SPECIAL REPORT • COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

The synodal process for a more credible identity and mission of the Church

In the context of Covid pandemia, when we have realised that we need one another to solve global challenges, the Synod on Synodality  is a moment of renewal for the entire Church, called to be a credible partner in the paths of social dialogue, reconciliation and inclusion

BY Fr Anthony K. Kibira | MCCJ, Kampala, Uganda

PEOPE FRANCIS, through the convocation of the Synod on Synodality (2021–2023), has invited the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission. As Church, we have a common journey to make. By reflecting together on this journey, all members of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, will be able to learn from one another’s experiences and perspectives. We have the opportunity to let ourselves be enlightened by the Word of God and to be united in prayer so as to discern God’s will and pursue the paths God has laid down for us. This discernment journey should lead us to a deeper communion, fuller participation and more generous openness to fulfil our mission in the world.

Followers of the Way

The word synod comes from two Greek words: syn (together) and odos (way). Thus, synod means a journey made together. In the Gospel of John, Jesus the Lord presents Himself as “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14: 6). For this reason, the followers of Jesus (Christians) were called “followers of the Way” (Acts 9: 2; 19: 9). As people of God, we are called to be along a marked-out path, walking together. The vademecum for the Synod on Synodality encourages us to understand synodality as “the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Church, expressing her nature as the People of God journeying together and gathering in assembly, summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel”. As a life-style, synodality ought to be expressed in the Church’s ordinary way of living and working. If embraced with an open heart, we have a chance of clearly manifesting and living our identity as pilgrims and missionary People of God. It is, thus, a moment of grace (kairos), in which all can listen to the Holy Spirit who establishes communion between us.

The Sitz im Leben of the Synod

The Preparatory Document of the synod already invited us to be aware of the context in which this synod process started, namely the Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic has marked the concrete historical circumstances in which the entire human family finds itself. If we are to describe the lesson we have learnt from all this time, we find that togetherness has won more significance. We have come to acknowledge that we can only face the challenges posed by this pandemic together. The global crisis has hit all and has helped us to remember that we are in the same boat. Even if more inequalities have been revealed, we still share a common home where the suffering of some touches all. In the midst of this context, synodality as a journey together, will not only unite us more deeply with one another as the People of God, but it also sends us out to pursue our mission as missionary disciples open to the entire family of humanity, together with our fellow Christian denominations and other faith traditions.

As a life-style, synodality ought to be expressed in the Church’s ordinary way of living and working

Participative and inclusive ecclesial process

The Synod on Synodality offers us an opportune moment to celebrate our Catholicity, thus our nature as a universal Church. “Journeying together”(synod) is meant to take place on different levels (from the local level to the universal one). As mentioned above, synods have been characteristic for the journey that the Church has made through history. Now we are being offered a chance to live a progressive synodal conversion that will create more communion. The phase of listening offers everyone, especially those at the margins, the opportunity to express themselves and to be heard. This attentive listening will help us recognize and appreciate the wealth and the variety of the gifts and charisms that the Spirit has given to individual local Churches for the benefit of the whole Church and the entire human family. Since we are being enlightened by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, our mutual attention will bring to light our prejudices and distorted practices which are not rooted in the Gospel. The synod will, thus, be a moment of renewal for the entire Church. Whereas the Synod of Bishops takes place as a gathering of bishops under the authority of the Pope, the Synod on Synodality brings up a realization that a synodal path is for the entire People of God; it is not only an assembly of bishops, but a journey for all the faithful, of which every local Church forms an integral part.

Contemplating the theme of Synod on Synodality, one can see a realization of what Pope Francis intended to communicate in his encyclicals

The Preparatory Document for the Synod on Synodality envisages its objective: “…the purpose of this Synod is not to produce more documents. Rather, it is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission.” (Preparatory Document, 32). The Synodal Process will not be a series of exercises that start and stop, but rather a journey of growing towards the communion and mission that God calls the Church to live out in our time. It is a journey towards a more fruitful service of the Kingdom of God.

The theme of the synod is its goal

The theme for the Synod is: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.“ The three dimensions are basically interconnected. None should be given precedence over the others but they are to be taken as pillars of a Synodal Church in a dynamic relationship. Communion invites us to re-appreciate the fact that the love of Christ has brought us together (congregavit nos in unum Christi amor). Christ, the Head of the Church continues to form and guide us so that we may be one as He prayed (Jn 17: 11). Communion will best be lived not as a uniformity but as a unity in variety. In that way, we form a beautiful mosaic of Christ’s body. Sharing a common sensus fidei, the laity, consecrated and ordained belong to the People of God. The Participation of all accompanied by a respectful listening will create space for the Holy Spirit to guide our aspirations as Church in the world. The Christian community that is continuously being formed and re-formed (Ecclesia semper reformanda) has a mission to fulfil in the world. We are called to be witnesses to the Gospel on which we ourselves are fed. The synodal process reminds us that as missionary disciples, we are to make common cause especially with all those who live on the “spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries” of our world.

Encompassing Pope Francis encyclicals

Contemplating the theme of the Synod on Synodality, one can see a realization of what Pope Francis intended to communicate in his encyclicals. These are, at the same time, characteristics of the life and mission of the Church: Lumen Fidei (2013) invites us to make use of the Light we get from Christ and spread it in the world where “illusory lights” tend to mislead people; Evangelii Gaudium (2013) encourages us to embrace the joy that is ever new and which is shared in order to heal wounds of the world; Laudato Sì (2015) exhorts us to work for the care of the earth as our common home and to counter the use-and-throw-away-culture that is prevalent in the world; Amoris Laetitia (2016) invites us to appreciate the fact that the joy of love experienced by families is the joy of the Church; the family is the first place for mission where the crisises are addressed and broken relationships are restored; Gaudete et exultate (2018) invites us to take the call to holiness seriously. We should not only look out for canonized saints but also to the saints next door among God’s holy and faithful people; Fratelli Tutti (2020) invites us to nurture friendship without borders and to go against a closed world.

The effectiveness of a missionary Church will be in her being a credible and reliable partner in the paths of social dialogue, healing, reconciliation, inclusion and participation, re-construction of democracy, promotion of fraternity and social friendhip. Together, we make a journey towards a creation of spaces where representatives of other faith communities, social groups, organizations of civil society can come in a life-giving dialogue for the good of the entire human family.