An unprecedented global canvassing of Catholics has called for the
church to take concrete steps to promote women to decision-making roles,
for a "radical inclusion" of the LGBTQ+ community, and for new
accountability measures to check how bishops exercise authority.
The Vatican on Tuesday released the synthesis of a two-year
consultation process, publishing a working document that will form the
basis of discussion for a big meeting of bishops and laypeople in
October. The synod, as it is known, is a key priority of Pope Francis,
reflecting his vision of a church that is more about the faithful
rank-and-file than its priests.
Francis already has made his mark on the synod, letting lay people
and in particular women have a vote alongside bishops. That reform is a
concrete step toward what he calls "synodality," a new way of being a
church that envisions more co-responsibility in the key mission of
spreading the Catholic faith.
The document highlights key concerns that emerged during the
consultation process, which began at the local parish level and
concluded with seven continent-wide assemblies. It flagged in particular
the devastating impact that clergy sexual abuse crisis has had on the
faithful, costing the hierarchy its credibility and sparking calls for
structural changes to remove their near-absolute power.
The synthesis found a "unanimous" and "crucial" call for women to be
allowed to access positions of responsibility and governance. Without
raising the prospect of women's ordination to the priesthood, it asked
whether new ministries could be created, including the diaconate – a
reflection of a years-long call by some women to be ordained deacons in
the church.
The document noted that "most" of the continent-wide assemblies and
"several" bishops conferences called for the diaconate question to be
considered by the synod.
The document also asked what concrete steps the church can take to
better welcome LGBTQ+ people and others who have felt marginalized and
unrecognized by the church so that they don't feel judged.
Perhaps most significantly, the document used the terminology "LGBT+
persons" rather than the Vatican's traditional "persons with homosexual
tendencies," suggesting a level of acceptance that Francis ushered in a
decade ago with his famous "Who am I to judge" comment.
"There is a profound need to imitate the Lord and Master in the
ability to live out a seeming paradox: ‘boldly proclaiming its authentic
teaching while at the same time offering a witness of radical inclusion
and acceptance,'" it said.
Unlike past working documents, the synthesis doesn't stake out firm
points, proposals or firm conclusions, but poses a series of questions
for further discussion and debate by the synod. The synod process
continues in 2024 with the second phase, after which Francis is expected
to issue a concluding document considering the proposals that have been
put to him by the assemblies.
The working document re-proposed a call for debate on whether married
priests could be considered to relieve the clergy shortage in some parts
of the world. Amazonian bishops had proposed allowing married priests
to minister to the faithful who sometimes go months at a time without
Mass, but Francis shot down the proposal after an Amazonian synod in
2019.
It called for more "meaningful and concrete steps" to offer justice
to survivors of sexual abuse, and noted that the faithful have also been
victims of other types of abuse: "spiritual, economic, power and
conscience abuse." Such abuses, it said, have "eroded the credibility of
the church and compromised the effectiveness of its mission."
It suggested that the church must reevaluate the way authority is
exercised by the hierarchy, suggesting structural, canonical and
institutional reforms to eradicate the "clericalism," or privilege that
is afforded to clergy.
It acknowledged the fear and opposition that the synodal process has
engendered among some bishops who see it as undermining their authority
and power, but sought to calm the concerns. Saying transparency and
accountability were absolutely necessary, it suggested evaluations of
bishops and other reforms that have been used to build trust in public
institutions could be applied to the hierarchy.
The synodal process asks them to live a radical trust in the action of
the spirit in the life of their communities, without fear that the
participation of everyone need be a threat to their ministry of
community leadership," it says.
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