Bishops from all over the world focus on change in the Catholic Church

The end of the Synod on Synodality has led to calls in many places to further establish synodality in the Church. "In time, ordinary Catholics will see a church in which they count, in which they are important. In which their talents, gifts and experiences are important because they are baptised," the General Relator of the Synod and Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich told "Vatican News" at the weekend. The Synod adopted its final document on Saturday, which was directly approved by Pope Francis without the usual preparation of a separate document.

The President of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Franz Lackner, also welcomed the "positive and hopeful conclusion" of the Synod, he told Kathpress. The open dialogue and listening to each other had "proved its worth, is a real benefit and I will certainly continue to practice it in my area," said the Salzburg head pastor.

The Secretary General of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, Anna-Mirijam Kaschner, emphasised the new character of the synod. "I believe this is the first time in church history that we are starting something new." She also realised this with regard to Pope Francis, she told "Vatican News": "The Pope himself is a learner. He too must learn to listen."

Process of change in the Church

The President of the Philippine Bishops' Conference and appointed Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David also spoke in a statement of a process of change in the Church as a result of the Synod on Synodality. "It is not as before that the priest has the last word." He was pleased that it was about elementary things. "The main goal is to transform the church into a synodal missionary church. The biggest contribution to this would be for us to hold synods differently in future."

Archbishop Cristóbal López Romero of Rabat takes a similar view. Synodality had come "to establish itself definitively in our ecclesial environment and to be a prophetic sign in civil society", he told "Vida Nueva". It remains a "form of life and a form of relationship among us and with those outside the Church. It wants to be and must be a way of organising our structures and institutions, a spirituality and a theology".

The Archbishop Emeritus of Zaragoza, Vicente Jiménez Zamora, spoke above all about the atmosphere at the synod. "The atmosphere of personal and communal prayer, the celebration of the Eucharist, the days of spiritual retreat with wise biblical and theological meditations helped us a lot to listen to God and our brothers and sisters," he told Religion Digital.

More synodality also in the Bishops' Conference

The Irish synod participants, Limerick Bishop Brendan Leahy and the Bishop of Down and Connor Anan McGuckian, emphasised the value of the adopted document in a statement. One of the strongest messages is that discernment must be made at every level of the Church. In the Church of Ireland, there would already be discerning and prayerful communities such as pastoral councils at parish level. "The Synod has emphasised that the promotion of these communities is fundamental to continuing to listen to God's direction for the Church in Ireland."

In contrast, two synod participants from the USA, San Diego's Cardinal Robert McElroy and Chicago's Chief Shepherd Blase Cupich, are calling for more synodality in the US Bishops' Conference. Both emphasised in a statement that there should be a separate, well-equipped body for this purpose. Cupich emphasised the vote adopted by the Pope in the final document on the openness of the question of female deacons. "I am very much in favour of the ordination of female deacons and I hope that I will live to see it."

Polish Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś emphasised to "Ekai" that synodality is not an end in itself, but serves the mission. "Mission arises from the encounter with the risen Lord. If this perspective is ignored, then a synod on synodality remains a dispute about authority and competence in the Church." (cph)