoral application (Synthesis, 15 d, e, f, h; 16, l, p). This indeed is clearly the preferred approach of Pope Francis himself, as seen in particular in his new teaching on access to Eucharist for the divorced and remarried. But is there not also the possibility—as envisaged in the ITC document—that the ‘truth,’ in this case as expressed in current church teaching, needs revision? (See also Synthesis, 3 c and h.) It seems to me that the steps suggested in the Synthesis document have now mainlined this possibility and far from, as was first suggested, synodality having nothing to do with church teaching, it is now apparent that it is very much on its agenda. This ‘mainlining’ is illustrated in the observation of Christopher Lamb in The Tablet (4 November 2023) that the Synod has opened the door ‘to what could be a wide-ranging reimagining of Catholic teaching on sexuality’ (p. 4).
Thirdly, there is the issue of communal discernment as practised by the method of ‘conversation in the Spirit’ or ‘spiritual conversation.’ There is no doubt that this has been an enormous success, allowing conversation and dialogue to take place among participants with radical differences, respectful of the dignity and equality of all. Still, as becomes evident through a reading of Julia Knopp’s piece in particular, but with reference also to all theological practitioners, surely there must also be accommodation for attention to data, analysis, theory, argument—the normal cut and thrust of human debate and discussion, through which the search for truth is also conducted? It is true that the German way has sometimes been characterized as excessively rational, lacking the element of discernment, but does not the current seeming exclusive focus on ‘conversation in the Spirit’ not risk reducing discernment to an anti-intellectual exercise that is surely also not Catholic?
The Synthesis document, thankfully, tackles this issue: it refers to the ‘limitations’ of this methodology (2 d) and notes that there is a need to explore how the rational and the affective may be better integrated as we experiment with different models of discernment practice (2 g, h and i). Again, it may simply be a case of recognizing more explicitly that theology and reflective discourse in general have their necessary place, ensure that this becomes part of the process (as indeed happened during the Synod through various inputs from experts), and continue to privilege the ‘conversation in the Spirit’ methodology for the present. I think it is clear, though, from the Synthesis document that there is a more explicit invitation and call on theologians to get involved, both at local and international levels, and this is welcome.
This volume is a valuable resource for all those involved in this synodal journey, and a substantial contribution to the synodal pathway of the Catholic Church, and to our wider Christian fellowship, both here in Ireland and globally.