In a recent interview, Pope Francis was asked what more he felt he needed to accomplish as Bishop of Rome. “Everything,” Francis, 86, replied. “It’s funny, the more you do, the more you realise that you still have so much left to do.”
The Pope’s abdominal surgery this week, followed by a stint in hospital, comes at a moment when there is still much to do, particularly regarding the Church renewal process that Francis has begun.
The fragility of the Pope’s health is in some respects mirrored in the fragility of the steps being taken towards a more synodal Church, a process still in its relatively early stages.
Francis was admitted to the Gemelli hospital right at the time when many people are expecting the publication of the working document for the forthcoming synod assembly, due to take place in the Vatican this October.
This text will shape the discussions of bishops and people worldwide who will reflect on what it means to be a “synodal Church” under the themes of “communion, participation, mission”.
These discussions are also aimed at navigating some of the hotly-contested issues in the church, such as the role of women, the exercise of power and how to include those who have felt marginalised by Catholic institutions. The synod is about the Church renewing itself so it is propelled into evangelisation and mission.
Along with a working document, the names of those participating in the synod assembly are also expected soon. Among them will be seventy non-bishop voters, who will include lay women for the first time.
Lists of candidates have been prepared and sent to Rome, but the Pope must decide who attends the assembly from those in the lists submitted.
It’s all finely poised and, like any renewal process, still needs time.
While Francis is pushing forward with the synod, it is not getting much oxygen in some places. As Michael Sean Winters has reported, the bishops in the United States are meeting in June but synodality is not on the agenda.
Other bishops, I am told, feel that they have “done” the synod after carrying out consultations in their dioceses. They have yet to buy into the notion that synodality is something that needs to be embedded into the culture and structures of the Church.
The danger is that a papal transition at this point would put a question mark over the entire synod process. While synodality goes beyond one pontificate, Francis needs to oversee the October 2023 assembly and the one that will take place in October 2024 to maintain momentum.
Embedding the synodal style into Church structures could also include electing a new pope. From the second half of the nineteenth century, every Bishop of Rome changed the conclave norms.
Church historian Alberto Melloni has suggested the next conclave needs to occur at a slower pace with more opportunities for dialogue. In other words, the conclave needs to be more synodal, which is vital to remain immune from the manoeuvrings that have already begun to try and influence it in a particular direction.
A warning has recently been raised by Cardinal Julián Herranz, who has denounced the attempts by a US group that hired ex-FBI investigators to draw up reports on cardinals and two books released in 2020, both titled “The Next Pope”, designed to try and get the conclave to go in a direction different to the Francis pontificate.
Thankfully, Francis has successfully come through his operation – his second in less than two years. He even could joke with the surgeon about when the third one would take place.
The Jesuit Pope is resilient and determined. He will serve in the post for life, barring incapacitation.
While Francis has set the Church in an irreversible direction, much still depends on him. During his stay in the Gemelli hospital, some children created a card for Francis saying: “Do not be afraid, we are with you!”
And from the rest of the Church, many others say: “Keep going!”
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