Balancing solidarity and subsidiarity in the synodal process

Pope Francis has always spoken of the synods as part of the journey of the Church. It is a metaphor that has obvious appeal for the first Pope from South America, a metaphor that has been put to work for the people of the Amazon, for families and for young people. For the Synod on Synodality the journey is a voyage in time as much as space; we are travelling back as much as forward – to the early Church and the Council of Jerusalem to rediscover the Church we were called to be.

Synodal journeys are as much about revisiting where we have come from as finding new places to pitch our tent. Journeys start at a precise point and move in a determined direction. They have a goal, an endpoint. They have purpose and develop consequences not always envisaged at the start. Journeys have a habit of taking longer and revealing more than was anticipated. Journeys take us to places that we did not imagine and reveal aspects of our nature that can surprise and delight.

All this was true of the Jewish people in their sojourn in the desert for 40 years. The journey was the preparation for the Promised Land. Synodal journeys mean walking alongside travellers whose task is to show us what we thought we did not know about ourselves, our society, and our ecclesial home. The Synod on Synodality is such a journey. It started in Rome but moved decisively to the local churches. The dialogue that is at the heart of the synodal process has been conducted in local dialects with accents that we are familiar with.

The National Synthesis from the Bishops of England and Wales was a reflection of the majority of the key issues raised in the diocesan reports. Concern about the clerical sex abuse scandals, the marginal role for women in the Church and the absence of the young were all entirely predictable. The laity appeared to have a more developed sense of the need for ecumenical endeavour than can be traced through to the document that summarised the views of the dioceses. Armed with their national reports the Bishops from Europe journeyed to Prague to discuss and discern those things that they had in common and the things that divided them. Prague was the last stop before Rome in October. Here was where the Bishops of Europe gathered to discern the way the Church should move forward and to draft their response for consideration in the months ahead. Their document was published 17 April and is prefaced by a short executive summary. Throughout the document is an insistence that the report is an attempt to codify the range of responses, to identify areas where agreement was not possible and some analysis of on-going tensions: “The document does not offer solutions or theological interpretations, but rather intends to hold the tensions brought forward by the local Churches...”

The report expounds on seven key tensions: the relationship between proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and witnessing to God’s infinite mercy, the articulation between fidelity to tradition and aggiornamento, the liturgy in the life of the Church, the pluralism of understanding mission, the ability to exercise the co-responsibility of all in the light of the diversity of charisms and ministries, the forms of exercising authority in a synodal Church and the articulation and unfolding of diversity and unity and the local-global dynamic.

The delegates in Prague recognised some of the challenges, both general and specific, that confronted the European Church – the rise of secularism was well-documented and the ongoing war in Ukraine was referenced. For many local churches the issue of migration was a dominant strand – the social, spiritual and economic impact of large movements of population was both a characteristic and a challenge. Within Europe the political fractures caused by migration are clear but there is a tension between faith groups, too and Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary was a recognition of the issue. The synodal process was seen as a specific challenge. A challenge because of the lack of formation for most of the participants, a recognition that the journey was being undertaken while we learnt the art and skills of travelling.

The pattern of consultation at parish, at diocesan level was not uniform. The fact that it started during the Covid pandemic created additional obstacles. Yet, the report from Prague begins optimistically with a recognition of our common baptismal duty to work for the building up of the Church. We are all co-workers in the Vineyard by virtue of our baptism. The statement is significant because it reflects the increasing concern that the theology of baptism – we are baptised Priest, Prophet, and King – challenges the status of women in the Church currently. “This theological affirmation takes on a more concrete and urgent dimension when it prompts us to reflect on the place and role of women in the Church”. The call to synodality by Pope Francis is entirely in tune with the notion of a missional Church – the call to act out the mission of the Gospel and the discernment of synod are inextricably linked. The synodal process highlights the issues of tension that need to be resolved if the Church is to thrive.

There is, in this part of the report, the first hint of the balance of solidarity and subsidiarity that lies at the heart of this Continental Stage. Solidarity implies a unified approach, a degree of central conformity. Subsidiarity recognises the need for decisions to be made at a local level to reflect local circumstance. What Pope Francis has set in train is a development of the Church that strives to balance these two elements. Doctrinal issues are indivisible, but the practice of the faith can adapt to different circumstances.

The continental stages, held around the same time in different parts of the world, will produce challenges that are different in their nature and their emphasis. It will be the task of the Synod in October to address the tensions, respond to the challenges and establish the synodal journey as an implicit part of the work of the Church. Among these tensions are those between Western Christendom and the Orthodox communities of the East; Europe’s history is one disfigured by interfaith conflicts. From the synodal reports came signs of growing communion between the different Christian churches, with Judaism and with Islam.

There is, of course, a paradox in an increasingly secular world being more tolerant of differences of expressions of faith than the faith communities of the past. Some of these challenges and tensions exhibit themselves in liturgy and liturgical practice. For some parts of Northern EuropeFrance, the Nordic nations and England and Wales – the status of the Roman Rite is a cause of ecclesial tensions in some dioceses. Throughout the document there is a clear understanding of the tension between the missional character of the Church and a need to defend its traditions and resist the appeal of aggiornamento. The term reminds delegates of its use in the Second Vatican Council by Pope St John XX111 and its association with the commitment to modernisation and bringing practices up to date. In this section – 3.2 Tradition and Aggiornamento – the central issues of what divides Europe were laid bare.

If the Church is to fulfil its missional character, then it must be a Church that speaks with and for the marginalised and embrace the model of being a field-hospital in the thick of war. There are a series of comments that reflect disquiet with a modern Church that attempts to appeal to a secular world with a dilution of its message: “We believe it is not right for the Church to conform to the world just so as not to feel persecuted or considered unfashionable”. There is a need to address these tensions and diversities and that led to the next stage of the report which focused on formation and development. The synodal process and the development of a more sophisticated understanding of mission require an investment in the People of God – through homilies, through catechesis, through the development of the inner life. This helps to build the co-responsibility that Pope Benedict called for at the start of his papacy. This leads inevitably to an appeal for a “ministerial “Church in which all, married and unmarried, men and women. play their part: “Promote the real and effective co-responsibility of the People of God, overcoming clericalism. It is important to promote lay ministries.”

The penultimate tension to be discussed in Section 3 was concerned with the authority within the synodal process itself. The synod was a model of participative life for the Church, an assembly for discerning how it was to project itself. If the key to the synodal process is attentive listening and parrhesia [ courage] in speaking, then: “…the common priesthood of all does not contradict the ministerial priesthood, and vice versa.” This has two significant implications for the Church. It will require new models of governance from parish to diocese and beyond and it will require a development of the laity to understand and practise their baptismal duties as co-responsible laity. The formation of seminarians and the ongoing formation of clergy must embrace the synodal method while the laity are learning to accept and embrace their role.

The final tension to be addressed in Prague was the importance of unity in diversity. The Catholic Church is universal, but that universality is composed of diversities – ethnic, social, cultural, economic. It is the hallmark of a synodal church to recognise these diversities and to understand the cultural weight that they bring to the Church. It points the way to a Church which celebrates diversity rather than feeling challenged by it. Synodality allows for a recognition of, and a commitment to this diversity while emphasising the central unity of the Church.

We honour the unity by celebrating and living the diversity. At the start of the synodal process, there were some sceptical voices. There were concerns that nothing would change, that the status quo would prevail and that the Church would continue as the hierarchical structure that it has become. There were others who felt this was a new way for the Church to be and to appeal afresh to new members as well as those who had chosen to leave. As we digest what has happened since October 2021, as we reflect on the Prague Assembly and prepare for Rome in October, we are entitled to assess whether expectations have been met. We might do well to reflect on the significance of Prague and Rome – the home for the Continental Stage and the venue of the Universal Church.

The concluding document from Prague demonstrates an attentiveness to the issues raised in many of the national syntheses, including that from England and Wales, and that is important. The report focuses attention on the need to be a missional church and that, too, is significant. It recognises that the synodal process is an essential part of the DNA of the Church. We need to understand it better, we need training in implementing the demands of synodal listening and the ways it will influence how churches operate in the future.

The report recognises the issues raised by the sexual abuse scandals and the damage done. It acknowledges the effects of clericalism and advocates for lay ministry. There were clearly unresolved tensions regarding the ordination of women to the diaconate and priesthood. If the synodal process is a mark of the Church journeying together then we have made some progress and have learnt much about travelling and our travelling companions. In Rome, in October, the Church must assess the reports from all the continental stages and assess where the Church has reached on its travels. It might identify that there are certain key elements that require the exercise of its universal authority. Pope Francis did as much when he opened the minor orders of catechist and reader to men and women, married and unmarried. They might also conclude that acknowledging the diversity of the Church, when it commits to being synodal, is not only possible but the best way for the Church to journey together.

ACTA is hosting a session with Bishop Hudson, Fr Jan Nowotnik and Sarah Adams on 28th June – Details on the ACTA website.