Synod on Synodality World Tour: Asia and Oceania, Part I
Themes from the Continental Documents
This is the third in an occasional series exploring the contributions of different parts of the globe to the upcoming Synod on Synodality in October.
So far on this “world tour” in preparation for the Synod on Synodality in October, I have looked at the key themes in the continental document from Latin America and the Caribbean and the participants from Latin America and the Caribbean. In this post, we turn to two continents, Asia and Oceania, looking at the documents produced through the continental synod process. I will introduce the participants from Asia and Oceania in a later post.
The continental documents from Asia and Oceania were produced through a process quite different from that used in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the latter, over 400 delegates gathered in four separate regional meetings, where they produced four regional documents. These documents were then synthesized into the continental document by a small team under the auspices of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Conference (CELAM), with final revisions made by a gathering of the general secretaries of the various national bishops’ conferences. The Asian document, in contrast, was written by a drafting team of nine individuals, synthesizing the contributions from the various national bishops’ conferences. This draft was then presented to a group of eighty bishops, priests, religious, and lay people representing the different bishops’ conferences, who offered revisions to the document that were then finalized by the original drafting team. The Oceania document was produced through a somewhat similar process.
A note on definitions: During the synodal process, the continent of “Asia” has been defined as including the regions of Central Asia, South Asia (i.e., the “Indian subcontinent”), Southeast Asia, and East Asia, but not the Middle East, which is treated as a separate “continent.” This follows the structure of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), which includes the bishops’ conferences of the countries in those regions, and which organized the synodal process in Asia. As the Asian document notes, mainland China is currently not represented in the FABC given the political and ecclesial situation there (15). The Vatican, by contrast, confusingly included representatives from the Middle East in its list of Synod delegates from “Asia.” The continent of “Oceania” includes four ecclesial regions: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and the Pacific islands.
Both Asia and Oceania are home to Eastern Catholics. In Asia, there are two sui juris Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, both based primarily in India. In Oceania, Eastern Catholics are represented by five eparchies—Ukrainian, Melkite, Chaldean, Syro-Malabar and Maronite—all in Australia, but also include members of other churches without eparchies. In contrast to Asia, the members of these churches in Oceania are primarily immigrants, refugees, or the descendants of immigrants.
In my analysis, I noted that the Latin American and Caribbean document emphasizes the image of the Church as the People of God, an image rooted in the theology and ecclesial practice of Latin American over the past several decades and also closely linked to the notion of synodality. I thought it would be helpful to likewise frame my analysis of the Asian and Oceania documents by looking at the images of the Church they draw on to make sense of the experience of Catholics on those continents.
Although the Asian document does refer to the Church as the People of God (42, 74, 164), it also makes use of other images that communicate different aspects of the Church. Perhaps most noticeably, the document refers to the Church as “mother.” The image of the Church as “mother” (Mater Ecclesia) is quite traditional, originating in the early patristic period, and is mentioned in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium (6). The image has also been endorsed by Pope Francis, who notes that a mother gives life and helps her children grow. The Asian document, however, also suggests that the image has a particular Asian resonance and represents what synodality looks like in Asia: building “friendship with one another by listening to, respecting, and caring for each other” and setting “an example to bring peace and unity to the world.” (58). The image of mother is used particularly to emphasize issues of inclusivity in the Church.
The Asian document also refers to the Church as a “bridge-builder.” Pope Francis has emphasized the theme of building bridges throughout his pontificate (and indeed, the Latin word pontifex suggests a bridge-builder), often contrasting it with building walls, perhaps most thoroughly in his 2016 address to the Third World Meeting of Popular Movements. The Asian document notes that Pope Francis appealed to this image in his address to the FABC General Conference in 2022, stating that “the Church in dialogue is called to build bridges between cultures, religions and peoples” (14). Acutely aware of Christians’ minority status throughout much of Asia, the document appeals to the image of the Church as a bridge-builder primarily to emphasize its role in promoting interreligious dialogue and pursuing peace and reconciliation in the midst of conflict.
The Oceania document follows a different path, making extensive use of the image of a “tent” introduced in the Working Document for the Continental Stage (DCS, a document produced by a Vatican team to serve as a starting point for the continental dialogue process). The image of the Church as a tent is closely linked to that of the pilgrim People of God, since, as the DCS notes, it refers to “the tent of meeting, which accompanied the people [of Israel] on their journey through the desert” (27). The DCS likewise proposes the theme of “enlarge the space of your tent” (drawn from Is. 54:2) as an encapsulation of the synodal process.
The Oceania document notes that the image of the Church as a “tent” was received most enthusiastically in the synodal processes in Australia and New Zealand, where it was taken to represent a less institutional and more welcoming Church. Citing the national document from Australia, it states: “The tent is a much humbler building than great edifices, such as cathedrals, so enlarging space in the tent is a very good image to use” (39). In contrast, the image of “tent” did not resonate in the Pacific islands, where journeys take place over water and hence where the more powerful image is that of the Church as a boat (41), another image with patristic vintage that remains culturally relevant. The Oceania document also points out that many Eastern Catholics also did not associate with the “tent” image, noting that “tents are associated with impermanence, lack of safety, and even refugee camps, while they [i.e., many Eastern Catholics] seek safety and permanence in their new lives in Oceanic countries” (40). This is an understandable reaction, although it is also worth pointing out that the images of “tent” and “pilgrimage” are meant to communicate impermanence, that we have no lasting home here, but rather seek the Kingdom of God (see LG 48).
Earlier I noted that the image of the Church as “mother” in the Asian document is associated with synodality within the Church. In two places, the document claims that the Church in Asia has “a natural and organic inclination to authentic synodality” (46, 59) that is in the process of being realized. I think this is a helpful way to think about synodality: it is not some new thing being imposed on the Church, but rather, as Pope Francis stated in a 2015 address, “a constitutive element of the Church”; yet synodality is not fully realized in the Church, and therefore its realization will require new structures and attitudes in the Church, such that we can say, with the Asian document, “Standing together as a united Body of Christ calls for a new vision in the pastoral mission of a ‘new Church’, a synodal Church” (73). Like the Latin American and Caribbean document, the Asian document also notes that this “natural and organic inclination” has already been reflected in the life of the Church in Asia, such as through collaborative planning processes at the local level and the “walking together” represented by the FABC (46-47).
The Asian document links the image of “mother” with listening, respecting, and caring. These themes are reflected in the document’s discussions of leadership and co-responsibility in the Church. It notes that while the Church is made up of people from all states of life, there remains a “divide” within the Church, “between the clergy and laity, bishops and priests/religious congregations, ecclesial groups and movements, dioceses, and conferences . . .” (86). It proposes a “servant model of leadership” (87) and “co-responsibility of all in the life and mission of the Church” (89) as antidotes to this division.
Like the regional documents from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Asian document points to clericalism as a factor contributing to division and the lack of co-responsibility, defining it as “the lack of consultation in administrative matters, domineering attitudes and sense of entitlement shown by those in authority especially priests, overextension of power on the people, etc.” (113). It notes, however, that “authoritative and domineering styles of leadership” can be found among the laity, as well (91). Although clericalism is a universal problem, the document adds that there is also a particular Asian context: in many Asian cultures, respect for leaders is treated as an “inherent value,” leading to overly deferential attitudes (92).
The document goes on to say that this style of leadership can contribute to a “lack of accountability and transparency in decision-making and financial matters” (91). These problems, along with others like the sexual abuse crisis, have contributed to a “crisis of credibility in the Church” (63). The Asian document therefore recommends that bishops, priests, and religious should receive formation in “synodal leadership styles” (167) and lay people should be formed to be more active in living out their baptismal call (168).
The Oceania document expresses similar concerns about clericalism and leadership styles. It notes that clericalism impedes the laity “in the exercise of their gifts” (74). Like the Asian document, it recognizes that authoritarian attitudes can be found among the laity as well as the clergy (77), and therefore the solution is not to simply replace clerical leaders with lay people: “Leadership in a synodal Church must be re-thought, lest the current problems with clerical power and authority are simply transferred to lay people who are participating in shared decision-making” (70). Also like the Asian document, it appeals to the ideal of “servant leadership” as what is needed and what “people yearn for” (77).
The image of “mother” is also used to express the need for the inclusion of different types of people within the Church: “[T]he Church as a ‘mother’ needs to extend her loving embrace around the youth and reach out to those who are lost, confused, and have disconnected themselves from the Church” (99).
As that passage suggests, the Asian document gives a great deal of attention to youth. It notes the irony that although the Asian population is relatively young—about 65 percent of the population are youth—young people “are relatively absent in the life of the Church” in Asia (98). The Oceania document develops this theme further, appealing to the image of the “tent”:
Our baptised young people are in the tent, but many are not participants in the life of the tent community. Reasons given for this vary. Some young people feel they are inside the tent, but invisible and ignored. Others feel unable to participate due to a fear of being judged or not fitting in. Their local parish can appear to be “owned” by older people, with power being exercised in ways that make young people feel that it is not a place for them. (104)
The Asian document notes that youth are “tech-savvy,” and the Church needs to provide “greater investment in the fields of media and social communications to be able to reach out to them for evangelization and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ” (100). It also recognizes, however, the negative impact that social media and digital technology can have on young people (102), suggesting that the Church can be a place of real, rather than virtual, encounter.
I think the Oceania document also helpfully points out the risks of the Church trying too hard to be “relevant” to young people. What young people desire is a profound experience of faith and accompaniment on their faith journey (100). It also notes that sometimes young people find the jargon used by the Church, including in the synodal process itself, alienating or even incomprehensible (109; it gives the examples of “dialogical sharing,” “fraternal conviviality,” and the “generative tension” of the Eucharist as examples form the DCS).
Both documents also call for greater participation and leadership on the part of women. The Asian document, for example, notes that while in many places women engage in greater participation in the everyday life of the Church, “there is a lack of the presence of women in leadership roles. In some societies, their voices are hardly heard” (95). It adds that this institutional problem is reinforced by “the traditional patriarchal structures of Asian societies” (96), although recognizing that in some countries women do take on certain leadership roles (97). In practical terms, the document states, “There is a need in the Church for a renewal of governance structures that will allow the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of the Church” (66).
The Oceania document also suggests “using the gifts and experience of women in discerning and providing advice, guidance and challenge in decision-making beyond the managerial and parish roles many women occupy” (102, citing the New Zealand national document). It adds that at least some participants in the synodal process expressed a desire for women to be ordained to the permanent diaconate (99).
In a striking use of the “mother” image, the Asian document states:
Like a mother in a poor Asian family with many children who struggle and at times not adequately cared for, the Church in Asia also struggles and painfully embraces a great number of poor and marginalised people who need special accompaniment in this process of synodality. (103)
It goes on to say, “The Church must strive to find ways to incorporate the poor into her life and mission” (107) and likewise, “The Church must also be the voice of the poor” (108). It recognizes, however, that the Church has not always lived up to this ideal, and it identifies several populations that must be better served by the Church:
Various are the faces of the poor in Asia: the materially poor such as the minority ethnics, the migrant workers, urban slum dwellers, fleeing refugees, etc.; the socially poor, those often neglected by the Church and society, such as the uneducated, the indifferent youth, the persons with disabilities, persons deprived of liberty, those from lower castes, divorced and remarried, single mothers, elderly and infirmed, HIV positive persons, substance dependents, persons who identify as LGBTQIA+, etc. (104)
The Oceania document addresses conflicting perspectives on the inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics more openly than any of the synodal documents I have read so far. It notes that participants in some regions, like the Pacific islands, called for “a space for ministry, for participation, and involvement in the life of the Church” for LGBTQ persons (62, citing the Pacific islands synthesis), while others, particularly Papua New Guinea, expressed reservations (54).
While the image of the Church as “mother” expresses synodality within the Church (ad intra), the image of “bridge-builder” expresses synodality in the outward mission of the Church (ad extra). Throughout much of Asia (with the exception of the Philippines), Catholics are a small minority of the population—the Asian document states that they make up 3.31 percent of the population. Perhaps for this reason, the document adds, the Church in Asia has tended to be too “inward-looking,” and needs to “cast its nets further and wider” (80).
One way the Church builds bridges is through promoting unity through diversity. Asia is “blessed with diverse cultures, religions, languages, and ethnicities” (1), and this diversity requires the Church to develop “the courage to ‘walk together’” (51). The Asian document calls for greater inculturation of the liturgy to promote the better “integration of culture in the life and worship of the Church” (118, 177). It also notes that the faith of Asians is often expressed through popular devotions (117), although it adds that “in some places, Catholics were more engaged in popular devotions rather than reflecting on the word of God, spiritual discernment, or personal prayer” (119).
The Oceania document goes into even greater depth on the theme of inculturation, celebrating the ways that liturgy, prayer, and theology are being inculturated in the Pacific islands and among the indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zealand (93-95). It also notes, however, that there are sometimes tensions between traditional worldviews and Catholicism (96) and conflicts between Catholic teaching and certain traditional practices, such as sorcery and polygamous marriages (97).
The Asian document explains, however, that cultural diversity can also be an obstacle to synodality. For example, it notes that language barriers and a lack of translations of the DCS into local languages were challenges in the synodal process (39, 41). The Oceania document likewise laments the gaps that sometimes exist between ethnic groups within the Church, or between residents of different islands (45). As with the Caribbean regional document, the Oceania document also describes how geography proved an obstacle to the process, whether through the distance between islands or the physical isolation of parts of Australia (125).
Because of the religious diversity in Asia, interreligious dialogue is a necessary part of the Church’s life: “In a continent as diverse as Asia, interreligious dialogue remains an integral characteristic of the Church in Asia” (130). Across Asia, Christians’ neighbors include Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and practitioners of traditional Chinese and Japanese religions, among others. The document notes that interfaith families are increasingly common (126), and “can be the first school of interreligious dialogue” (143).
That being said, the Asian document laments the increasing religious intolerance and fundamentalism on the continent. It points to “growing religious conflicts and even persecution (subtle and direct) in some areas” and the increasing “politicisation of religions” as dangerous trends (109). In a poignant passage, it states:
The Churches in Asia are always having to walk this tightrope of balancing between being faithful to the Gospel and yet not putting the Christians in a position of being threatened. (110)
The Asian document also points out that, in many countries (although none are named specifically), Christians live under oppressive governments that seek to silence the Church, “to an extent that it has not been possible for the Church to play its prophetic role” (72). In places where these oppressive regimes have contributed to internal conflicts, the document calls on the Church to be a “bridge-builder” by working for peace and reconciliation (153-54).
Before concluding, it is worth adding that the Oceania document puts a great deal of emphasis on the impact of the ecological crisis on the Church:
From the Torres Strait Islands of Australia to the Solomon Islands, and the small island states of Micronesia and Polynesia, the ecological crisis and rising sea levels are a real and present existential threat. (89)
It adds that the Church has clear and bold teachings on integral ecology, but it needs better formation and greater encouragement for members to put those teachings into action (90). In the document, the Church in Oceania sends out a call to the global Church:
The ecological crisis must be understood as a mission field in which the whole Church, globally and locally, must be engaged. (92)
The continental documents from Asia and Oceania are noteworthy for the way they take images of the Church—some traditional, like “mother” or “tent,” others, like “bridge-builder,” more recent—and adapt them to the realities of their regions. The images provide a helpful framework for discussing the challenges facing the Church and the paths that need to be taken for the Church to fully realize synodality. Given its resonance with Pope Francis’s teaching over the years, the image of the Church as a bridge-builder developed in the Asian document may end up having particular influence in the discussions at the upcoming Synod in October.
Of Interest…
Later this week, I am interviewing Dr. Hosffman Ospino from Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, speaking to him about his recent research on Hispanic Catholic youth, as well as his vocation as both a theologian and a sociologist. The timing could not be better. Last month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) introduced a new National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry meant to strengthen Hispanic ministries across the country and to form new Hispanic Catholic leaders. Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, Assistant Director of Hispanic Affairs for the USCCB, provides an overview of the plan at America. The plan will need to be implemented by dioceses to have any effect, however. As Dr. Ospino’s prior research suggests, the bishops’ earlier plan from 1987 (which was in many ways excellent) was implemented unevenly. In addition, as J.D. Long-García notes, also at America, Latinos are leaving the Catholic Church at an alarming rate. Although they leave for a variety of reasons, Long-García explains that the overarching reason is a lack of feeling at home in the Church and of meaningful participation—problems a more synodal church could better address.
As I noted above, the Church’s outreach to young people is one of the main themes of the October Synod. World Youth Day (WYD) is also coming up, August 1-6, in Fatima, Portugal, and Pope Francis is set to attend, along with about 400,000 young people. Brian Fraga and Christopher White at the National Catholic Reporter have a detailed write-up of what is expected during the week. The preparations for WYD have already occasioned a somewhat silly debate over interreligious dialogue. If anything interesting happens at WYD, I may write up an analysis.
Coming Soon…
The Synod on Synodality continues with a look at the Synod participants from Asia and Oceania, probably later this week. Next, I will look at the continental document and the participants from the Middle East!
As I mentioned in the Of Interest section, I am interviewing Dr. Hosffman Ospino later this week on his recent research on Latino/a youth. The interview will appear in Window Light either late this month or early in August, depending on how quickly I can get it transcribed.
I am also continuing to work on round-ups focusing on two topics: 1) what to do when an influential figure like a theologian or artist has committed serious abuses or crimes; and 2) tips for scholarly writers to improve their chances of being published in an academic journal. Hopefully I can get these together some time in August.