Vincent Kundukulam
The synodal process has to start by listening to the people, says Pope Francis in his address at Commemorative Ceremony for the 50th Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops on October 17, 2015. This is because, all the baptized share in the prophetic office of Christ. He quotes the saying in Latin, Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus tractari debet meaning ‘what concerns all needs to be debated by all’. Church has to be a listening Church. It is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn. The faithful, clergymen, Bishops and the Pope have to listen mutually in order to know what Spirit says to the Churches.
The first and foremost group to be listened is that of faithful. At times, the Spirit of God groans through the silent cry of the people of God. As the International Theological Commission (ITC) document says, the synodal assemblies have to contemplate not only the Word but also the people. Paying attention to the real experiences and problems of people living in the midst of the world is unavoidable in discerning what God wants us to do in mission (ITC 114). Besides the laymen, clergy, the close associates of Bishops, have also to be listened. The Bishops are supposed to consult them and dialogue with them about the pastoral needs and the good of the diocese. (ITC, 81). In this regard, the Diocesan Pastoral Council would be the best forum to live synodality because it is there the important decisions are taken in the presence of Bishop.
Another group to be listened as part of synodal living is theologians. The role Indian theologians play in the decision-making process of Church is at present bare minimum. Rarely we find bishops seeking the opinions of theologians in policy making. The important decisions, whether in dioceses or in regions, are not preceded by meaningful consultation with theologians and consequently, the Church policies are nonspiritual and at times even anti-gospel. In fact, theologians are better placed to discern the emerging ideologies and cultural patterns that influence the society and the faithful and to articulate needful Christian responses. As the ITC document states in no. 75, they have the capacity to listen to ‘others and their disturbing views, to dialogue with them, to discern what is good for Church and to arrive at consensus in matters of discord and differences. They can suggest new paths of mission for Church to translate Christin values in sapiential scientific and prophetic ways to the society which shall help the members of Church to live faith meaningfully and pertinently in their vicinities.
In this regard, the remark made by Jacques Haers is worth-mentioning. To him, the synodal way reflects the willingness of Church to open up to differences. It is a call to move to the margins. This readiness to listen to all, both within and outside ecclesial communities, is to be lived as a call to live gracefully with the broader world. Synodal model promotes the culture of encounter and solidarity, respect and dialogue, inclusion and integration and gratitude and gift (ITC 118). As Pope Francis said in his address on the occasion the Golden Jubilee of the Synod of Bishops in 2015, ‘a synodal Church is like a banner lifted up among the nations. As regards Church, it is a necessity because only when she is on the pathway of the synod that she shall discover what God expects from us in the third millennium. I hope, the synodal living can be a catalyst of unity in diversity and of communion in a world that is infected by divisive ideologies and organisations.
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