Editorial – Catholics For Renewal

November 28 – 2024

IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH GETTING BACK ON MISSION?

Pope Francis has now approved the content of Final Document of the Synod on Synodality as part of the ordinary Magisterium of the Catholic Church:[1] ‘I want to recognize the value of the completed synodal journey, which through this document I hand over to the holy faithful people of God. What we have approved is enough. There are very concrete indications in the document that can be a guide for the mission of the Churches, on the different continents, in the different contexts.’[2]

Given the ambivalence of some Australian bishops towards synodality in both our Plenary Council and the Synod on Synodality, we harbour some doubts that these ‘very concrete indications’ will be enough to guide the Catholic Church back on mission. Without challenging the hierarchical structure of the church, the Synod insisted on recognition that this structure entrusts that mission to all the baptised. Acceptance that the hierarchy must work together with the laity in fulfilling that mission requires a conversion from pre-Vatican II ways of understanding these roles. Here we attempt an evaluation of progress in that process during our period of existence.

Catholics for Renewal – a Voice for renewal

Catholics for Renewal owes its origins to the perception in 2011 by a small group of Catholics of a gap between Vatican II’s vision of the Catholic faith and its implementation in the life of the church. This little group of women and men, lay people and clergy, quickly discerned that mere lip-service was being paid to the Council’s definition of the church as the People of God – all the baptised filled with the Spirit, and laity co-responsible with the hierarchy for all aspects of mission: ministry, governance and interpretation of the faith in light of the signs of the times.

In practice, the hierarchy dominated at all levels, priests ruled the parishes, the laity struggled to gain their proper autonomy, women endured patriarchalism, homosexuals were deemed ‘objectively disordered’, and children suffered sexual abuse by clergy.

Through various forms of communication[3] this group undertook an advocacy role on such issues in both church and secular forums and provided education and information on them for a wider readership. Some accounting for its performance of that role is now warranted.

Catholics for Renewal’s advocacy issues

The Catholic hierarchy has long seen priests as ‘ontologically changed’ by ordination. Admission of women or married men to ordination – and even formal recognition of other ministries – appears as a threat to the priestly caste. Getting the issue of female deacons on to the Synod table may therefore count as a limited success. But their admission to Orders at all may depend on the demise of this archaic conception of priesthood. The price paid will be the loss of many more women to the church, a price imposed, however, by past refusal to take this necessary first step.

Progress on the issue of clerical child sexual abuse has been mixed. As demanded by the Royal Commission, procedures for handling complaints have been established, safeguarding measures erected, and norms imposed for the continuing formation of clergy. Levels of compensation to victims, however, vary widely. Now, in Australia, the High Court has ruled that the Catholic Church in the State of Victoria cannot be held vicariously liable for the crimes of a priest because he was not legally an employee. The Victorian dioceses now face an exquisite dilemma: either they can use this legal technicality to disown all responsibility for the crimes of their priests, or they can admit a responsibility that transcends legal obligations and stems from the Gospel mandate to hold nothing back in rendering justice to the wronged. So much for the church’s renunciation of clericalism!

As for the dignity of LGBTIQ+ persons, the Final Document notes only ‘the pain of feeling excluded or judged because of their … sexuality’ (n. 50). It thus leaves undisturbed the teaching of The Catechism of the Catholic Church that persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies are ‘objectively disordered’ (n. 2357-2359). This teaching conflicts with modern psychiatric consensus that locates homosexuality on the normal spectrum of sexuality. The teaching thereby conflicts with Vatican II’s mandate to seek God’s revelation in the signs of the times such as advances in medical science. So much for the love avowed for these persons!

Most progress is evident in governance reform. Now, finally, ‘participatory bodies’ in church governance – diocesan synods, diocesan pastoral councils, plenary councils – have been made mandatory: ‘… we insist that they be made mandatory, as was requested at all stages of the synodal process …’ (n. 104). Moreover, without prejudice to hierarchical authority: ‘Those with pastoral authority are obliged to listen to those who participate in the consultation and may not act as if the consultation had not taken place. Therefore, those in authority will not depart from the fruits of consultation that produce an agreement without a compelling reason (cf. CIC, can. 127, § 2, 2°; CCEO can. 934, § 2, 3°) which must be appropriately explained’ (n. 91).

Pope Francis: ‘What we have approved is enough’.

One may ask whether the purpose of the Synod was not to accomplish reforms such as these but rather to unleash a dynamism that will enable the Spirit to guide us in future decision making on such reforms. This may well be true but the test of the effectiveness of this dynamism will be whether it enables the People of God to honestly address these difficult issues or instead serves as an anaesthetic for avoiding them. It is human cooperation with dynamisms such as these that constitute the evolutionary progress towards the Kingdom of God, and the efforts of reform groups like ours, though small and transitory, are, we trust, genuine contributions to that cooperation.

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[1] 26 October 2024. In 2018, Pope Francis decreed in the apostolic constitution Episcopalis Communio that reformed the Synod of Bishops that the pope has the authority to approve and promulgate the final document, at which time it participates “in the ordinary magisterium.” The authority is also stipulated in Canon 343 of the Code of Canon Law.

[1] Pope Francis, Address to Synod Members, 26 October 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixvavUXQeD0

[1] Open Letters, online newsletters, submissions to two major inquiries into clerical sexual abuse, to the 5^th Australian Plenary Council[1] and the XVI Ordinary Synod of Bishops, and to numerous government consultations and legislation.

Image: Getting Back on Mission – Reforming our Church Together, Catholics For Renewal, Garratt Publishing, 2019. Cover – He Q’s painting After Resurrection depicts Jesus disciples – women and men – empowered by their new faith in the risen Christ, setting out on God’s mission to bring the light of the Gospel to the world.

POSTSCRIPT

The FINAL DOCUMENT: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission

of the XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

was approved by Pope Francis on 26 October 2024 and is now part of the ordinary Magisterium.

ENG—Documento-finale_traduzione-di-lavoro.pdf

It contains SYNODAL REQUISITES for the diocesan bishops in the local churches

‘If the synodal Church wants to be welcoming, then the culture and praxis of accountability must shape its actions at all levels. [T]hose in positions of authority (diocesan bishops) have greater responsibility in this regard and are called to account for it to God and to His People. (n. 99)

‘Local churches and their groupings are responsible for developing effective forms and processes of accountability and evaluation in a synodal way. These should be appropriate to the context, including the requirements of civil law, the legitimate expectations of society and the availability of experts in the field. It is also necessary to draw on the skills of those, especially laypeople, who have greater expertise regarding accountability and evaluation. Best practices within civil society should be discerned and adapted for use within Church contexts. The way in which reporting and evaluation processes are implemented at the local level should be included in the report presented during the visits ad limina.’ (n. 101)

‘It seems necessary to ensure, at the very least, the establishment everywhere of the following in forms appropriate to different contexts:

a) effective functioning of finance councils;
b) effective involvement of the People of God, in particular of the more competent members, in pastoral and financial planning;
c) preparation and publication (appropriate to the local context and in an accessible form) of an annual financial report, insofar as possible externally audited, demonstrating the transparency of how the temporal goods and financial resources of the Church and its institutions are being managed;
d) the preparation and publication of an annual report on the carrying out of the local Church’s mission, including also safeguarding initiatives (the protection of minors and vulnerable adults), and progress made in promoting the laity’s access to positions of authority and to decision-making processes, specifying the proportion of men and women;
e) periodic evaluations of all the ministries and roles within the Church.

We need to realise that this is not a bureaucratic task for its own sake. It is rather a communication effort that proves to be a powerful educational tool for bringing about a change in culture. It also enables us to give greater visibility to many valuable initiatives of the Church and its institutions, which too often remain hidden.’ (n.102)

‘The baptised participate in decision-making, accountability and evaluation processes through institutional structures, primarily through those already provided for the local Church: the Diocesan Synod, the Presbyteral Council, Diocesan Pastoral Council, Parish Pastoral Council, Diocesan and Parish Councils for Economic Affairs. [These] participatory bodies represent one of the most promising areas in which to act for rapid implementation of the synodal guidelines, bringing about perceptible changes speedily.’ (n. 103)

‘We insist that they [participatory bodies] be made mandatory, as was requested at all stages of the synodal process, and that they can fully play their role, and not just in a purely formal way, in ways appropriate to their diverse local contexts.’ (n. 104)

‘The structure and operations of these bodies need to be addressed, start[ing] by adopting a synodal working method (conversation in the Spirit] and] particular attention should be given to the way members are selected. When no election is envisaged, a synodal consultation should be carried out that expresses as much as possible the reality of the community or the local Church. It is also necessary to ensure that members of diocesan and parish pastoral councils are able to propose agenda items in an analogous way to that allowed for in the presbyteral council.’ (n. 105)

‘Equal attention needs to be given to the membership of the participatory bodies so as to encourage greater involvement by women, young people, and those living in poverty or on the margins. Furthermore, it is essential that these bodies include the baptised who are committed to living their faith in the ordinary realities of life.’ (n. 106)

“[G]good practices and positive experiences of reform include creating networks of pastoral councils within communities, parishes, pastoral areas, and among diocesan pastoral councils [and] regular hosting of ecclesial assemblies at all levels … open to listening to the contributions from other Churches and Christian Communions [and] the religions in the territory (n. 107)

[T]he diocesan Synod [is] to be more highly valued as [the body] for regular consultation between the Bishop and the portion of the People of God entrusted to him. This should be the place for listening, prayer and discernment, particularly when it comes to choices pertaining to the life and mission of a local Church. Moreover, the diocesan Synod may provide scope for the exercise of accountability and evaluation whereby the bishop gives an account of pastoral activity in various areas: the implementation of a diocesan pastoral plan, reception of the synodal processes of the entire Church, initiatives in safeguarding and the administration of finances and temporal goods. It is, therefore, necessary to strengthen the existing canonical provisions in order to better reflect the missionary synodal character of each local Church, making provision that these bodies meet on a regular, and not rare or infrequent, basis.’ (n. 108)

It also contains SYNODAL REQUISITES for the bishop members of the Episcopal Conference

Episcopal Conferences express and implement the collegiality of the Bishops in order to foster communion between Churches and respond more effectively to the needs of pastoral life. They are a fundamental tool for creating bonds, sharing experiences and best practices among the Churches, and for adapting Christian life and the expression of faith to different cultures. With the involvement of the whole People of God, they also play an important role in the development of synodality. Based on the outcomes of the synodal process, we propose the following:

e) specifying that decisions made by an Episcopal Conference impose an ecclesial obligation on each Bishop who participated in the decision in relation to his own diocese. (n. 125).

‘To realise a “sound decentralisation” (EG 16) and an effective inculturation of faith, it is necessary not only to recognise the role of Episcopal Conferences, but also to reevaluate the institution of particular councils, both provincial and plenary. The periodic celebration of these councils has been an obligation for much of the Church’s history and is currently provided for in the canon law of the Latin Church (cf. CIC can. 439-446). They should be convened periodically. The procedure for the recognition of the conclusions of particular councils by the Holy See (recognitio) should be reformed to encourage their timely publication by specifying precise deadlines or, in cases of purely pastoral or disciplinary matters (not directly concerning issues of faith, morals, or sacramental discipline), by introducing a legal presumption equivalent to tacit consent.’ (n. 129)

[2] Pope Francis, Address to Synod Members, 26 October 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixvavUXQeD0

[3] Open Letters, online newsletters, submissions to two major inquiries into clerical sexual abuse, to the 5^th Australian Plenary Council[3] and the XVI Ordinary Synod of Bishops, and to numerous government consultations and legislation.