Background
The Christian tradition of synodality (by which we mean the ways in which assemblies of the faithful seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit) has been revived by Pope Francis in a radically inclusive way. His vision of a synodal Church gives expression to the Second Vatican Council’s insight that the Church is first and foremost the People of God, in which all share responsibility for its life and mission.
After reforming and invigorating the Synod of Bishops as a discerning assembly, Pope Francis has now called the entire Catholic world, including every diocese and order, to a two-year (2021-23) journey of gathering, listening and discerning under the title, ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.’ The journey has begun with a listening to the whole body of the faithful, moving to a listening to the bishops (at continental and universal levels) and, finally, to the Pope. The process seeks to enable, through the active participation of all, a ‘synodal conversion’, that is, a transformation in our way of being Church, including the way it exercises ministries and makes decisions. The synod’s purpose is to open the Church to the gifts and new horizons of the Holy Spirit, to deepen communion, enable participation, and further mission.
The Road to a Synodal Church: Insights and Experiences
Midway through the first diocesan phase of the ‘synod on synodality’, Campion Hall is hosting a symposium that will bring together both experts and authorities—including the Head of the Synod Secretariat in Rome, Cardinal Mario Grech—with those involved in implementing the synod processes in the dioceses of England and Wales. The symposium, ‘The Road to a Synodal Church: Insights and Experiences’, invites us to reflect upon the experience thus far and on how to deepen it in the future.
The symposium will immerse participants in a deeper understanding of the tradition and practice of synodality; encourage and inspire a Church that ‘walks together’; help all to communicate the meaning of synodality in a Church where understanding and experience of it are limited; explore the implications of a ‘synodally converted Church’ for canon law and the Church’s own organisation and governance; and point to ways in which this conversion to a synodal way of proceeding can be strengthened and advanced in the future.
‘The Road to a Synodal Church’ will be itself an experience of synodality, enabling a deep listening both to invited speakers and to those involved in organising synodal processes at national, continental and diocesan levels. There will be four sessions of input and panels, interspersed with three mutual listening plenaries, guided by a facilitator, that themselves model synodal discernment. In the final plenary, the gathering will be invited to suggest ways in which the Spirit is prompting the Church to journey further down the road to a synodal Church.
Participants in the symposium representing dioceses from around England and Wales have now been confirmed. A livestream of Cardinal Grech's keynote address is planned and select recordings from the symposium will be made available online in due course. Please stay tuned for more.
