SYNOD ON SYNODALITY
Pope Francis has asked the entire Catholic world to give thought and input for the Sixteenth Bishops Synod scheduled for 2023.
According to the Roman Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law, "The synod of bishops is a group of bishops who have been chosen from different regions of the world to meet together at fixed time to foster closer unity between the Roman Pontiff and bishops, to assist the Roman Pontiff with their counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals and in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline, and to consider questions pertaining to the activity of the Church in the world" (#342).
This Synod of Bishops was instituted in response to recommendations from bishops gathered at the Second Vatican Council which met from 1962-65. Pope Paul VI established the Synod Bishops on September 15, 1965.
Pope Francis has invited input from the entire Church for the 2023 Synod. Each diocese has been instructed to gather this input and publicize the results of this solicitation before sending the results to the Vatican. Here are the instructions to the dioceses:
"Each diocese can choose to prepare the synthesis either before or after the Diocesan Pre-synodal Meeting, as long as the fruits of that meeting are also incorporated into the diocesan synthesis. As much as possible, everyone should feel that his or her voice has been represented in the synthesis. As a model of transparency, the members of the drafting team as well as the process of synthesizing the feedback be made public once it has been drafted, as a touchstone for the journey of the diocese along the path of synodality. As much as possible, opportunities can be given to the People of God to review and respond to the content of the diocesan synthesis before it is officially sent to the episcopal conference."
The Bishops Synodal Committe cautioned that this consultation of the people does not imply the assumption within the Church of the dynamics of democracy based on the principle of majority. Suggestions and decisions are always put in the context of what the Holy Spirit asks of us.
Pope Francis explained in his opening address for the 2018 synod that the purpose of a synod is not to develop documents but "to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands."
