There can’t have been many clergy filled with unrestrained enthusiasm and Christian joy when told of the requirement to hold a “synodal process” in our parishes. Weren’t the Vatican and bishops aware of the anxieties and additional pressures caused by the pandemic, just as another variant seemed poised to break over us? The deadlines for submissions were extended, yet the decision was made to press on.
We wondered what precisely this “synod” was – given that it did not seem to fit the provisions laid down by canon law. Those with some knowledge of the German Church or the Church of England feared a quasi-parliamentary adversarial structure with the inbuilt potential for conflict. Consulting the faithful is good, but shouldn’t it be preceded by formation? The bishops of England and Wales helpfully set out parameters: we were not expected to debate the doctrine and discipline of the Church.
