Future cardinal: Synod on Synodality strengthens diversity and decentralisation

The Archbishop of Belgrade, Ladislav Nemet, who isalso Vice President of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE), provides insights into his appointment as the first cardinal in the Serbian Catholic Church. In an interview with katholisch.de, he also talks about his experiences at the Synod on Synodality and the challenge of creating a new culture of listening. Among other things, Nemet also discusses how the Church can respond to questions in a decentralised manner - for example on the role of women - without jeopardising unity.

Question: Excellence, you are the first cardinal in the history of the Church of Serbia. How do you perceive this?

Nemet: It was certainly a big surprise for me, and I think also for my co-workers and the faithful, because it was not foreseeable. For the Church in Serbia, it is also somewhat surprising that the Pope has made such a decision, also because of its size.

Question: The Pope has somewhat simplified the procedure for appointing cardinals...

Nemet: In the past, it was usually traditional for the nuncios to ask the candidates beforehand whether they would accept an appointment as a cardinal. Pope Francis no longer does that, he simply decides. I only found out that he had made me a cardinal shortly after the rally at the Sunday Angelus at midday on 6 October. Friends called and congratulated me. That was interesting, because the first congratulations came when I didn't know anything.

Question: The appointment took place during the Synod on Synodality. You took part in both sessions in the Vatican. How did you perceive them and what was the difference between the sessions?

Nemet: There was a fundamental difference, which has often been mentioned over the past year. The presence of lay people, of women, did us a lot of good. The work at the round tables also completely changed the atmosphere of the discussions. Round tables of 12 people, with a cardinal, several bishops, several lay people and also several women, and from very different contexts. That was truly Catholic.

Question: In what way?

Nemet: The beauty of the universal Church could be experienced. If I compare the two sessions, it was much clearer this year because last year we were at the beginning of a journey. It was the first time we had such discussions. We were just getting to know the other delegates. When we came back to Rome this year, we saw a lot of familiar faces, people we had sat around a table with last year and liked, regardless of what they thought or didn't think. We were suddenly like friends, if I may say so. That is a great gain, not just for me personally, but for the whole church. And the Church has shown the whole world that representatives of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world can talk to each other for four weeks without any major disputes, despite all the differences.

Question: Other participants, such as the US Jesuit James Martin, also spoke of "friendship". Does that make it easier to discuss difficult topics?

Nemet: When you talk to someone for the first time who has a completely different opinion, you first check whether this person really thinks this way, whether they are authentic and whether there are arguments in favour of their opinion. Other opinions don't come out of nowhere, but from people who also have a deep faith in God - and who hope that the church can fulfil its task in this society. This interpersonal component helped us a lot and built up trust, common goals and different paths that are just as Catholic as my convictions. We eventually got to the point where we could talk about all the issues without any blockages. It was nice to see how people listened to each other. I'm sure that also has something to do with the fact that we learnt to understand and appreciate each other better.

Question: What do you take away from the Synod?

Nemet: It is the "new" mentality of listening, not so much the method of dialogue that we practised in Rome. For me, it is important to get together with people, to have time and to listen to them. It's about creating an atmosphere in which people can overcome their fear of bishops and priests and talk to us openly and honestly about their problems. For us priests and bishops, it's about having compassion and empathy and empathising with each other's lives. It's not about being silent when others talk, but about sensing why it's important and what God wants to say to me through this other person. Finally, the next step is to look for solutions together. We have talked and learnt a lot about this decision-making process. This also includes transparency. We bishops and priests must be prepared to speak clearly and be transparent about what we are doing and why.

Question: Does this also include the accountability of church authorities?

Nemet: We should get used to the fact that we, above all the bishop, are accountable to our faithful. So it is also a question of asking and examining, evaluating time and again whether a decision was good, whether it has helped us, whether a decision has brought more joy and hope to the people in our country, whether our presence as a church in society and what we stand for has become clearer. In a synodal church, it is no longer about pleasing the bishop. He is accountable to the faithful. This is where the synodal bodies help us, which we certainly still need to develop in Serbia and where I, as Metropolitan Archbishop, have to take a very close look. Where are people being hurt, marginalised, where are decisions being made in a non-transparent way, where is accountability to the people being denied by the clergy? These are all doors to clericalism - and hopefully that time is over.

Question: Since no decisions have been made on certain topics such as the role of women: What did the Pope actually want to achieve with this synod?

Nemet: Well, I think that the Synod has come to a conclusion that theoretically already existed before in church documents, but that has now taken concrete shape. I use the word decentralisation here. Let me make this clear: The question of the role of women in the Catholic Church arises on all continents. But it is understood and implied in different ways in different contexts. I come from a country where Orthodox Christians form the majority, where women have little to no presence in the liturgy, for example. It's very different in the Catholic Church.

Question: But not everywhere...

Nemet: But we will have a different task as a church, for example in Germany or Switzerland, where women are much more involved. Decentralisation therefore means that each local church will look at its situation, its culture and its needs, where more can be given to women so that they can really experience that equal dignity arises from baptism. If we follow this, the role of women in the Church in Africa, in Asia, in some Arab countries, perhaps also in North America or Australia, will be completely different. We must be prepared for the church to be even richer in its different forms of expression.

Question: Such as the permanent diaconate?

Nemet: The permanent diaconate is a good example. It is accepted in Europe and North America, but not elsewhere. In many African countries and Asian local churches, such a diaconate has not been introduced. That is why I emphasise decentralisation once again. The Church will be rich in all possible dimensions.

Question: And yet Rome has to decide?

Nemet: Yes, no matter how colourful the Church becomes, Rome is also the principle of unity in the Catholic Church in this sense. Care must be taken to ensure that diversity does not go beyond the scope of the Church. Here, Rome guarantees the unity of the Catholic Church.

Question: Another example is the blessing document "Fiducia supplicans"...

Nemet: The reactions to the document of blessing of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith are a good example of diversity. Some African local churches have rejected the document, but remain in communion with the Pope. They have clearly communicated their position, and on this basis there has been an exchange that the Vatican has accepted. We also know that blessings for couples in same-sex relationships are practised in many local churches around the world.Of course, cultural specifics must not be abused and instrumentalised if a bishop or a bishops' conference does not want to introduce something. That is why we have now made the decision-making processes much broader and more deliberate, with the participation of many, not just the bishops. The faithful must be asked.

Question: What do you think of the final document of the Synod?

Nemet: The Holy Father surprised us all when he adopted the document. It is a historic decision. After three years and two major assemblies in Rome, a single document is presented, accepted and incorporated into the magisterium of the Church. I think it is a unique thing and a unique experience that such a large Church with so many peoples, languages and cultures can present such a document. At 60 pages and 152 paragraphs, it is quite long, but considering how many Catholics there are, it is a very short document. Surprisingly, however, most of them are satisfied with it.

Question: Keyword satisfaction: After your appointment, conservative movements claimed that the Pope wanted to prevent the canonisation of the Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac by making you a cardinal. How do you see this?

Nemet: Of course, my elevation to cardinal has awakened nationalistic, chauvinistic thoughts in some people's minds. We have seen this in some media both in Serbia and in Croatia. These were reactions that do not correspond at all to the Catholic consciousness. The fact that conservative currents in Serbia and Croatia reacted in the same way proves to me that it is not rational here or there. You can read the appointment however you want, but it is clear that the Pope's intention was to strengthen the Church in Serbia. We are a small church with 300,000 Catholics. This is a special sign for us.