Card Grech, Secretary General of the Church Synod, pointed out at the first plenary session of the Synod of Bishops that the gathering of men and women from all over the world to listen to the Holy Spirit and listen to each other is a sign of opposition to the world. Cardinal Hollerich, general spokesman of the Synod of Bishops, said that there is a difference between the first and second sessions of this session. The former raises questions and the latter takes action to clearly identify feasible paths.
(Vatican News Network)Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Church Synod, delivered an opening speech at the first plenary session of the World Bishops Conference on the afternoon of October 2. He first welcomed all 368 members who returned to the Vatican after a year. Paul VI In front of the round table in the hall. Cardinal Grech then turned his attention to international current affairs.
Conflict tensions rise
Cardinal Grech, who sat at the same table with the Pope, said: “As we hold this Congress, wars are going on in many parts of the world! We are on the verge of an expansion of the conflict.” In front of the Madonna painting “Mother of the People of Rome,” the Cardinal Asked: “How many generations will it take before the warring peoples can “sit down together” and talk again and work together to build a peaceful future?”
grace of peace
Synod participants from war zones or countries treated each other as brothers and sisters in the Paul VI Hall. Cardinal Gretsch said: “Through their voices we can hear the shouts and cries of those who suffered under the bombings, especially children, who were immersed in this atmosphere of hatred. As believers, we are called to hope and pray for all peoples. Praying for the precious grace of peace.”
credible testimony
In addition to constantly praying for peace, we must also bear “credible testimony.” The Synod itself is a “credible witness”: because “men and women from all over the world come together to obey the Holy Spirit and listen to each other, which is a sign of opposition to the world”. “A church that walks together is a proposal for today’s society.”
Listen, don’t change the structure
Then, Cardinal Grech talked about the mission of the conference: “Many people think that the purpose of the Synod is to change the structure of the church or to reform it.” This is a “sense of anxiety” that pervades the church, but every day Individuals have different ideas about “innovation and its priorities.”
Cardinal Grech reiterated that the key is the scope of listening, which is at the heart of all stages of the process of collegiality: from consultations within the local Churches to those within the Episcopal Conference, from the Continental Conference to the first synod with the Pope in 2023. “The above-mentioned stages seem to constitute a linear process, and the people of God appear only at the starting point, which makes people mistakenly think that the decision-making process is in the hands of a few people.” But that’s not the case.
cycle process
In fact, “general consensus comes from listening to everyone.” At each stage, “we feed back the results of our listening to the local church.” It is therefore a cyclical process and its conclusion is not “a theoretical statement, a final document, but the concrete life of the Church”.
Contributions from around the world
At the end of his speech, Cardinal Grech explained that the bishops’ conferences around the world had prepared 108 comprehensive national reports and submitted them to the Secretariat of the Church Synod. In addition, the Catholic Oriental Rite Church also submitted nine replies, while the Union of General Superiors (USG) and the International Union of Superiors (UISG) submitted reports on behalf of consecrated persons. “This wealth of material, together with observation reports sent voluntarily by individuals and groups, forms the backbone of the Working Paper we now have in hand.”
The second session is not a repeat of the first session
In his long opening speech, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, general spokesman of the Synod of Bishops, first wished everyone present to feel “accepted.” He then discussed the details of the document released on July 9 this year, as well as the goals of the second session. He clarified that the second session “is by no means a repetition, nor is it a mere continuation of the first session.” The goal of the 2023 Synod is to get to know each other and “better understand the ecclesial background of others”; and in this second session, the Synod members are called to “clearly identify possible paths for growth and invite the Churches everywhere to embark on the journey” .
“Working Papers” are like distilled wine
Cardinal Hollerich described the Second Session’s “Working Document” as “distilled wine”, which is the essence of the Church’s experience over the past three years. This document is different from the previous one because “our tasks are different”: the previous document included about 300 questions, but in this second “working paper”, only about 10 questions are asked at a time. Because now is no longer the time to ask questions, but to take action and “move forward in the same direction.” The cardinal also stated that the “working document” “is not a draft of the final document, but it captures the fruits of the process, which we are responsible for discerning.”
Dialogue and work with the research team
In addition, Cardinal Hollerich also explained the working methods and the differences between this session and the previous session. The first one is the dialogue with the study group established by the Pope in February this year. “Our companions on the journey are our interlocutors”, the cardinal stressed.
Before the end of the first conference, a representative from each study group reported on the group’s work plan for the coming days and months, proposing reflections and themes. Thereafter, there will be an ongoing dialogue between members of the Synod and members of the study group. “In the spirit of walking together as colleagues, I was not the only one speaking during the time of the General Spokesperson’s report,” Cardinal Hollerich said.
The General Spokesperson then listed the topics discussed by the study group: the ecumenical journey; the relationship between the Eastern and Latin Churches; the cry of the poor; the service of the bishop; priests, deacons and their relationship with the People of God relations; the formation of colleagues; the digital sphere; relations between local Churches; the function of synodal bodies; the ecumenical service of the Bishop of Rome; doctrinal, pastoral and “controversial” ethical issues; and within the Church ministry, and the relationship between charism and ministry.
woman
Regarding this last point, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that the position of women within the Church, the decision-making processes related to leadership bodies and the female diaconate should also be discussed, taking into account “the pope’s public position”. “It’s well known that he doesn’t think the issue is mature.”
This “still has the opportunity to continue the discussion in depth, but in the heart of the Holy Father there are other topics that still need to be discussed and that need to be resolved before rushing to talk about the possible ordination of certain women to the diaconate”. The cardinal warned of a risk: “The diaconate becomes a solace for a few women, and the decision to participate in decision-making within the Church ends up being ignored.”
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