Continental Phase of the Synod UPDATED!

UPDATES: 

Chris Shenk expressed an optimistic view of the National Syntheses and the possibilities of the Synod on Synodality.

Will laity be granted voice at next October's synod?

Tom Reese also has an optimistic view of the National Synthesis. 

Synod on Synodality had its doubters, but it's proving to be balm for 'enduring wounds'

 The Vatican Synod Website has the following four-page pdf: (Bolded text by myself)

Frequently Asked Questions on the Continental Stage

What areas are indicated by Continental? 

For this synod, the subdivision decided upon is as follows:

1) That expressed by the 5 International Meetings of Episcopal Conferences (indicated in brackets), 

corresponding roughly to the five continents: Europe (CCEE), Latin America and the Caribbean 

(CELAM), Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Asia (FABC) and Oceania (FCBCO).

2) North America (USA+Canada) and the Middle East (which will specifically see the contribution 

of the Eastern Catholic Churches).

My comment: It does not mean that there will be seven physical meetings. There could be regional meetings within the continents, maybe even virtual meetings although that is not specified See news accounts below..

Who will participate in the Continental Assemblies?

All Continental Assemblies should be Ecclesial Assemblies (of the entire People of God) and not 

only Episcopal Assemblies (of bishops only). Thus, the participants should adequately represent the variety of the People of God: bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, laymen and laywomen. This is one of the first fruits of the ongoing synod process, as it corresponds to the wish of the majority of the Bishops' Conferences consulted on the subject by the General Secretariat of the Synod. 

However, the bishops are invited to have their own specific time to meet with one another, most likely at the end of the Continental Assemblies, to collegially reread the synodal experience lived from their own specific charisma and role, especially to recognize the authenticity and freedom of the path taken before the Lord, rather than to correct or add themes and topics. 

We also hope for the participation of fraternal delegates from other Christian denominations and 

representatives of other religions and faith traditions, as well as some people with no religious 

affiliation but aware of the importance of "walking together" also for our societies.

My comment: How the participants will be selected is not specified. However, many of these will likely be people who participated in the diocesan phase since they are encouraged to be a part of the continental phrase, too.

What will they discuss?

This Continental Stage is marked by the Document for the Continental Stage (DCS), which will be

written after careful reflection on the fruits of the first stage from syntheses of all of the Episcopal 

Conferences of the Universal Church, as well as the Eastern Churches, and groups such as Religious Institutes, Lay Movements and so on. The DCS will be released at the end of October.

The intent of the continental stage is to deepen our discernment on what has emerged from the previous stage of local and national listening, with the aim of formulating open questions more accurately, and to better substantiate and flesh out the insights coming from the local Churches, now at a continental perspective. The DCS will assist the reflection on what has emerged from the consultation of the People of God in the local Churches around the world. This stage also wants to be an opportunity to listen to those realities on the margins of the Church not integrated in the previous stage. This stage is not yet the time to suggest answers, nor to decide on courses of action.

This connection will be ensured by working from a document: the Document for the Continental Stage, formerly called Instrumentum Laboris 1. This document is to be understood as the real working resource, which should facilitate the work of dialogue, listening and discernment at the continental level. This document is the fruit of the discernment of the previous stage (that of the local one) and will be developed from the syntheses received from the local level.

It is important to understand the Document for the Continental Stage, not as a document to be amended, corrected or enlarged in view of the universal stage, but as a true guide for an ongoing discernment, fruit of listening to the People of God

This specific process related to the Continental Assemblies begins with the publication of the Document for the Continental Stage, which we expect to be ready by October 2022. This document will be made public and sent to all the bishops of the world. 

We have the fervent hope that, following the release of the Document for the Continental Stage, the thousands of local groups that were assembled for the local stage will then also extend their reflection on this document to continue deepening themselves in their own local synodal processes with the guidance of their pastor. 

However, it is important to underline that the main subjects of this pre-assembly process are the 

people identified to represent local Churches at the Continental Assembly. 

In addition, specific continental Task Forces will be or have already been set up to guide the synodal journey within their continent. They will be accompanied by a Task Force of the General Secretariat of the Synod, which has the task of animating the full continental process and of supporting the continental assemblies.

Comment: this guide repeatedly talks about the dialogue nature of the process. I suspect that means that the Document for the Continental Stage should be seen as Rome's dialogue with what has gone on in the local churches. It will probably contain at least parts of a synthesis of the various national documents from Rome's perspective, especially containing things with which most people agree. However, I suspect it will also note conflicts and discontinuities. For example, the environment gets little mention in the USA synthesis, but likely was prominent in some other syntheses around the world.  What I suspect they want as a response is a dialogue with the Roman Document not a process of acceptance, rejection or amendment.

When?

As for the continental assemblies, these will take place between January and March 2023. The 

contributions (through a Final Document) from these 7 processes will have to be submitted by March 31st

What will happen at the end of this Continental Stage?

The Continental Stage will conclude in each 'continent' with the celebration of the Continental Assemblies and the drafting of a Final Document of the Continental Stage. This document will have to be the fruit of an authentically synodal path, respectful of the synodal process actually carried out, thus reflecting the voice of the People of God within the Continent. More precise instructions on how structure this document will be offered together with the DCS.

The 7 continental documents will be sent, no later than March 31st, to the General Secretariat of the Synod and will form the basis of the Instrumentum Laboris. 

Some recent news reports

Synod advisers meet outside Rome

Some 30 theologians, pastoral workers and bishops have been gathering for the past week .to draft the working document of the continental phase of Pope Francis' revamped global synod process, she described how representatives from six continents have worked to "authentically" synthesize the reports of 112 participating episcopal conferences from around the world to produce a new document that will guide the synod's next phase,

Prior to the Frascati meeting, said Pascoe, each participant was given the synod reports from approximately 10-15 countries and encouraged to read them at least three times and then offer a country-by-country analysis and then, eventually, a synthesis of the themes that emerged. Upon arrival in Frascati, the participants had different rounds of conversations in different small group configurations, based separately on continent of origin, ecclesial status (laity, religious or clergy), and gender.

According to Pascoe, this "slicing and dicing" created a rigorous process that allowed a series of small groups to carefully study the submissions and then present them to the full body of drafters.

Austen Ivereigh, who is among the drafters and is an organizer of "The Road to a Synodal Church" project in England, said the idea "is to keep giving you different perspectives on the same material."

While the drafters have been asked not to discuss the content of the forthcoming document, Mauricio López, who is the coordinator for the Conference of Latin American Bishops' Center for Networking and Action, told NCR that in synthesizing reports from around the globe "there is a very clear consistency in the recognition that this is a time for change."

"In this call for change, we can see that there needs to be a different dynamic in how the church listens to the people of God and how it allows itself to be transformed by listening to the people of God," he continued.

Exclusive: Cardinal Grech on drafting the first global synod synthesis

Grech:(the Head of the Synod dicastery)  the synod is not an event celebrated once every three years but is a process: a process that has a beginning but, believe me, I don’t think will have an end, even the present synod that we are celebrating.”

Cardinal Grech underlined that “the pope is the head of our secretariat, we respond directly to him, and that’s why I’m called general secretary.” I noted that he was originally referred to as general secretary of the Synod of Bishops but, in the pope’s new constitution for the Roman Curia, the central offices of the Vatican, that went into effect June 5, the term “bishops” appears to have disappeared from his title and that of the secretariat. Asked to explain the significance of this, the cardinal said, “The word ‘Bishops’ has disappeared from the title, but they are still a major partner in the process.” He said the reason for the change is that “this particular synod that we are celebrating, which was inaugurated in October 2021 and will have an important phase, the Assembly for Bishops, in October 2023, is not exactly a synod for bishops but is a synod for the whole church.”

As such, he said, “the first phase, which we have just concluded in mid-August, used to be called a ‘preparatory phase,’ but it is not a preparatory phase [for a meeting of bishops], it is part of this synodal process.” Likewise, the process of discernment “is not limited to the assembly for bishops, what used to be called the Synod of Bishops. No, this discernment started from the particular churches where all the people of God, all the baptized, were invited to contribute. Furthermore, because the church has no limits, even those who are not baptized but are of good will can also be listened to.”

“We are going to convene in a house in Frascati to read all these reports and make a synodal discernment so that we can draft the first document that then will go to the continental phase,” the cardinal said. He underlined that “It is the first time that we are holding this [kind of] communal discernment. In the past, the synthesis was carried out by one or by two [people] at most, but we took this new initiative.”

The group of 35 is “a mix” of religious and laypeople, men and women, with only two bishops, “coming from the different continents, because I believe that it’s one thing to read the text with the lens of a European and another thing to read the same text from the point of view of an African or an Asian or Latin American. So we are going to be together for two weeks and hopefully, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will manage to make a report.” He said the team will draft the report, and “for the last two days of the meeting, the [roughly 15] members of the synod council will join us.” The synod council is a group of bishops elected during the last ordinary synod, which in this case was the 2018 Synod on Young People.

The council will then approve the document, which will be sent to Pope Francis for his approval before the text is published. After that, the cardinal said, the document will be sent to every diocesan bishop. “We are inviting every bishop to convene his church, and in particular, his consulting bodies, namely, the presbyterate council, the diocesan pastoral council, the synodal equipe of his diocese to read this document,” the cardinal said. He gave two reasons for this: “First of all, to see whether his church is present, to see if the document reflects his church,” and second, “so that every local church can be aware [of] what other churches are saying.”

Cardinal Grech: The synod ‘needs time’ on the question of married priests

Cardinal Grech emphasized that “we are not providing the same criteria for every continental assembly.” For example, the Latin American bishops’ conference (CELAM) is “going to have, I think, five regional assemblies and then a general assembly.” Africa, too, will have regional assemblies, the cardinal said. Although Europe is still planning, the European organizers have “already decided to hold the continental assembly in Prague, if I am not mistaken, in February 2023.”

He revealed that Canada and the United States will be “by themselves” for a North American assembly, while Mexico has chosen to join Latin America. “They have their plan, but it is not yet definite,” the cardinal said. Likewise, “Oceania—that is, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands—too has a plan, but it is not easy for them” to meet due to the long distances between countries. Asia will have its own assembly, and another is being considered for the Oriental churches, which can choose whether to join the assemblies on their continents or opt to meet with other Oriental churches.

“Absolutely,” he responded. “And if I can add something to prove how right you are, I remember that after the publication of ‘Querida Amazonia’, I was talking to him and the issue of viri probati [ordaining mature, married men] came forth, and he told me, ‘Do you know why I did not accept that proposition? Because I felt that during the synodal assembly there was not a discernment.’” Cardinal Grech remarked, “Believe me, there and then I thanked the Lord for the ministry of Peter.”

Asked to confirm whether the pope’s response to the question of ordaining married men “is not a rejection” but rather is “a question that hasn't matured yet,” Cardinal Grech said, “Yes. We need time!”

Comment: I think the question of viri probati will only be resolved if a synod reaffirms the historical role of celibacy in the West but allows specific bishops conferences to make exceptions for their situation.