SYNOD FINAL DOCUMENT TAKEAWAYS
INTRODUCTION
- Every new step in the life of the Church is a return to the source.#1
- It challenges all the baptised, without exception: "The whole People of God is an agent of the proclamation of the Gospel. Every baptised person is called to be a protagonist of mission since we are all missionary disciples" (ITC 53)#4
- The Synod 2021-2024 continues to draw upon the energy of that seed and develop its potential. The synodal journey is indeed putting into practice what the Council taught about the Church as Mystery and Church as People of God, called to holiness through continual conversion that comes from listening to the Gospel. In this sense, the synodal journey constitutes an authentic further act of reception of the Council, thus deepening its inspiration and reinvigorating its prophetic force for today’s world.#5
- We were brought to a renewed understanding, namely, that synodality requires repentance and conversion... This is why we want to be a merciful Church, capable of sharing with everyone the forgiveness and reconciliation that come from God: pure grace of which we are not masters, but only witnesses.#6
- The areas of the life and mission of the Church that they have already begun to study in depth are the following:
1. Some aspects of the relationship between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church.
2. Listening to the Cry of the Poor
3. The mission in the digital environment.
4. The revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in a missionary synodal perspective.
5. Some theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms.
6. The revision, in a synodal missionary perspective, of the documents touching on the relationship between bishops, consecrated life, and ecclesial associations.
7. Some aspects of the person and ministry of the bishop (in particular: criteria for selecting candidates to the episcopacy, the judicial function of the bishops, the nature and structure of ad limina Apostolorum visits) from a missionary synodal perspective.
8. The role of Papal Representatives in a missionary synodal perspective.
9. Theological criteria and synodal methodologies for shared discernment of controversial doctrinal, pastoral, and ethical issues.
10. The reception of the fruits of the ecumenical journey of the People of God.#8
- The Final Document expresses awareness that the call to mission is at the same time the call to conversion of each particular Church and of the whole Church, in line with the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (cf. EG 30)#11
PART I - THE HEART OF SYNODALITY
- "It has pleased God, however, to sanctify and save men and women not individually and without regard for what binds them together, but to set them up as a people who would acknowledge Him in truth and serve Him in holiness" (LG 9). #16
- Gathered from every tribe, language, people and nation and living in different contexts and cultures, the synodal process gave us “the spiritual taste” (EG 268) of what it means to be the People of God. The People of God is never the simple sum of the baptised but the communitarian and historical subject of synodality and mission still on pilgrimage through time and already in communion with the Church in heaven.#17
- The Church is called to be poor with those who are poor, who often constitute the majority of the faithful, to listen to them, learning together how to recognise the charisms they receive from the Spirit. The Church also needs to learn to recognise them as agents of evangelisation. #19
- The Church’s vocation and its prophetic service (LG 12) consist in witnessing to 8 God's plan to unite all humanity to Himself in freedom and communion. The Church is "the Kingdom of Christ already present in mystery" (LG 3) and "the seed and the beginning of the Kingdom on earth" (LG 5). It, therefore, walks together with all humanity, strongly committed to justice and peace, human dignity and the common good. All this, while it “aspires after the completion of the kingdom" (LG 5) when God will be "all in all" (1 Cor 15: 28).#20
- The anointing by the Holy Spirit received at Baptism (cf. 1 Jn 2.20. 27) enables all believers to possess an instinct for the truth of the Gospel. We refer to this as the sensus fidei. This consists in a certain connaturality with divine realities, based on the fact that, in the Holy Spirit, the baptised become “sharers in the divine nature” (DV 2)... The sensus fidei aims at reaching a consensus of the faithful (consensus fidelium), which constitutes “a sure criterion for determining whether a particular doctrine or practice belongs to the apostolic faith”#22
- Ecumenism is first and foremost a matter of spiritual renewal. It demands processes of repentance and the healing of memories of past wounds, and, where necessary, finding the courage to offer fraternal correction in a spirit of evangelical charity.#23
- There is a close link between synaxis and synodos, between the Eucharistic assembly and the synodal assembly.... To this end, we call for the establishment of a specific Study Group to which would be entrusted reflection on how to make liturgical celebrations more an expression of synodality. It could also consider the topic of preaching within liturgical celebrations as well as the development of catechetical resources on synodality from a mystagogical perspective.#27
- Synodality is the walking together of Christians with Christ and towards God’s Kingdom, in union with all humanity... Synodality is the walking together of Christians with Christ and towards God’s Kingdom, in union with all humanity.#28
- Synodality and mission are intimately linked: mission illuminates synodality and synodality spurs to mission.#32
- In families, we learn to experience the basic practices needed for a synodal Church...Here we first learn how to discern and decide together, accept and exercise authority that is loving and lifegiving, and to be co-responsible and accountable. Families “humanise people through the relationship of ‘we’ and at the same time promote each person’s legitimate differences”#35
- A desire emerged to expand possibilities for participation and for the exercise of differentiated co-responsibility by all the baptised, men and women.#36
- . Here, we learn that we are equal in dignity and created for reciprocity, that we need to be listened to, and that we are able to listen. Here we first learn how to discern and decide together, accept and exercise authority that is loving and life-giving, and to be co-responsible and accountable. Families “humanise people through the relationship of ‘we’ and at the same time promote each person’s legitimate differences”#35
- This unity in diversity is precisely what is meant by the catholicity of the Church. The richness of the plurality of the Churches sui iuris highlighted by the synodal process, is a sign of this very catholicity. The Assembly asks that we continue along the path of the encounter, mutual understanding and exchange of gifts that nourish the communion of a Church of Churches.#38
- The synodal Church can be described using the image of the orchestra: the variety of instruments is necessary to give life to the beauty and harmony of music, within which the voice of each one retains its own distinctive features at the service of the common mission. Thus, is manifested the harmony that the Spirit brings about in the Church, the One who is harmony in person #42
- Synodality is primarily a spiritual disposition... A synodal spirituality flows from the action of the Holy Spirit and requires listening to the Word of God, contemplation, silence and conversion of heart. As Pope Francis stated in his opening address of the Second Session, “the Holy Spirit is a sure guide and our first task is to learn how to discern his voice, since he speaks through everyone and in all things”...A spirituality of synodality also requires asceticism, humility, patience and a willingness to forgive and be forgiven. It welcomes with gratitude and humility the variety of gifts and tasks distributed by the Holy Spirit for the service of the one Lord...We recognise the fruits of a spirituality of synodality when the daily life of the Church is marked by unity and harmony in pluriformity. No one can progress along the path of authentic spirituality alone; we need support, including formation and spiritual accompaniment, both as individuals and as a community.#43
PART II - ON THE BOAT, TOGETHER
- Listening is a fundamental element of the path to healing, repentance, justice and reconciliation.
- Listening to those who suffer exclusion and marginalisation strengthens the Church's awareness that taking on the burden of wounded relationships is part of its mission.
- Listening is a fundamental element of the path to healing, repentance, justice and reconciliation.
- Listening to those who suffer exclusion and marginalisation strengthens the Church's awareness that taking on the burden of wounded relationships is part of its mission.
- Synodality invites - and sometimes challenges – pastors of local Churches, as well as those responsible for leadership in consecrated life and in the movements, to strengthen relationships in order to bring to life an exchange of gifts at the service of the common mission.
- “Ecclesial synodality therefore needs theologians to do theology in a synodal way, developing their capacity to listen to each other, to dialogue, to discern and to harmonise their many and varied approaches and contributions”
- It is equally important that, especially during pastoral visits, the Bishop can spend time with the faithful to listen to them as part of his own ongoing discernment of needs. #70
FOR LAITY
1. increased participation of laymen and laywomen in Church discernment processes and all phases of decision-making processes (drafting, making and confirming decisions);
2. greater access of laymen and laywomen to positions of responsibility in dioceses and ecclesiastical institutions, including seminaries, theological institutes and faculties, more fully enacting existing provisions;
3. greater recognition and support for the lives and charisms of consecrated men and women and their employment in positions of ecclesial responsibility;
4. a greater number of qualified lay people serving as judges in all canonical processes; effective recognition of the dignity and respect for the rights of those who are employed in the Church and its institutions. #77
- It was also proposed that a possible ‘ministry of listening and accompaniment’ should be particularly aimed at welcoming those who are on the margins of the Church community, those who return after having drifted away and those who are searching for the truth and wish to be helped to meet the Lord. #78
PART III – “CAST THE NET”
- Decision-making processes need ecclesial discernment, which requires listening in a climate of trust that is supported by transparency and accountability. #80
- Formation is needed in order to engage in decision-making processes grounded in ecclesial discernment and which reflect a culture of transparency, accountability, and evaluation. #80
- Listening to the Word of God is the starting point and criterion for all ecclesial discernment #83
- If the synodal Church wants to be welcoming, then the culture and praxis of
accountability must shape its actions at all levels.#99
PART IV - AN ABUNDANT CATCH
- Synodal conversion calls each person to enlarge the space of their heart, the heart being the first place where all our relationships resonate, grounded in each believer’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. This is the starting point and the condition of any synodal reform of the bonds of our communion and the spaces where we are Church. Pastoral action cannot be limited to tending to relationships between people who already feel attuned to one another but rather encourage the encounter between all men and women. #110
- Place’ can no longer be conceived in purely geographical and spatial terms but evokes, in our time, one’s belonging to a network of relationships and to a culture whose territorial roots are more dynamic and flexible than ever before. Urbanisation is one of the main factors driving this change. Today, for the first time in human history, most of the global population lives in cities. Large cities are often urban masses without a history and identity in which people live an isolated existence. Traditional territorial bonds are being redefined, blurring the borders of dioceses and parishes. Living in such contexts, the Church is called to rebuild community life, to put a face to faceless entities and to strengthen relationships in this milieu. To this end, we must not only continue to value stilluseful structures; we also need “missionary creativity” to explore new forms of pastoral action and identify concrete processes of care #111
- Christian digital communities and groups, particularly young people, are also called to reflect on how they create bonds of belonging, promoting encounter and dialogue. They need to offer formation among their peers, developing a synodal way of being Church. The internet, constituted as a web of connections, offers new opportunities to better live the synodal dimension of the Church. #113
- The Church is also the People of God walking with Christ, in it everyone is called to be a pilgrim of hope. The traditional practice of pilgrimage is a sign of this. #115
- In deepening the identity of the Synod of Bishops, what is essential is that the combination of the involvement of all (the holy People of God), the ministry of some (the College of Bishops) and the presidency of one (the successor of Peter) appears and is concretely realised throughout the synodal process and in the Assemblies.#136
PART V - “SO I SEND YOU”
- Synodality implies a profound vocational and missionary awareness, the source of a renewed way of living ecclesial relations and new dynamics regarding participation...Formation in synodality and the Church’s synodal style will make people aware that the gifts received in Baptism should be put to use for the good of all: they cannot be hidden or remain unused. #141
- Becoming missionary disciples of the Lord is not something achieved once and for all. It demands continuous conversion, growing in love “to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph 4:13) and being open to the gifts of the Spirit for a living and joyful witness of faith#142
- The full extent of our formation is our conformation to Christ [...]: it does not have to do with an abstract mental process, but with becoming Him” (DD 41). #142
- The gift of communion, mission and participation - the three cornerstones of synodality - is realised and renewed in every Eucharist. #142
- There was also a marked insistence throughout the synodal process upon the need for a common and shared formation, in which men and women, laity, consecrated persons, ordained ministers and candidates for ordained ministry participate together, thus enabling them to grow together in knowledge and mutual esteem and in the ability to collaborate...We, therefore, need to invest in the formation of formators.#143
- In the Church, no one simply receives formation: everyone is an active subject and has something to give to others. Popular piety, too, is a precious treasure of the Church, which teaches the whole People of God on the journey.#144
- Shared synodal formation for all the Baptised constitutes the horizon within which to understand and practise the specific formation required for individual ministries and vocations. For this to happen, it must be implemented as an exchange of gifts between different vocations (communion), in the perspective of a service to be performed (mission) and in a style of involvement and education in differentiated co-responsibility (participation). #147
- FORMATION FOR CANDIDATES:
Throughout the synodal process, a widely expressed request was that the discernment and formation of candidates for ordained ministry be undertaken in a synodal way. There should be a significant presence of women, an immersion in the daily life of communities, and formation to enable collaboration with everyone in the Church and in how to practise ecclesial discernment. This implies a courageous investment of energy in the preparation of formators. The Assembly calls for a revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in order to incorporate the requests made by the Synod. They should be translated into precise guidelines for a formation to synodality. Formation pathways should awaken in candidates their passion for the mission to all peoples (ad gentes). Formation of Bishops is just as necessary so that they may better assume their mission of bringing together in unity the gifts of the Spirit and exercise in a synodal manner the authority conferred on them. The synodal way of formation implies that the ecumenical dimension is present in all aspects of the paths towards ordained ministries.#148
- Digital culture constitutes a crucial dimension of the Church’s witness in contemporary culture and an emerging missionary field. This requires ensuring that the Christian message is present online in reliable ways that do not ideologically distort its content. Although digital media has great potential to improve our lives, it can also cause harm and injury through bullying, misinformation, sexual exploitation and addiction. Church educational institutions must help children and adults develop critical skills to safely navigate the web. #149
CONCLUSION
- Living through the synodal process, we have renewed our awareness that the salvation to be received and proclaimed is inherently relational...The ultimate meaning of synodality is the witness that the Church is called to give to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the harmony of love that pours Himself out, to give Himself to the world. We can live the communion that saves by walking in a synodal way, in the intertwining of our vocations, charisms and ministries, by going forth to meet everyone in order to bring the joy of the Gospel: communion with God, with the entire humanity and all of creation. In this way, thanks to this sharing, we have already begun to experience the banquet of life that God offers to all peoples.#154
FULL SYNOD DOCUMENT
