When the bishops meet

The first World Synod of Bishops of Pope Benedict’s pontificate is likely to provide the faithful with markers towards the way he views the nature of leadership of the Catholic Church.

Under Pope John Paul II, these episcopal synods were tightly managed, with the late curial Cardinal Jan Schotte keeping a firm grip on their scope, procedure and outcome.

While thorny issues were raised during these synods, many bishops complained that these were not always reflected, or at times even acknowledged, in the final synodal document. A frequently voiced contention was that these documents reflected not the views of the assembled bishops, but those of the Roman curia.

Some will argue that this approach is contrary to the will of Vatican II, in whose wake Pope Paul VI introduced the first Synod of Bishops. In this view, these synods are a means of achieving the principle of collegiality the proposition that the pope governs the Church together with the body of bishops.

The Roman curia, in a bid of evident self-preservation, quickly took control of the workings of the synod, rendering it, in the view of many, an emasculated rubber-stamping body.

Now the Church is led by a new pope one who is said to be keen to reform the curia, and who has made some encouraging (as well as some discouraging) statements on the principle of collegiality.

While the synod that begins on October 2 will focus on the Eucharist, it is of particular interest to those who seek less centralisation and a wider spread of consultation in Church governance.

The final synodal document will strongly reaffirm the centrality of the Eucharist in Catholic life. There will be little debate among the bishops about the magnitude of the Body and Blood of Christ in our faith. The document will promote greater devotion to the Eucharist, most likely encouraging pieties such as perpetual adoration and eucharistic processions.

However, many bishops will come to Rome with weighty pastoral concerns including some concerning inculturation.

Others relate to the ecumenical question of shared Communion: under what circumstances, if any, can a non-Catholic receive the Eucharist; and how to interpret Church doctrine in this regard faithfully yet pastorally.

Many bishops will also be burdened by the acute dilemma of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, who are barred from receiving holy Communion.

It is a question also on the pope’s mind. Meeting with priests in northern Italy in July, Pope Benedict acknowledged this pastoral quandary, saying it requires further study.

In the same meeting, Pope Benedict declared that he does not have all the answers, telling the priests: The pope is not a prophet. He is infallible in very rare circumstances, as we all know.

Vatican II saw the Synod of Bishops as the collegial way by which the episcopate and papacy collaborate in finding answers to the questions one man cannot arrive at alone.

Yet, Pope Benedict has already indicated that he does not see the Synod of Bishops as an executive body, as this might create a second Roman curia.

Arguably, it was the notion that the Synod’s authority should override that of the curia which should serve, not rule the Church that the Council fathers voted for.

The October Synod of Bishops will be an instructive moment for the Church: how it deals with pastoral problems related to its main focus the Eucharist and what its processes tell us about the future of collegiality in the Church.