Question: Ajith Paul 

Synodality is a hot discussion today in the Church as decision making is done not by any solitary leader but by a team of leaders who dialogue and discuss and arrive at decisions. How is this shift going to change life in the Church?

Answer: Jacob Parappally MSFS

The community of the disciples of Jesus Christ who were empowered by the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost was called the Way. The first Christian community experienced Jesus Christ as the Way (John 16:3) and following Him was to be journeying together with Him guided by the Holy Spirit to the Father. According to Luke, the entire life and mission of Jesus was a journey of Jesus together with His disciples from Nazareth in Galilee to Jerusalem which the disciples were commanded (Acts 1:8f) to continue to the end of the world in space and to the end of the world in time.

The Greek expression for journeying together is Synod. The word Synod comes from two Greek words synand hodos which means with (someone) way/road. As a group walks together towards its destination the members enter into conversation about everything that they think important for reaching their goal as well as other matters concerning their lives and the journey itself. So Synod implies a life of communion and communication. The use of this term Synod in the Church is for the meetings of the members of the Church who are to guide, lead and govern the Church. They are to do it together with the representatives of the rest of the people of God by periodic reviewing of the life of the Church and by taking decisions. A Synod is conducted at the level of the universal Church, individual Churches and at the level of a diocese. In the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Churches, Synods of bishops in each autonomous Church are held primarily for the election of bishops and for the establishment of inter-diocesan ecclesiastical laws and regulations.

In the Catholic Church, Synods have become important ecclesial assemblies especially after Vatican II emphasizing the discerning of the Spirit and the guidance of the Spirit in the Church to renew the life of the people of God journeying together as pilgrims in a “foreign land.” Pope Paul VI re-introducing Synod in 1965 affirmed that it is a constitutive dimension of the Church. The Apostolic Constitution of Pope Francis, Episcopalis communio, a document on the Synod of Bishops published in September, 2018 states that the Synod does not exist, “separated from the rest of the faithful” rather it is “an instrument suited to give voice to the whole People of God precisely by means of the bishops.” The Synod is of the Church, by the Church and for the entire Church and for the fulfilling of its missionary task. The Apostolic Constitution on Synod says, “the Synod of Bishops is called, like every other ecclesiastical institution, to become ever more “suitably channelled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation”! (EA No.1).

Indeed, Synods are a communitarian spiritual exercise solely for the effective mission of the Church entrusted to her by her Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. It is the process in which communion is built and the decisions are made that is more important than the decisions and plans for action arrived it. The question of synodality is concerning the process of making a Synod. It is the true synodality that makes a Synod effective for the life of the Church. If the constituting of the Synod and the process of discernment that is done at a Synod and the decisions arrived at are for the common good of the Community of the Church and not for the selfish interests of an individual or for a group then the Synod is led by the Holy Spirit. Such Synods will improve the holiness of the people of God, build communion and fulfil the mission of the Church.

Synodality in Decision-making and Decision-taking
The mystery dimension of the Church as the Sacrament of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit for the wholeness of humans and the entire creation as willed by the Father (I Tim 2:4) cannot be reduced to a social organization though the Church has a social and institutional dimension. Socio-political organizations follow the principles of governance dictated by their traditions and ideologies. Their leadership can function autocratically, democratically or even in certain cases by consensus. But the Church as the Body of Christ cannot be tempted to follow the governing principles of world which are often controlled by the lust for power to dominate and control. In matters of God’s design for human well-being revealed through Jesus Christ and actualized by the Spirit of God, it is neither the diktat of one or a few or the brute majority that decides what is the best way to follow for the unfolding of humans as humans. It has to be through a collective discernment of the spirits by those who are committed to the values of the Kingdom. In the Church, leadership is a special vocation given to some to serve the community as the servants of the People of God. Therefore, their leadership is not a position to dominate and control but to serve the People of God guided by the Spirit of God whose instruments they are to build the Body of Christ.

In the building up of the Church it is important that the leaders channelize the grace given to the individual believers with discernment and involve everyone according to their state of life in the process of decision-making. While decision-taking is done by the leaders of the Church, in the decision-making all the members are to be involved directly or indirectly. In the Apostolic Constitution on Synod of Bishops by Pope Francis it is clearly stated that the Synod cannot be separated from the rest of the faithful. In the decision-making process the bishops include others like consecrated persons and those who are members of apostolic life, experts (Periti), auditors who are competent in the issues that are discussed and other invitees. (EC No.8). Unfortunately, it can happen that the involvement of the rest of the faithful through experts, auditors and special invitees may be minimal in decision-making if the persons selected for the purpose are chosen for their piety, loyalty to the bishops and uncritical acceptance even of those ill-conceived policies of the Church leaders. Often those lay, people who are more competent than the bishops concerning the issues for discussion in the Synod and those who could contribute much to the Church through their critical appraisal of the situation of the Church are left out for fear of being challenged by their expertise. Though it may not always happen, any inner insecurity of the leaders of the Church can dampen the working of the Spirit in the decision-making process whether in the Synod or in the governing of the Church where synodality is the norm.

Except in rare cases the decisions made by the members of the Church with proper process of discernment will also be the decision taken by the leaders of the Church. Both in the process of decision-making and decision-taking there must be synodality or participation of the members with the sole intention of building the Body of Christ. In this process what is important is to go through a prayerful and painful process of discernment. Discernment is to be done with deep trust in the Holy Spirit who guides the Church. Only through prayerful surrender to the promptings of the Spirit can one seek the Spirit’s guidance for the decisions one is making or taking. It is also painful because one has to give up even a trace of selfishness or egoism to discern the working of the Spirit. Self-conceitedness, private interests, manipulation of the process for any gain, attempt to win members through various type of allurements to support one’s plans etc., can obstruct the working of the Spirit. One has to self-empty oneself of any desire for power and prestige to enter into correct discernment.

Pope Francis in his Apostolic Constitution on the Synod of Bishops states, “During every Synodal Assembly, consultation of the faithful must be followed by discernment on the part of the Bishops chosen for the task, united in the search for a consensus that springs not from worldly logic, but from common obedience to the Spirit of Christ. Attentive to the sensus fidei of the People of God – “which they need to distinguish carefully from the changing currents of public opinion” (No 7). The simple objective criteria for such discernment are Christological and Ecclesiological. The Christological criterion of discernment is to see whether the plans and projects, policies and programmes for the betterment of the Church to be decided make the members of the Church become more Christ-like in their attitudes, behaviour, life-style and relationships. If discerned after prayer, discussions and deliberation it is found to be so it can be concluded that it is from the Spirit of God. However, it must be supported by the ecclesiological criterion. It must also be discerned whether the decisions which are thought to be coming from the Spirit help the Church to grow in communion. If it is found to be so, then the decisions made as well as taken come from the Spirit of God. If it is going to create divisions, animosity, anti-witness to Christian charity and concord, it is not coming from the Spirit of God even if the decisions appear to be Christlogically correct. The synodality is well exercised in the participative, collective discernment for the growth of communion among the members of the Church as well as for the effective missionary life of the Church.

Synodality for Church Leadership
The Church as the communion of the People of God is the image of the Trinitarian communion of the Father, Son and the Spirit. In the Trinitarian communion there is distinction without separation, difference without division. The self-giving of one to the other two makes absolute communion. The Trinitarian revelation negates any type of autocracy, tyranny, domination or subjugation which can be justified by a strict monotheistic understanding of God. Karl Rahner said that we Christians believe in a Trinitarian God but in practice we behave as strict monotheists. Therefore, leadership in the Church was often exercised in an autocratic way rather than communitarian or Synodal way. It is said that in a community which has a strong leader and a weak community Holy Spirit cannot function. So too in a community with a weak leader and strong community the Holy Spirit cannot function. Only in a participative, discerning and kenotic community where the leader exercises the God-given authority with an attitude of a servant-leader like Christ who empowers others and exercises synodality in decision-making the Holy Spirit can foster communion. The Apostolic Constitution on the Synod of Bishops says, “So the Bishop is called to lead his flock by “walking in front of them, showing them the way, showing them the path; walking in their midst, to strengthen them in unity; walking behind them, to make sure no one gets left behind but especially, never to lose the scent of the People of God in order to find new roads. A Bishop who lives among his faithful has his ears open to listen to ‘what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Rev 2:7), and to the ‘voice of the sheep,’ also through those diocesan institutions whose task it is to advise the Bishop, promoting a loyal and constructive dialogue” (No 5).

The synodality in exercising leadership in the Church calls for a self-emptying attitude both from the leaders of the Church as well as from all other members of the People of God. Such synodality overcomes the evil of discrimination in the name of class, caste, gender, ethnicity, language etc. The commitment of the Church for a synodality in leadership opens up new possibilities for the Church to become more effective, credible and committed in witnessing to the values of God’s reign.