Celebrating and sharing good practice in a synodal Church
Mariusz Cieszewski
The development of the process of synodality is part of the legacy of Pope Francis and represents the most tangible point of continuity with the papacy of Leo XIV.
Because it is a process – a way of being Church, of rediscovering our ecclesial roots – it is more intangible, less visible. We are encouraged to see synodality as a means of travelling together. Yet we have tended to measure our travelling more by the destination reached than the means of travel. We have a tendency to value attainment more than the effort made or lessons learnt en route. Synodality needs us to value the journey at least as much as the destination.
As we reach a point midway between the end of Synod 2024 and the start of a new round of Continental Assemblies in 2027 it would be good to reflect on lessons learnt, on obstacles overcome and on stages reached. It would be helpful to assess the quality of the fruits of the Synod, to measure some of the distance travelled and the benefits derived, at least for the local Church. If we have journeyed so far, we need to reflect on what we have learnt, how much closer we have got to being the Church that Christ would recognise.
These were the motives for bringing together the examples of progress in our synodal journey. The Steering Group of the International Church Reform Network (ICRN) collaborating with our partners in CCRI, and with the support of We Are Church International and Spirit Unbounded, set out to uncover examples of progress and good practice from different Continental Assembly areas. We developed the title “Celebrating and Sharing Good Practice in a Synodal Church” to emphasise the importance both of recognition and emulation. These examples serve as way- markers on our journey, setting out measures of distance travelled and obstacles overcome.
The very nature of these Continental Assembly areas is a mark of synodality at work. They represent an explicit acceptance of the cultural and historical factors that shape, not the dogmas of the Church, but the living out of the Faith in a geopolitical context. They allow for some reflection on the how of living the Faith rather than the what. As such they represent a valuable depository of good practice from which other areas of the Universal Church could and should learn. It is the tangible sign of the Church’s search for a model of inculturation; a model that is compatible with the tensions of respect for local culture within a Church that proclaims its universality.
The examples that are to be set out in a series of presentations from mid-November to early December have been selected primarily because they have intrinsic value for the Church as a whole. While each is a response to a particular need within a local church or across a region, each has the capacity to be adopted and shaped across other parts of the world.
In the Final Document of Synod 2024, there was a clear call for formation for the synodal process: “No one can progress along the path of authentic spirituality alone; we need support, including formation and spiritual accompaniment, both as individuals and as a community.”
The synodal Church is a listening Church, a missional Church and we, clergy, religious and laity, need to develop our understanding of and capacity for synodality. We will learn these lessons by practising the appropriate skills and attitudes and by the imitation of those activities that make us receptive and responsive.
The Steering Group was committed to discovering examples of good practice in all parts of the Universal Church. From Latin America and the Caribbean to Oceania, from Europe to Asia and from Africa and Madagascar to North America, we found material that can help to shape the synodal Church for the future. Many of the examples reflect the priorities identified in the Continental Assemblies themselves, testimony itself to the power of the synodal process.
In the Final Document of the 2024 Synod there were several references made to the work of small Christian communities. From Eastern Africa and from India we will hear of the strength of such groups and their capacity to animate the faith. The challenge of synodality is evident in the ways in which clergy and laity cooperate, their capacity to listen and be responsive. The School for Synodality in the UK and the Diocese of Augsburg in Germany will explore the need for parish pastoral councils to operate differently and for clergy to lead the way in becoming a participative and missional Church. From the Archdiocese of Brisbane, we will have the chance to hear of the promulgation of their synodal plans and the ways in which this will shape their work in the future. The series will hear from Rafael Luciani who will bring his perspective on the work of CELAM (Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño) as it moves to develop the synodal process across Latin America and the Caribbean. The work of Bukal Ng Tipan in supporting the development of synodality in the Philippines will represent the Church in Asia.
If synodality is a process, and it is, then, by definition it is a continuum – a ceaseless searching to be the Church reflective of the Council of Jerusalem of 50 CE. The examples that will be presented are just that – examples. Their existence is testimony to a Church that has been challenged to be listening, to be responsive, to be missional and which has risen to the challenge. They will not be unique but potent models from which we all can learn. Their capacity to inspire will be the measure of their value, not just in their own local church but across the world.
Frank Callus is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of ACTA and a member of the Steering Group of the International Church Reform Network (ICRN).
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