Will this be a Transformative Synod?

 

Roman Catholic bishops from around the world, including two late additions from China, have gathered at the Vatican for a synod which will stretch over two weeks. This a big deal for a number of reasons. There are discussions on the agenda which are ground-breaking for the RCs including the increased involvement of women in leadership and recognition of LGBTQ2+ persons. Laypersons will also be involved and full voting members at the synod, including women. 

Perhaps your eyes are already rolling because for some Christian communities these are yester-year's issues. I admire Pope Francis who will be 87 in December yet is no entrenched geezer in his willingness to engage in discussions which are meeting with considerable resistance from conservative factions within the church. In the event you've forgotten, the pope is infallible by church doctrine, except when other leaders don't agree with what he is saying and doing. There is actually a formal challenge which has come forward from five cardinals with several "dubia" -- literally doubts -- addressed directly to Francis. One of them is the possibility of permitting the blessing of same-gender relationships. Another is ordaining women. 

I have a couple of quick observations. At this meeting the bishops and Pope Francis are sitting at round tables so that discussion can take place in a smaller, face-to-face context -- how United Church! This is a visual shift from the hierarchical model of the past, and a signal about what needs to unfold in a more conciliar institution for the 21st century. 

While this tentative discussion of same-gender blessings which Francis has stated would not be the same as the sacrament of marriage may seem tepid it is a necessary step. I attended the United Church General Council in 1992 and was a participant in the working group on what were then called same-gender unions. The discussion within the smaller group and the wider debate were not easy. I was aware that some commissioners were opposed to raising the subject at all, feeling that it was contrary to scripture and undermined the institution of marriage. We certainly didn't leave Fredericton with anything like consensus yet we were willing to talk together -- at round tables, no less. 

In the spirit of ecumenism and for the sake of those who desire a full place at the Roman Catholic table I encourage you to pay attention to what is unfolding during the next couple of weeks. Please pray for Pope Francis and for the Roman Catholic Church.

Decades ago I asked an elderly, progressive Roman Catholic nun if she thought ordination would ever happen for women in her church. With a twinkle and a sigh she figured that her beloved church would resist to the bitter end and she described a space-craft circling the Earth with the last male priest saying mass. Well, I can only imagine that she has long gone to her reward but she may be smiling from her heavenly home.