The Final Report: “For a Synodal Church”
. . . a recap, an invitation and a sending forth
“For a Synodal Church” begins with a recap of the process. The synodal journey is made up of three phases – Consultation, Discernment and Implementation.
(Note: The numbers included in my reflection below tie to the paragraph number in the Final Report: For a Synodal Church - Communion, Participation and Mission.)
Consultation From 2021 – 2022 the people of God gathered in parishes and dioceses all over the world to try to learn this new skill of “synodality.” Sometimes awkwardly and often hesitantly, we gathered in faith to be recalled to our mission – to preach the gospel and live it! We were asked to reflect, not only on how our Faith inspires us and consoles us, but also how it disappoints and hurts us; to listen to the Holy Spirit and to each other; to contribute our charisms and gifts; and to renew our commitment to loving God and each other better going forward.
Discernment In October 2023, and again in October 2024, a group of 360+ bishops and lay people - both women and men - gathered as brothers and sisters to reflect on what rose up from the global Church during the Consultation Phase of the Synod - our joys and sorrows, and our longings to be a better, more faithful Church. Again, listening to each other and to the Holy Spirit the members of the Synod Assembly discerned a path forward. A path of renewal and revitalization for the Church that would call for the involvement of all the baptized. A journey that will challenge us, ask us to persist in the face of fatigue, fear of change, and resistance. A journey that will ask us to surrender some of our ideas and preferences, and truly listen. (6)
The guidebook for that path is contained in this final document: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission. All the baptized are called and challenged, without exception, to be agents of the Gospel. (4) With that document in hand, we move into the third phase of the Synod on Synodality – Implementation.
The Final Report is made up of five parts:
Again, the Synod Assembly calls us to reflect upon the events surrounding the Resurrection in John’s Gospel. This time our attention is drawn to the gathering on the shore just prior to Jesus’s Ascension. Jesus re-calls his followers, and then feeds, consoles, and sends them forth. In Synodality, we answer that call anew.
Section 1: The Heart of Synodality – the spiritual and theological foundation of Synodality, and its prophetic perspective.
Section 2: “On the Boat Together” – a reference to the disciples being on a Mission together; This part of the document calls for the conversion of relationships that make up the vocations, charisms and ministries of a growing, missional Church.
Section 3: “Cast the Net” - a reference to the way the disciples must work together to accomplish their task; This part of the document calls for a renewal of Church discernment and decision-making processes, processes that must be committed to transparency and accountability.
Section 4: “An Abundant Catch” – a reference to the variety and volume of the catch; This part of the document urges us to maintain unity, but not necessarily uniformity, in times when the particularity of places is constantly and profoundly changing;
Section 5: “So, I Send You” – a reference to the inclusiveness and co-responsibility of the baptized; This is the conclusion to the document and addresses the formation of all the People of God as synodal missionaries.
Concrete steps suggested in this section:
The local Churches are asked to continue their daily journey with a synodal methodology of consultation and discernment, identifying concrete ways and formation pathways to bring about a tangible synodal conversion in the various ecclesial (church) contexts - parishes, dioceses, etc. (9)
The Report asks the Bishops Conferences to allocate personnel and resources to accompany the pathway of growth as a synodal church in mission.(9)
It also tasks the General Secretariat of the Synod to support and encourage this journey around the world and evaluate its progress. (9)
Holy Spirit, you are gift and guide to the Church. Show us the way forward. With the release of this document, the Synod Assembly confirms “synodality” as the path forward for the Church. This Report, blessed and confirmed by the Pope and entrusted to the bishops, is supported by our hope in God … a mission to be carried out by all of the baptized to the ends of the earth.(12) Help me to make the Synod Assembly’s prayer my own. AMEN