Sometime around 1960 or 1961, I mentioned at home something that had been said at school about the upcoming ecumenical council. My father asked what that was. Outside the rarified religious environment of a Catholic school, such complete unawareness of the upcoming council was probably quite common among ordinary American Catholic laypeople. (Of course, Catholic elites were involved in pre-conciliar consultations. A total of 138 responses were submitted by U.S. Bishops. These included a request from Washington's Archbishop O'Boyle for a conciliar condemnation of racism and racial discrimination.)
In two weeks, the world-wide "synodal process" proclaimed by Pope Francis is scheduled to begin at the local level throughout the Church. But, as in the period prior to Vatican II, one wonders how many American Catholics are even aware of it at all.
The official launch of the synodal process is scheduled to take place in Rome on October 10. Its conclusion will be the Synod of Bishops' next ordinary assembly, which will be held in Rome two years from now, focused explicitly on the issue of "synodality." Its official theme, chosen by Pope Francis, will be For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission. Meanwhile, all Local Churches (e.g., dioceses) are supposed to start engaging in the synodal process locally on October 17. During that first, local phase (through April 2022), input will be collected from local parishes and other groups. All that data will then be synthesized into a 10-page report to the national episcopal conferences (e.g., the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). Then the national episcopal conferences will compile all the local input for the seven continental meetings - Africa, Oceania, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and North America (the U.S. and Canada) - the final documents from which will be the basis for the October 2023 Synod's working document (Instrumentum Laboris).
According to the official preparatory materials, the purpose of this present, first phase "is to foster a broad consultation process in order to gather the wealth of the experiences of lived synodality, in its different articulations and facets, involving the Pastors and the Faithful of the [local] Churches at all the different levels, through the most appropriate means according to the specific local realities." While they are encouraged to participate in the process in the context of the local Churches, religious communities, lay movements, and other ecclesial associations and groups may also contribute directly. The synodal process is intended "as an opportunity to open us, to look around us, to see things from other points of view, and to move out in missionary outreach to the peripheries." This "means broadening our perspectives to the dimensions of the entire Church," asking "What is God's plan for the Church here and now? How can we implement God's dream for the Church on the local level?"
Undoubtedly these events will duly take place, but at least in the United States unawareness of and indifference to the synod and "synodality" still seem to be widespread in the experience of many ordinary Catholics.
Of course, just as Vatican II happened and changed the Church beyond recognition despite the unpreparedness of many Americans, so too the Synod on synodality will meet in October 2023 and will do whatever it is going to do, regardless of how actually engaged - or not - ordinary Catholics in local Churches have been. But, just as the American participation during Vatican II and the American reception of Vatican II after the fact might have been different had the level of prior popular engagement been greater, so too the same might be said of this upcoming synodal process.
"Understandably, I think everyone is wondering where this is going," observes Knoxville's Bishop Richard Stika. "Pope Francis recognizes this and has stated quite clearly that this is part of a bigger journey. That we are a Catholic community, and that as Christians, we are part of the largest faith group in the world. But we're not too big to still communicate with each other. The Holy Father has also reminded us that this is a spiritual process that requires discernment. It's not an exercise in holding meetings and having debates. We need to listen to each other, but mostly listen to what God and the Holy Spirit might be trying to tell each of us."
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