15 August 2019, The Tablet
Make room for the God of surprises
October’s Synod in Rome
is coming under fire from critics of the Pope, including prominent
cardinals. A senior figure in its planning presents the framework of
spiritual discernment in which the synodal process should be understood
It seems natural to me – and even desirable – that we should hear a variety of voices (including dissenting ones) in the Amazon Synod process. This reflects the abundant richness of the Church. In any synod journey, if we are talking about remaining faithful to its essential purpose of spiritual discernment, all well-intentioned voices are welcomed.
One of the defining features of the Amazon Synod is that it acts from the periphery towards the centre. Here, perhaps, lies the explanation for the disquiet over the synod in certain sectors within the Church – and beyond. As so often happens in the Gospel of Jesus, it is a voice from the margins that is patiently calling to the centre in a shared quest for purity of heart. And this can challenge settled positions and comfortable assumptions.
In this synod process, which will reach a climax in three weeks of discussion in Rome this October, it is the Amazon region – indeed, the South American Church as a whole, with its richly distinctive approaches to materialism, individualism, technocracy and the “throwaway culture” – that will be speaking to the Church, calling it to conversion.
This is not a process in which the periphery seeks to usurp the role and place of the centre. That would be totally undesirable. The periphery brings with it no more and no less than what it is and what it has. But at this present moment it is perhaps the peripheries, the neglected corners and some of the forgotten peoples of the world, that might best shed a light on the way forward, not only for the Church but also for society as a whole.
What will authentic spiritual discernment look like? The Pope and the bishops are joined together in the same way as, in the Gospel, Peter and the other apostles constituted one apostolic college. This is, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, “the very ancient practice whereby bishops duly established in all parts of the world were in communion with one another and with the Bishop of Rome in a bond of unity, charity and peace” (Lumen Gentium, 22).
We should not be worried by differences of opinion about the
forthcoming synod: that is natural and, indeed, positive. But every
contribution should be marked by the three elements beautifully
expressed by the council fathers – unity, charity and peace.
Spiritual discernment is the pathway for finding and following the will of God. I am constantly learning from my own experience of accompaniment in the tradition of Ignatius of Loyola. It is a question of discerning what is good spiritually, what leads to a greater abundance, a greater sense of life, greater interior peace and communion. What is of God and what constitutes a “spiritual consolation” (Spiritual Exercises, 316) is character- ised by a bolstering of hope, faith and charity; and by interior joy and happiness.
This contrasts with what is not of God and which expresses “spiritual desolation”: darkness of the soul, turbulence and anxiety, a lack of trust and a loss of direction and purpose. In commenting on the synod, it can be easy to fall into the trap of being distracted by strident positions that do not enrich and further the process of discernment.
There is a danger, too, in trying to “bind” the Holy Spirit, so that
before discernment at the gathering in October even begins, critics seek
deliberately to stifle discussion by imposing limitations, barriers and
restrictions. The preparatory document for the synod (Lineamenta) and
the working document (Instrumentum Laboris) are part of a process, not
final documents, set in stone. They are means, not ends. They are, in a
way, like the grain of wheat that has to die before it can bear fruit.
They have emerged from a long process of discernment among the faithful
of the Amazon that has seen very wide participation.
Instrumentum Laboris is the result of an intense process. It has been much prayed over, with collegiality as its foundation stone. It has come out of an extensive consultation (perhaps unprecedented in the recent history of the Church). It is the result of reflection, debate and approval by a pre-synod council put in place by Pope Francis. Participating in it were representative bishops from the Amazon region; bishops and representatives of specialised agencies who have accompanied the mission of the Church in this region; and bishops who brought to bear relevant experience from other realities outside the Amazon area.
There was also Pope Francis himself, who presided over it, and the support of the permanent secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. It is crucial both to value this expression of collegiality and to recognise its richness. In the questioning that will inevitably arise, the sense of collegiality that is inherent in the whole manner of being ecclesial – of “being Church” – should be honoured.
The invitation to the whole Church now is to show respect and humility and to open our ears and hearts in order to see what God could be saying through the people of the Amazon, for the good of all the Church. About 87,000 people participated in the “listening” exercise that was part of the formal consultation process for the synod, facilitated by the Pan-Amazon Church Network (Repam). Of these, 22,000 participated in assemblies, forums and caucuses, and at least another 65,000 in the preparatory processes in the nine countries of the Panamazonía: parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Surinam. Ninety per cent of the bishops of the region or their vicars attended. And in some cases, the episcopal conferences themselves carried out their own consultation processes.
The reflection within Instrumentum Laboris calls for a serious and profound reading on our part. We have to discern with courage, energy, and interior freedom that to which God calls us in this present situation – one that we recognise as a true kairos moment. We should let go of a suspicious frame of mind that could prevent the Spirit expressing itself to us as a breath of fresh air.
It is vital to remember that, like every synod, the special Amazon Synod acts as an accompaniment to the Pope in his service to the Church. A crucial factor if it is to bear good fruit is that those involved in the process have a genuine disposition to seek communion. Again, these familiar words from the Second Vatican Council are worth bearing in mind: “The college or body of bishops has no authority unless it is understood together with the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, as its head. The Pope’s power of primacy over all, both pastors and faithful, remains whole and intact. In virtue of his office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has full, supreme and universal power over the Church. And he is always free to exercise this power” (Lumen Gentium, 22).
What seems to underlie many of the concerns about Instrumentum Laboris expressed by its critics is the apparent tension between some elements of Church teaching and discipline and the sense of faith of the people of God, the sensus fidei. The Vatican Council teaches “that the holy people of God shares also in Christ’s prophetic office; it spreads abroad a living witness to God, especially by means of a life of faith and charity and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the tribute of lips which give praise to God’s name”.
“The entire body of the faithful, anointed as they are by the Holy One, cannot err in matters of belief. They manifest this special property by means of the whole peoples’ supernatural discernment in matters of faith when ‘from the bishops down to the last of the lay faithful’ they show universal agreement in matters of faith and morals.” This point is reasserted by Pope Francis in his apostolic constitution on the structure of the synod, Episcopalis Communio.
The council also affirms that the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies and directs the People of God in sacraments and ministries, but also “distributes special graces among any of the faithful regardless of social position, passing on to each one according to what he or she needs or wants”. In a carefully nurtured discernment, one side never seeks to triumph over the other. There are no opposing sides, because it is a process of seeking what leads towards the realisation of God’s plan for creation. This is the great danger with extremist positions or with those who seek simply to dismiss or discredit the other side. Neither allow for dialogue or for space for “the God of Surprises” to act.
We must walk without fear of the new, respecting our sources and roots, so that the presence of God in the world, in its peoples and in the Amazon, grows stronger, and the mission of the Church is strengthened.
Mauricio López Oropeza is Executive Secretary of the Pan-Amazon
Church Network (Repam). The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for
the Pan-Amazonian Region takes place on 6-27 October on the theme
“Amazonia: new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology”.
It seems natural to me – and even desirable – that we should hear a variety of voices (including dissenting ones) in the Amazon Synod process. This reflects the abundant richness of the Church. In any synod journey, if we are talking about remaining faithful to its essential purpose of spiritual discernment, all well-intentioned voices are welcomed.
One of the defining features of the Amazon Synod is that it acts from the periphery towards the centre. Here, perhaps, lies the explanation for the disquiet over the synod in certain sectors within the Church – and beyond. As so often happens in the Gospel of Jesus, it is a voice from the margins that is patiently calling to the centre in a shared quest for purity of heart. And this can challenge settled positions and comfortable assumptions.
In this synod process, which will reach a climax in three weeks of discussion in Rome this October, it is the Amazon region – indeed, the South American Church as a whole, with its richly distinctive approaches to materialism, individualism, technocracy and the “throwaway culture” – that will be speaking to the Church, calling it to conversion.
This is not a process in which the periphery seeks to usurp the role and place of the centre. That would be totally undesirable. The periphery brings with it no more and no less than what it is and what it has. But at this present moment it is perhaps the peripheries, the neglected corners and some of the forgotten peoples of the world, that might best shed a light on the way forward, not only for the Church but also for society as a whole.
What will authentic spiritual discernment look like? The Pope and the bishops are joined together in the same way as, in the Gospel, Peter and the other apostles constituted one apostolic college. This is, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, “the very ancient practice whereby bishops duly established in all parts of the world were in communion with one another and with the Bishop of Rome in a bond of unity, charity and peace” (Lumen Gentium, 22).
Spiritual discernment is the pathway for finding and following the will of God. I am constantly learning from my own experience of accompaniment in the tradition of Ignatius of Loyola. It is a question of discerning what is good spiritually, what leads to a greater abundance, a greater sense of life, greater interior peace and communion. What is of God and what constitutes a “spiritual consolation” (Spiritual Exercises, 316) is character- ised by a bolstering of hope, faith and charity; and by interior joy and happiness.
This contrasts with what is not of God and which expresses “spiritual desolation”: darkness of the soul, turbulence and anxiety, a lack of trust and a loss of direction and purpose. In commenting on the synod, it can be easy to fall into the trap of being distracted by strident positions that do not enrich and further the process of discernment.
Instrumentum Laboris is the result of an intense process. It has been much prayed over, with collegiality as its foundation stone. It has come out of an extensive consultation (perhaps unprecedented in the recent history of the Church). It is the result of reflection, debate and approval by a pre-synod council put in place by Pope Francis. Participating in it were representative bishops from the Amazon region; bishops and representatives of specialised agencies who have accompanied the mission of the Church in this region; and bishops who brought to bear relevant experience from other realities outside the Amazon area.
There was also Pope Francis himself, who presided over it, and the support of the permanent secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. It is crucial both to value this expression of collegiality and to recognise its richness. In the questioning that will inevitably arise, the sense of collegiality that is inherent in the whole manner of being ecclesial – of “being Church” – should be honoured.
The invitation to the whole Church now is to show respect and humility and to open our ears and hearts in order to see what God could be saying through the people of the Amazon, for the good of all the Church. About 87,000 people participated in the “listening” exercise that was part of the formal consultation process for the synod, facilitated by the Pan-Amazon Church Network (Repam). Of these, 22,000 participated in assemblies, forums and caucuses, and at least another 65,000 in the preparatory processes in the nine countries of the Panamazonía: parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Surinam. Ninety per cent of the bishops of the region or their vicars attended. And in some cases, the episcopal conferences themselves carried out their own consultation processes.
The reflection within Instrumentum Laboris calls for a serious and profound reading on our part. We have to discern with courage, energy, and interior freedom that to which God calls us in this present situation – one that we recognise as a true kairos moment. We should let go of a suspicious frame of mind that could prevent the Spirit expressing itself to us as a breath of fresh air.
It is vital to remember that, like every synod, the special Amazon Synod acts as an accompaniment to the Pope in his service to the Church. A crucial factor if it is to bear good fruit is that those involved in the process have a genuine disposition to seek communion. Again, these familiar words from the Second Vatican Council are worth bearing in mind: “The college or body of bishops has no authority unless it is understood together with the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, as its head. The Pope’s power of primacy over all, both pastors and faithful, remains whole and intact. In virtue of his office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has full, supreme and universal power over the Church. And he is always free to exercise this power” (Lumen Gentium, 22).
What seems to underlie many of the concerns about Instrumentum Laboris expressed by its critics is the apparent tension between some elements of Church teaching and discipline and the sense of faith of the people of God, the sensus fidei. The Vatican Council teaches “that the holy people of God shares also in Christ’s prophetic office; it spreads abroad a living witness to God, especially by means of a life of faith and charity and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the tribute of lips which give praise to God’s name”.
“The entire body of the faithful, anointed as they are by the Holy One, cannot err in matters of belief. They manifest this special property by means of the whole peoples’ supernatural discernment in matters of faith when ‘from the bishops down to the last of the lay faithful’ they show universal agreement in matters of faith and morals.” This point is reasserted by Pope Francis in his apostolic constitution on the structure of the synod, Episcopalis Communio.
The council also affirms that the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies and directs the People of God in sacraments and ministries, but also “distributes special graces among any of the faithful regardless of social position, passing on to each one according to what he or she needs or wants”. In a carefully nurtured discernment, one side never seeks to triumph over the other. There are no opposing sides, because it is a process of seeking what leads towards the realisation of God’s plan for creation. This is the great danger with extremist positions or with those who seek simply to dismiss or discredit the other side. Neither allow for dialogue or for space for “the God of Surprises” to act.
We must walk without fear of the new, respecting our sources and roots, so that the presence of God in the world, in its peoples and in the Amazon, grows stronger, and the mission of the Church is strengthened.
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