Catholic global synod: what did it achieve?
360 bishops and other members of the Catholic Church have been discussing the Church's future over the last month at the Global Synod in Rome. A particularly controversial issue was the extent to which the Church should democratise and give women access to official positions within its institutions. Commentators discuss whether the final document offers cause for optimism or is in fact a setback for those calling for reforms.
Mixed results
The Church is at a crossroads, writes the Kleine Zeitung:
“Pope Francis wanted to initiate a dynamic process by convening a global synod. For four years, bishops and lay people, men and women have been discussing the future of the Church in Rome. Their ideas are very disparate, and the outcome is correspondingly mixed. While some pastors are raving about armchair circles with the Global South and a new culture of listening, the reformers feel that their hopes have been dashed. They wanted to use the synod to gain more power for the laity, for women and for the local churches, but no decisions were reached on any of these issues. ... What is important for Europe is not necessarily important for Africa, Latin America or India.”
Focus on shared progress
The Pope has conducted himself in an exemplary manner by staying in the background and letting others take the lead, the Catholic newspaper La Croix comments:
“The results may seem tentative - even disappointing - as far as the role of women is concerned. However, the aim is not so much to convey certainties as to promote a way forward together. The synod invites people at all levels to draw inspiration from the vitality that flows through the grassroots communities. By refraining from compiling a document that would impose his own interpretation, the Pope is setting a good example. He is showing how an authority figure can remain in the background. And he invites every believer to assume responsibility, wherever he or she may be.”
The role of women has been strengthened
Il Sole 24 Ore comments:
“A greater role for women in positions of responsibility in the Church and an open door for 'deaconesses'. These are the key points of the synod document which was adopted on Saturday evening by a two-thirds majority. ... Here is the decisive passage: 'The meeting asks for full implementation of all the opportunities already provided for in Canon Law with regard to the role of women, particularly in those places where they remain under-explored. There is no reason why women should not assume leadership roles in the Church'. This final document will be submitted to the Church's teaching authority, the Magisterium. It is law, even if it does not prescribe any specific actions but rather indicates general guidelines to be followed.”
Francis is not a reformer
Women are getting a raw deal again, writes the Aargauer Zeitung:
“For decades, Vatican commissions have been dealing with the issue of the ordination of women. Time and again women have been fobbed off with meaningless gestures. ... There is no rational reason to uphold gender discrimination in the name of God – especially since the Church's ministry in many countries would come to a standstill without women. ... In fact, not a single tenet of the faith would change if women priests and deacons were to minister to the faithful. Jesus would still be called Jesus. The Bible would not need to be rewritten. The man from Argentina has wrongly been hailed as a reformer. This has to do with the fact that he is very close to the people. ... But the head of the Catholics is not a reformer. When it comes to Church doctrine, he remains unyielding.”