The Sources of the New Synodal Doctrine (3)

The third source of the Final Document of the Synod on Synodality is undoubtedly the text of the International Theological Commission (ITC) entitled Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, prepared between 2014 and 2017, published on March 2, 2018, after a favorable reception from Pope Francis. It coincides with the institution's Ninth Quinquennium.

Clearly, this document depends on the Pope's will and his theological orientation. No. 9 of the ITC Statutes, approved in 1982, reads as follows: “Questions and subjects to be submitted for study are established by the Supreme Pontiff or by the Cardinal President. They may also be proposed by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, by other departments of the Roman Curia, by the Synod of Bishops, by episcopal conferences.”

Moreover, among the notes—of which there are 170—thirteen refer to the Address on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops, analyzed in the second article, thirteen others to Evangelii gaudium, another of Francis' “synodal” sources, to which are added five other references. That is a lot for the reigning Pope.

Which means that this text is a theological shaping of Francis's thinking on synodality, and that this thinking is new, if it has to be referred to so much for a document of some twenty pages. But it has been produced by “professionals” and fulfils the Pope's request to use this foundation to realize his synodal dream.

A Brief Analysis of the Document

From the very first line, the tone is set: “‘It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium’[1]: this programmatic commitment was made by Pope Francis at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops” (no. 1) in September 1965.

The text goes on to say that the document “is meant to offer some useful guidelines for going deeper into the theological sense of this promise and some pastoral orientations about what it implies for the Church’s mission” (no. 2). And it notes “what a momentous and new teaching the Magisterium has offered us on this subject in the wake of Vatican II” (ibid.).

The document admits that the term “synodality” is very recent (used in “recent decades”)(no. 5), and that “synodality is not explicitly found as a term or as a concept in the teaching of Vatican II,” (no. 6) but despite this, “it is fair to say that synodality is at the heart of the work of renewal the Council was encouraging” (ibid.).

To demonstrate this, the document links synodality to the “ecclesiology of the People of God” and to the “concept of communion,” adding: “In this ecclesiologicalcontext, synodality is the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelising mission” (no. 6).

Before admitting that, in this area, there is “still a long way to go in the direction mapped out by the Council” (no. 8). And leading to the real goal: “Hence the new threshold that Pope Francis invites us to cross” (no. 9). The plan is then given.

The first two chapters explore “the theological meaning of synodality along the lines of Catholic ecclesiology, in harmony with the teaching of Vatican II” (no. 10). This includes an exposition of “the theologal foundations of synodality in conformity with the ecclesiological doctrine of Vatican II” in chapter 2 (no. 10).

Finally, chapters 3 and 4 “are meant to suggest some pastoral orientations:” first, “the practical question of 'making synodality happen' on all levels,” local, regional, worldwide; then “refers to spiritual and pastoral conversion and to the communal and apostolic discernment that are necessary for an authentic synodal experience of Church” (no. 10).

This is not the place for a full commentary on this ITC document, but first to note how it roots synodality in conciliar doctrine. Thus, in chapter 2, Towards a Theology of Synodality, the third section is entitled “Synodality as an expression of the ecclesiology of communion,” and links its principles to Lumen Gentium.

The ITC slavishly repeats Francis' images: “Taking up the ecclesiological perspective of Vatican II, Pope Francis sketches the image of a synodal Church as ‘an inverted pyramid’ which comprises the People of God and the College of Bishops, one of whose members, the Successor of Peter, has a specific ministry of unity. Here the summit is below the base” (no. 57).

Chapter 3 already presents the whole process that Francis will set in motion on the occasion of the Synod on Synodality, and which could only have surprised the superficial observer who had not taken heed of this ITC document: namely, the foundation of the sensus fidei to affirm that “the participation of the lay faithful becomes essential” (no. 73).

And it affirms that “Consulting them is thus indispensable for initiating processes of discernment in the framework of synodal structures” (no. 73), as well as “involving communities of consecrated women or men, the movements and new ecclesial communities” (no. 74), and theologians, all “listening carefully to the Holy Spirit” (no. 76).

The document goes on to describe the structures that synodality must use in the particular Church, then at regional level (groupings of particular Churches) and finally in the universal Church: this last section lists the Ecumenical Council, the Synod of Bishops, the College of Cardinals, and the Roman Curia—which must be reformed in a synodal sense, as Francis has already done.

Chapter 4, entitled “Conversion to Renew Synodality,” proposes the central elements of the Synod on Synodality (no. 106): “participation and co-responsibility of lay people”; “integration of the exercise of collegiality by Pastors and the synodality lived by the whole People of God.”

As for the Pope: “exercise of the Petrine ministry of unity and leadership of the universal Church by the Bishop of Rome in the communion of all local Churches, in synergy with the collegial ministry of Bishops and the synodal journey of the People of God”; And finally, “ the openness of the Catholic Church towards other Churches and ecclesial communities,” as it moves toward full unity “in the reconciled diversity of their respective traditions.”

Not surprisingly, the chapter continues with “Listening and dialogue for communal discernment” (title of section 3) and “Synodality and the ecumenical journey” (title of section 4).

Conclusion

This document would be used at the Synod, first in the presentation document. Then it disappeared in the face of the consultation process, which produced more or less calamitous documents, and even the synthesis document for the first session in October 2023, which seemed set to bog down the process.

But it suddenly reappeared as the main source of the Instrumentum laboris of the second session, refocusing the Synod on the thinking of Francis; and it appeared again as a fundamental source in the Final Document.