San Diego bishop extols ‘lay genius’

The Diocese of San Diego has concluded a synod on the Pope’s apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, by presenting 15 recommendations to Bishop Robert McElroy (pictured) after months of parish-level consultations and two days of intense discussion during the synod itself.

The proposals ranged from a call to establish a diocesan office for family spirituality to a call for parishes to establish mentoring teams to accompany newlyweds.

“The importance of the synod was that the lay leaders of our parishes exercised a truly determinative role in formulating a diocesan plan which displays in every element a powerful ‘lay genius’ combining profound love for God, the lived reality of family life in its beauty and its challenges, and a pervasive desire to form discipleship which is adult, conscience-driven, and inclusive,” Bishop McElroy told The Tablet.

San Diego has 1.3 million Catholics and the diocese spans the border between California and Mexico. It is home to many large military installations. In the parish-level discussions, and subsequent synod  deliberations the issue of being a single parent took on a different light: many families include a parent who is deployed in the military or who has been deported to Mexico.

The synod went beyond a technical debate about whether or not the divorced and civilly remarried can participate in the sacraments. They asked the diocese to develop pastoral formation programmes “in the areas of conscience formation and the internal forum, not only to implement the pathway to sacramental participation outlined in The Joy of Love [Amoris Laetitia], but even more fundamentally to illuminate a core element of Christian discipleship itself.”

Bishop McElroy told the synod that “judgmentalism must be radically banished if we are to deliberate in a manner reflective of the God whose mercy knows no limits and a Church made not only for the pure, but for all,” differentiating himself from those bishops who have suggested a “smaller, purer Church” might be better suited to the times. “We [in this synod] are called to tend to the spiritual, emotional and material wounds of those who are hurting deeply, not becoming focused on peripheral questions or shortcomings, but on how the Church can make a dramatic difference.”

Fr John Dolan, vicar for clergy, and a participant in the synod told the National Catholic Reporter, said: “I would say the process and the synod itself are probably more important to me than the actual results. The process is very important because dialogue is essential. The synod really has been a great model for that.”