ROME – As the Synod of Bishops on Synodality continues to unfold in Rome this month, it’s increasingly reminiscent of another synod just over a decade ago: The Synod of Bishops on New Evangelisation, which took place under Pope Benedict XVI Oct. 7-28, 2012.
Consider the following parallels:
- Under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the “new evangelisation” was understood to be a keen papal priority, perhaps the single phrase most associated with those pontiffs’ agenda, in the same way that “synodality” has become the shibboleth par excellence of the Francis papacy.
- In both cases, these buzzwords were more conspicuous by their ubiquity than their clarity. “New evangelization” started as a simple enough idea, i.e., outreach to Catholics distant from the faith, but overuse made it so elastic as to become mostly a synonym for “good” – if officialdom called something part of “new evangelization,” that meant they liked it. Similarly, “synodality” may have begun as a reference to a style of Church rooted in listening and dialogue, but a similar process of linguistic inflation is transforming it into a catch-all term for whatever the system approves.
- Both synods, to some extent, were overshadowed by a major international crisis. With the 2012 edition it was the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, while this time it’s the spiraling war between Israel and Hamas on the Gaza Strip. In 2012, the synod tried to send a delegation to Syria to express its concern, though that idea fell apart amid doubts about security and political manipulation; it remains to be seen what gestures this synod may adopt.
- Both synods also took place at the same time as a high-profile Vatican trial following a major scandal. In October 2012 it was the first “Vatileaks” trial, which resulted in the conviction of former papal butler Paolo Gabriele for leaking confidential documents to Italian journalists, while now it’s the “trial of the century” of ten defendants, including Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, for various alleged financial crimes.
