Christian Initiation – Communion – Consensus – Consultation - Diocesan Synodal Meeting - Diocesan Synodal Team – Discernment – Listening – Mission – Parrhesia – Participation - Sensus fidei - Synod

Christian Initiation

Baptism is the sacrament by which we enter into the People of God, freed from original sin and adopted as sons and daughters of God in Christ. Baptism is the fundamental identity of all the faithful (without distinction of sex, ethnicity, social condition). «In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized» (EG, no. 120).

Confirmation is the sacrament by which the faithful receive the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Confirmation, we become fully equipped for the mission entrusted to us at our Baptism. The Spirit poured out upon us enables us to live ever more deeply our primordial vocation as sons and daughters of God who cry out «Abba, Father!» (Rm 8:15). We are not only called to live out our call as sons and daughters of God, but also to invite others into this filial relationship with the Father in Christ, of which the Holy Spirit makes us partakers.

The new life we have received in Baptism and Confirmation is continually nourished by participation in the Eucharist, «fount and apex of the whole Christian life» (LG, no. 11). Ultimately, it is from the Eucharistic celebration that a synodal Church takes shape.

Communion

Communion is the spiritual, sacramental and juridical bond that unites pastors with one another, pastors with the faithful and faithful with one another, on the model of Trinitarian communion. This bond, founded on common Baptism, is realized, manifested and strengthened in the common participation in the Eucharist.

Consensus

Consensus does not mean uniformity or a democratic majority. If this was the case, this would ignore the fact that the Holy Spirit can speak through the words of one single member of the People of God or a small group. Rather, consensus in synodal key refers to the process of listening to one another in an atmosphere of prayer and interior freedom, in order to discern the common path that God is calling us to in a spirit of communion, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Consultation

Consultation is the process by which the faithful are officially heard on matters concerning doctrine, morals and the Christian life, before taking a decision. The practice of consultation has in the past found its formulation in these latin words: «Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus tractari (et approbari) debet» («What concerns everyone must be treated [and approved] by all») (quoted by Francis, Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015). This current Synod seeks to broaden the experience of “consultation” in order to move towards a more synodal Church that more fully listens to and engages the entire People of God. The Synod path is the culmination of a long process by which the voice of the Holy Spirit resounds throughout the whole Church, at the diocesan, national, continental, and universal levels.

Diocesan Synodal Meeting

Each local Church is invited to culminate the diocesan phase with a Diocesan Synodal Meeting. This gathering provides the opportunity for diverse members of the Diocese to come together for a liturgical celebration, to pray together, to reflect on their experience of the Synodal Process in the Diocese, to listen the feedback that has been raised, to dialogue about the current reality of the local Church and the signs of the times, and to discern the Spirit’s call for the diocese in relation to its growth in synodal conversion. While much of the consultation process during the Diocesan Phase might have occurred within specific communities of the local Church, such as parishes, ministries, youth and other groups, the objective of the Diocesan Pre-Synodal Meeting is to bring together a representative cross-section of the whole diocese, including minority groups and those on the peripheries, and enable participants to listen, reflect, and discern together. Thereafter the outcome of the meeting should be part of the diocesan synthesis, as described in Part 4 of the Vademecum.

Diocesan Synodal Team

The role of the Synodal team is to implement, coordinate, and oversee the diocesan phase of the Synodal Process under the leadership of the local Bishop, collaborating with the Diocesan Contact Person(s). The synodal team must plan the listening sessions to be carried out on the local level to ensure the widest participation possible including those on the margins. Special efforts must be made to engage those who are seldom listened to in the Church. The Synodal team organises any gatherings, events, and meetings that coincide with the Synodal Process. The goal is to create an authentic experience of synodality at the local level. Upon the completion of the listening sessions, the Synodal team is responsible for elaborating the diocesan synthesis on the basis of the experiences and feedback received from all those who participated.

Discernment

The Synodal Process entails a discernment process oriented towards consensus. We listen to each other in order to discern what God is saying to all of us. This kind of discernment is not only a one-time event, but ultimately a way of life, grounded in Christ, following the lead of the Holy Spirit, living for the greater glory of God. Communal discernment helps to build flourishing and resilient communities for the mission of the Church today. Discernment is a grace from God, but it requires our human involvement in simple ways: praying, reflection, paying attention to one’s inner disposition, listening and talking to one another in an authentic, meaningful, and welcoming way. Discernment in this spiritual key plants seeds that can bear the fruits of fraternity, healing, communion, mission, and more. God comes to lead and inspire us as we seek to discern His will.

Listening

Pope Francis has affirmed that: «A synodal Church is a Church which listens. […] The faithful People, the College of Bishops, the Bishop of Rome: all listening to each other; and all listening to the Holy Spirit» (Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015). The International Theological Commission explained this central role of listening as follows: «Synodal dialogue depends on courage both in speaking and in listening. It is not about engaging in a debate where one speaker tries to get the better of the others or counters their positions with brusque arguments, but about expressing whatever seems to have been suggested by the Holy Spirit as useful for communal discernment, at the same time being open to accepting whatever has been suggested by the same Spirit in other people’s positions, "for the general good" (1 Corinthians 12,7)» (ICT, Syn., no. 111).

Mission

The Second Vatican Council affirms that «the pilgrim Church is missionary by nature» (Ad Gentes 2). The mission therefore expresses the deepest identity of the Church, which exists to proclaim the Gospel to all people. In a time of rapid change, Pope Francis invites the Church to rediscover her missionary nature, establishing herself in all places on earth in a permanent state of mission (cf. EG 25).

Parrhesia

Parrhesia refers to the boldness that the coming of the Holy Spirit brought about in the hearts of the apostles at Pentecost. It is the inner courage that sent them out to proclaim the Good News that Jesus is Lord without fear in the days of the Early Church. The Spirit offers us this same boldness to carry out the mission of the Church today. Parrhesia is required in the Synodal Process so that we can listen humbly and speak boldly, inspired by the Holy Spirit as we journey forward towards this “new phase of evangelization” to which God calls us.

«The parrhesía of the Spirit required the People of God on its synodal journey is the trust, frankness and courage to "enter into the expanse of God’s horizon" in order to "ensure that a sacrament of unity exists in the world and that man is therefore not destined for dispersion and confusion"[169]. The lived and enduring experience of synodality is, for the People of God, a source of the joy promised by Jesus, a catalyst of new life, the springboard for a new phase of missionary commitment» (ITC, Syn., no. 121).

Participation

A synodal Church is a Church of participation and co-responsibility. In exercising synodality she is called to give expression to the participation of all, according to each one’s calling, ministry and charism. Participation is based on the fact that all the faithful are qualified and called to serve each other through the gifts they have all received from the Holy Spirit.

In the synodal Church the whole community, in the free and rich diversity of its members, is called together to pray, listen, analyse, dialogue, discern and offer advice on taking pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God's will. So, in coming to formulate their own decisions, Pastors must listen carefully to the views and experiences of the faithful.

Sensus fidei

The anointing of the Holy Spirit, conferred by Christian Initiation sacraments, is manifested in the sensus fidei of the People of God. «In all the baptized, from first to last, the sanctifying power of the Spirit is at work, impelling us to evangelization. The People of God is holy thanks to this anointing, which makes it infallible in credendo. This means that it does not err in faith, even when it cannot find words to explain that faith. The Spirit guides it in truth and leads it to salvation. As part of His mysterious love for humanity, God furnishes the totality of the faithful with an instinct of faith – sensus fidei – which helps them to discern what is truly of God. The presence of the Spirit gives Christians a certain connaturality with divine realities, and a wisdom which enables them to grasp those realities intuitively» (EG 119). This connaturality shows itself in a «sentire cum Ecclesia: to feel, sense and perceive in harmony with the Church. This is required not just of theologians, but of all the faithful; it unites all the members of the People of God as they make their pilgrim journey. It is the key to their “walking together” (ITC, The Sensus fidei, no. 90).

Synod

The Synod is the event «in which the Church is called together by the competent authority in accordance with the specific procedures laid down by ecclesiastical discipline, involving the whole People of God in various ways on local, regional and universal levels, presided over by the Bishops in collegial communion with the Bishop of Rome, to discern the way forward and other particular questions, and to take particular decisions and directions with the aim of fulfilling its evangelising mission» (ITC, Syn., no. 70).