In October, many of us from the Diocese of Camden had the opportunity to gather at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood to begin our parish/diocesan contribution to the worldwide synod on synodality in the Church. For the next three years throughout the world, we will be refashioning our understanding of Church, returning to our roots as they were gradually formed in the earliest stage of our development as we moved away from the constructs of Judaism into the “new way,” and loosely experienced for the first 1,000 years of our history, a synodal Church.
In his remarks to his own Diocese of Rome, Pope Francis said, “I have come here to encourage you to take this synodal process seriously and to tell you that the Holy Spirit needs you! Listen to him. Listen to each other; do not leave anyone out.” He added, “Synodality expresses the nature of the Church, its form, its style, its mission. The Greek word ‘synod’ means ‘walking together.’” Pope Francis highlighted the experience of the early Church as a model for the Church today, saying, “There can be a rigid way of considering things, that can mortify the patience of God … the God who looks far, the God who has no haste. Rigidity is a sin against the patience of God.”
Speaking of the parish/diocesan participation in the upcoming synod, the Pope recommends, “If the parish is the house of all in the neighborhood, not an exclusive club, I recommend that you leave the doors and windows open; do not limit yourselves to those who frequent the parish or think like you. Let everyone enter … Let their questions be your questions; allow yourselves to walk together. The Spirit will lead you. Do not be afraid to enter into dialogue; it is the dialogue of salvation.”
Of course, these statements, challenges and recommendations from the Pope are applicable to all baptized Christians, not just Roman Catholics. To this end, Pope Francis recently met with a group of Catholic and Orthodox theologians, known as the Saint Irenaeus Working Group, who have been dialoguing for several years over the topic of synodality in the Church, as well as the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. At this October gathering, the Pope took the opportunity to declare the second-century bishop and theologian from the East, Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, would become a Doctor of the Church with the title “Doctor Unitatis” or “Doctor of Unity.”
Pope Francis addressed the group and said, “Your patron, Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, whom soon I will willingly declare a Doctor of the Church with the title ‘Doctor Unitatis,’ came from the East, exercised ministry in the West and was a great spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians.” While speaking to the working group, Pope Francis gave some remarks on the dialogue taking place and said, “A fruitful approach to primacy in theological and ecumenical dialogues must necessarily be grounded in a reflection on synodality. There is no other way! I have frequently expressed my conviction that in a synodal Church, greater light can be shed on the exercise of the Petrine primacy.”
Elaborating on the synergy between synodality and primacy, Pope Francis added, “Through the constructive patience of dialogue, especially with the Orthodox Churches, we have come to understand more fully that in the Church, primacy and synodality are not two competing principles to be kept in balance, but two realities that establish and sustain one another in the service of Communion. Just as the primacy presupposes the exercise of synodality, so synodality entails the exercise of primacy.” He continued, “I am confident that, with the help of God, the synodal process that will begin in the coming days in every Catholic diocese will also be an opportunity for deeper reflection on this important aspect, together with other Christians.”
His concluding remarks to the working group on the elevation of Saint Irenaeus to Doctor of the Church sums up beautifully the enterprise of unity with other Christians and our return to the synodal way for the Church in general, “This name, Irenaeus, contains the word ‘peace.’ We know that the Lord’s peace is not a ‘negotiated’ peace, the fruit of agreements meant to safeguard interests, but a peace that reconciles, that brings together in unity. That is the peace of Jesus. For, as the apostle Paul writes, Christ ‘is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.’ (Eph 2:14) Dear friends, with the help of God, you, too, are working to break down dividing walls and to build bridges of communion.”
Father Joseph D. Wallace is diocesan director of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Atco.
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