What to Expect at the Synod
A Shift in Focus, and Some New Faces
My impression is that there is significantly less anticipation of this year’s gathering of the Synod on Synodality, which starts with a two-day retreat on September 30 and begins in earnest on October 2, compared to last year’s. There have been fewer reports on the Synod in the Catholic press and less discussion on social media, whether from those enthusiastic about the synodal process or from its critics. Of course, the gathering is still a few days away and anything can happen before then—last year, only days before the Synod’s opening, a group of five cardinals made public a letter expressing doubts about a number of topics, including the notion of synodality itself and the blessing of same-sex unions, leading to a response from the Vatican—but for now the Synod is opening with less fanfare than last year.
One reason for this lower profile is that this year we know what to expect. Last year there was a certain novelty about the Synod and therefore a great deal of uncertainty about what the gathering would be like. Unlike previous Synods of Bishops, the process of deliberations was to be conversational. And for the first time, lay people would be not just participants but voting members of the Synod. Having seen last year’s assembly unfold, we now have a sense of what “conversation in the Spirit” looks like and we know what to expect in terms of the procedures for this year’s gathering.
Likewise, last year it seemed that the agenda for the gathering was wide open. Although it was reasonable to assume that the Synod would not make sweeping changes to Church teaching, the synodal process that took place in the two years prior to the assembly had raised a wide range of issues facing the Church, and there was a great deal of anticipation that the Synod would address at least some of these issues in new ways, with this expectation leading some to feel excitement and others anxiety about the Synod’s potential course. And indeed, the participants did discuss controverted issues like the Church’s welcoming of LGBTQ persons and women’s leadership in the Church, including the ordination of women to the diaconate, without reaching definite conclusions.
Since that first gathering, however, Pope Francis has assigned the two previously mentioned issues, among others, to study groups whose work will extend long after the second assembly has gone home (although they may report on their work to the assembly participants). This move has dampened enthusiasm for the Synod among those who were hoping for an opening to women deacons or for concrete steps toward a more welcoming Church for LGBTQ persons to emerge from the Synod; they see Francis’s move as punting on these issues. But the creation of the study groups also appears to have led to diminished interest in the Synod among its critics, as well, who now dismiss it as inconsequential.
All that being said, I think it would be a mistake to underestimate this second gathering of the Synod on Synodality. Even as certain significant topics have been taken off the table, as I noted here and especially here, the Instrumentum Laboris, or working document, which will provide the framework for the discussions of the Synod participants, includes some potentially explosive topics. If the Synod participants focus on these topics, their work could set in motion transformative and lasting changes in the life of the Church. Among these issues are:
Fleshing out the notion of co-responsibility, that is, emphasizing a greater role for the laity, and not just clergy and religious, in the ministries of the Church. Such a transition would benefit not just the laity, who could more actively live out their faith, but the clergy, as well, lightening the burdens placed on them by sharing responsibility with the laity, which would be particularly important given the diminishing proportion of priests in the Church.
The necessity of consulting with all the faithful as part of the process of Church decision-making. Although recognizing that the Church is not a democracy, the Instrumentum Laboris proposes that, at all levels of the Church, all the faithful should be consulted before someone in a leadership position takes action.
Developing structures of accountability for Church leaders as a permanent aspect of the life of the Church, and not just a response to crisis or scandal. For example, the Instrumentum Laboris suggests greater transparency when it comes to Church finances. One idea from the document I found particularly intriguing was the suggestion that there should be some form of process of evaluation or feedback for ministerial leaders.
Although these don’t necessarily fall into the category of “hot button” issues, these are topics that could lead to passionate discussions and, like I mentioned, profound changes in the Church, so it would be wise not to underestimate the potential newsworthiness of the upcoming Synod.
The second assembly of the Synod will follow a pattern similar to the first—the delegates will be divided into groups based on language for “conversations in the Spirit,” the topics of conversation will follow a fairly strict schedule dictated by the Instrumentum Laboris, etc.—but the Synod organizers did announce a few new elements on the schedule at a press conference earlier this month.
For one, this year the Synod will open with a penitential liturgy at St. Peter’s Basilica, led by Pope Francis, which will be held on the evening of October 1, immediately after the end of the two-day retreat for Synod participants. The focus of the penitential liturgy will be on what could be called social sins and the sins of the Church (or “sins within the Church,” according to Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod). According to Vatican News:
[S]ins against peace, creation, indigenous peoples, migrants, women, family, youth; the sin of using doctrine as a stone against others, sins against poverty and synodality (such as the failure to listen, or sins compromising communion or the participation of all) will be confessed.
One criticism of last year’s gathering that I heard in passing was that there was not sufficient attention given to sin and particularly to the need for repentance. Although the focus of this particular criticism was on the need to recognize and repent for personal sins rather than the more communal sins noted above, it is still significant that the Synod organizers have chosen to place a penitential element front and center at this year’s assembly.
This penitential liturgy will replace the ecumenical service that opened last year’s Synod and which preceded the retreat. Last year’s ecumenical service set the tone for the gathering and, not incidentally, created some of its most photo-worthy moments. It will be interesting to see how this year’s penitential liturgy shapes what follows. There will, however, be an ecumenical service later on, on October 11. In addition, the number of “fraternal delegates,” or representations of other Christian communions, is increasing from 12 to 16. These delegates represent a number of Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant communions. According to Catholic News Agency, the new fraternal delegates include representatives of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, the Lutheran World Federation, and the World Mennonite Conference.
The other innovation at this year’s assembly will be the hosting of four public fora on the theological themes being discussed by the Synod participants. Here are the topics and dates of the fora:
“The People of God, Subject of Mission” (Oct. 9)
“The Role and Authority of the Bishop in a Synodal Church” (Oct. 9)
“Mutual Relations between the Local and Universal Church” (Oct. 16)
“The Exercise of Primacy and the Synod of Bishops” (Oct. 16)
The fora will include presentations by theologians, canonists, and even bishops on the topic at hand, followed by discussion and questions. Interestingly, delegates and other participants of the Synod (such as theological experts) will be invited to attend the fora, as will journalists accredited to the Holy See. Members of the public can also attend, as space allows, but all participants will need to register ahead of time. The purpose of these events seems to be to give the public a taste of the sort of theological issues that are being discussed privately by the Synod participants, but does it also reflect a hint of a desire to get a bit of feedback from the broader public on those themes as the assembly is still ongoing?
In preparation for last year’s Synod, I published a series of articles highlighting many of the participants from around the world. This was a good opportunity to get to know several fascinating Catholics who are contributing to the Church and the world both pastorally and theologically. A list of these articles, as well as my commentaries on the documents produced during the continental phase of the synodal process, can be found here.
At the recent press conference, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the relator general for the Synod, noted that the Synod delegates remain mostly the same for this second session, with only 25 changes (And thank God! I didn’t have the energy to do a whole new series on Synod participants.). In many cases, these changes have involved replacing delegates who cannot attend for health reasons. From the United States, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore will replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who last year had served as an alternate when Lori, elected a delegate by the United States Conference of Catholic bishops, was unable to attend. Some of the replacements are a bit more noteworthy, however.
As noted by Luke Coppen at The Pillar, the entire delegation representing the Polish episcopal conference has been replaced and will now include: Archbishop Józef Górzyński of Warmia, Bishop Sławomir Oder of Gliwice, and Bishop Jacek Grzybowski, an auxiliary bishop of Warsaw-Praga. As Coppen notes, the three new delegates were elected by the Polish bishops’ conference, although the reason for the change is not clear. Potential reasons include the advanced age of two of last years’ delegates or a desire to replace delegates hostile to the synodal process with more amenable bishops; the reason given publicly by the Polish bishops was that it gave more bishops a chance to participate in the process.
Cardinal Béchara Boutros al-Rahi, O.M.M., the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, who resides in Bkerké, Lebanon, just north of Beirut, has been replaced by Paul Rouhana, O.L.M., the Auxiliary Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Joubbé, Sarba and Jounieh, also in Lebanon. Although this may simply be a matter of age and health—al-Rahi is 84—it could be because al-Rahi desired to be close to the people of Lebanon as violence intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah, including Israeli airstrikes on Beirut.
In January of this year, Raphael Thattil was elected the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly in India, making him the head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, replacing George Alencherry. As a result, Thattil likewise has replaced Alencherry as part of the delegation to the Synod representing the Syro-Malabar Church, although Alencherry remains a delegate, as well, specially invited by Pope Francis. Notably, Alencherry had resigned as Major Archbishop in December of last year in the midst of the ongoing dispute in the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly over the Syro-Malabar liturgy, which I’ve covered occasionally here at Window Light, as well as accusations over mishandling certain real estate transactions.
Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye, the Archbishop of Singapore, has been replaced by Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim of Kuala Lumpur, who since 2023 has served as the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. I can’t find any information on the reason for this switch. It’s noteworthy, though, because Cardinal Goh, who is 67, is considered by some to be a potential successor to Pope Francis, particularly if the cardinals decide the time is ripe for an Asian pope. Goh’s absence from the Synod deprives him of an opportunity to become better known to the global Church. Also, just this month Pope Francis spent three days in Singapore as part of his lengthy trip to southeast Asia and was received by Cardinal Goh, who has spoken warmly of the pope’s visit.
Two additions to the delegate list also stand out as interesting:
Pope Francis appointed Bishop Rolando Álvarez Lagos of Matagalpa, Nicaragua as a delegate to the Synod. In response to the harassment and persecution of the Catholic Church by the Nicaraguan government headed by Daniel Ortega, Bishop Álvarez has been an outspoken critic of the government, which led to six months of house arrest beginning in August 2023 and charges of conspiracy against the government, followed by his expulsion from Nicaragua in January of this year. Álvarez, along with Bishop Isidoro Mora Ortega of Siuna, 15 priests, and two seminarians fled to Vatican City.
Paul Simick, the Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, has been added as the second of two bishops from local churches that do not belong to an episcopal conference (most of the other bishops attending the Synod were elected by national or regional episcopal conferences). The other is Selim Sfeir, the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus, who attended last year’s gathering. Simick’s addition is interesting because Nepal’s population is 81 percent Hindu and 9 percent Buddhist, while just over 1 percent of the population are Christian. Like Synod participants Paolo Martinelli, O.F.M.Cap., the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C., the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, in Mongolia, Simick serves a tiny Catholic population in a region dominated by other religions (Islam on the Arabian Peninsula and Buddhism in Mongolia), making interreligious dialogue a crucial part of their mission. Unlike Martinelli and Marengo, both of whom are Italian, Simick is not European; he was born in West Bengal, India, less than 100 miles from the borders with Nepal, Bhutan, and China. Simick was also born into a Buddhist family, although his family converted to Catholicism while he was still a youth, an experience he believes gives him a distinct perspective on the importance of interreligious dialogue.
Since this is a theology newsletter, I want to close by pointing out that there have been several new theological experts, facilitators, and communicators appointed to participate in the Synod. The role of “communicator” seems to be new, and I haven’t seen any information on what exactly it entails; it seems obvious, however, that several of the additions to the participant list mentioned below are intended to fulfill this role. The new theological experts, facilitators, and communicators are, in alphabetical order:
Eugenia Álvarez: I am not sure if I have correctly identified her, but she appears to be a Venezuelan-born consecrated member of Regnum Christi, the lay movement associated with the Legionaries of Christ, currently living in Rome. In 2020, she was elected to the governing council of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. She has worked in youth ministry in Mexico and Chile and has degrees in spiritual theology.
Fr. Antonio Autiero: Autiero is an Italian-born moral theologian who served from 1991 to 2013 as a professor of moral theology at the University of Münster in Germany, where he also served as the Director of the university’s Seminar on Moral Theology. From 1997 to 2011, he likewise served as Director of the Research Centre for Religious Studies at the Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Trento, Italy. Some readers may know Autiero as a member of the Planning Committee for Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, a global network of Catholic moral theologians and ethicists; he hosted the group at their gathering in Trento in 2011.
Avril Baigent: Baigent is a doctoral student in theology at Durham University in the United Kingdom, and she is the Director of the School for Synodality, a project of the Catholic Diocese of Northampton to help parishes and dioceses in England and Wales more fully embody synodality.
Fr. Clemens Blattert, S.J.: Blattert is a German Jesuit who leads the office of vocations for the German bishops’ conference.
Kim Daniels: Daniels should be well known to many readers. Since 2021, she has been the Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, which fosters dialogue about faith and politics. From 2013 to 2014, she served as the spokesperson for then president of the USCCB Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and in 2016 was appointed to the Vatican’s Secretariat (now Dicastery) for Communication.
Fr. Miguel de Salis Amaral: Fr. Amaral is a Portuguese-born professor of theology at the Pontifical University Santa Croce in Rome. His theological work focuses on ecclesiology, and he has written several books on the Church, including one on Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium and one on sanctity in the Church.
Oscar Elizalde Prada: Elizalde is the director of the communications and marketing department of the Universidad de La Salle in Bogotá, Colombia, which is affiliated with the De La Salle Brothers. Beginning in 2021, he has served as a member of the Communications Commission of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
Sr. Anne Falola, O.L.A.: Falola is a religious sister from Nigeria who has worked in her home country as well as Argentina, and who currently serves as a General Councillor of the missionary sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, residing in Rome. She has been engaged in pastoral ministry and interreligious dialogue.
Fr. Konrad Grech, S.J.: Grech is the Spiritual Director at the Venerable English College, the seminary in Rome for seminarians from England and Wales studying at Roman universities. Fr. Grech also served as a professor of church history at the University of Malta before retiring in 2016.
Matthias Kopp: Kopp is the spokesperson for the German bishops’ conference.
Fr. Raymond Lafontaine: Lafontaine is the Episcopal Vicar for the English-Speaking Faithful and the Director of the Office for English Pastoral Services for the Archdiocese of Montreal in Canada. He also has a doctorate in moral theology, doing research on the development of the Church’s teaching on religious liberty, among other topics, and has taught at Concordia University in Montreal.
Fr. François Odinet: Odinet is an instructor in practical and pastoral theology at Facultés Loyola Paris, a research institute run by the Jesuits. Odinet’s theological work focuses on the role of the poor in Christian theology, including the book Maintenant, le Royaume: Hors des pauvres, pas de salut (Now the Kingdom: Outside the Poor, There is No Salvation).
Fr. Federico Rossi, C.PP.S.: Rossi is an Italian priest in the Missionaries of the Precious Blood order. Based on his Facebook profile, Rossi had received a doctorate in molecular biology prior to his ordination, but I couldn’t find information about his current roles.
Fr. Felix Wilfred: As some readers will know, Wilfred is an extremely accomplished theologian from India. He is currently the founding director of the Asian Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. For many years he served as a professor at the School of Philosophy and Religious Thought at the University of Madras, and later as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He served on the Vatican’s International Theological Commission from 1986 to 1992 and was formerly the President of the Board of Directors of Concilium: International Journal of Theology. In his numerous books and articles, Wilfred has promoted Asian contextual theology, or Asian public theology, incorporating aspects of liberation theology and the theology of religions.
I apologize if I have missed any participants.
Since this article is already quite lengthy, I will send a follow-up post soon with a round-up of commentary on recent Catholic news and updates on the newsletter.