WAC Ireland Synod Submission

CONTENTS:

Introduction                                                                                                 Page 3

Crisis                                                                                                                  Page 3

We Are Church Ireland and the Synodal Process            Page 5

In Summary, three main themes emerged                         Page 5

Appendix 1:  WAC IRL ZOOM Listening Session 10 Mar   Page 8

Appendix 2:  WAC IRL ZOOM Listening Session 20 Apr   Page 14

Appendix 3:  WAC International contribution                     Page 19

Introduction:

We Are Church Ireland welcomes and supports the global and national synodal pathways. It is our hope that both initiatives will lead to more equal and inclusive structures in the institutional church that are representative of all baptised women and men. 

We are a group of Catholics who care about the Church and wish to contribute positively to its development, renewal and reform. We see the Synodal process as an opportunity for all Catholics to walk together and help each other listen to and discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us because we believe “We are ALL Church”. 

Consequently, we have invested time, energy and resources in the process in the hope that it will effect the changes necessary for the Church to become a more authentic sign of the truth that it purports to reflect.

We are under no illusions however, about the scale of that challenge. Consultation with our members compels us to face the stark reality of the Church’s position in Ireland today and has informed the following synthesis:

Crisis: 

The institutional Church is in crisis. The repercussions of three decades of sex abuse and cover-up scandals as well as testimonies of survivors from Magdalen Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes, continue to reverberate. In addition, the Church struggles to articulate the Gospel message of love and inclusivity because its patriarchal power structures embody a contradictory message that excludes women and LGBT+ people. 

Many of us in We Are Church are weary of being told “we are all the people of God” when this has never been our experience. In particular, and most grievously, we experience this every five years when the institutional church reports in secret to Rome on the state of the dioceses (i.e. ad limina reports) and we are left in the dark.

The institutional church has lost the trust of the Irish people, especially women who make up half of the human race and upon whom the transmission of faith has traditionally depended. It is no longer seen as a credible source of moral authority in Irish society. 

Recognising this sad reality is not to discount the individual good work of many fine bishops, priests, sisters and brothers but to highlight the damaging impact of the Church as an institution whose structures and systems facilitate the abuse of power and perpetuate attitudes of misogyny and homophobia in society.

Public anger with the institutional church frequently erupts in campaigns to remove Catholicism from the country’s hospitals and education system. On radio and television, media commentators are more likely to turn to poets and artists for counsel on the big questions of life than to priests or bishops. 

Today, climate change is a major concern for lots of people while the state of the Catholic Church barely registers on their radar. Vocations to the priesthood have dried up, attendance at Mass has shrunk to 20%, the average age of clergy is now 70 years and increasingly, elderly priests are working past retirement age just to keep things going. For many, especially young people, the institutional church has nothing of interest to say to them; it is irrelevant. 

In our view the church’s plight cannot be simply blamed on increasing secularism. We believe the causes are rooted in the hierarchy’s own failure to address change and injustice and to discern the “signs of the times” in light of the Gospel message. While science and human reason on their own can never create a better world, we believe it is essential that faith is always informed by reason. 

Regrettably, the hierarchy has failed to keep pace with developments in science, psychology and sociology; it has failed to promote greater equality and justice not only in society but within its own structures and it has failed to acknowledge its culpability in the suffering and hurt caused to women, LGBT+ people and others in society. 

All of these failures have in turn damaged the Church’s ability to proclaim the Gospel and are the single biggest impediment to its renewal as a humble church, prepared to live the risk-taking love of the Gospel. 

As people of faith, we cannot remain silent when the leadership of our church, by its failure to renew itself intellectually and to act justly, contravenes the message of the Gospel that it purports to proclaim. 

               “Only a Christian faith, a church, a theology which converts itself constantly to the                                                                                    dialogue with the world will be capable of calling the world to conversion”. 

                       Prof. Lieven Boeve, KU Leuven, Belgium (Trinity College Dublin, 21st May, 2022). 

We Are Church Ireland and the Synodal Process: 

We Are Church Ireland has sought to inform and generate interest in the Synodal process by inviting key people involved in the process to speak to our members. Guests have included: Dr Nicola Brady (Chair of Ireland's Synodal Pathway), Bishop Paul Dempsey (member of national steering committee) and Kieran O’Mahony OSA (a member of the Dublin diocesan committee on the synod). 

In addition, we organised two listening sessions via Zoom with members on 10th March and 20th April 2022 respectively; full details of which we submitted to each of our 26 bishops, Papal Nuncio and the Synod Office in Rome on the 21 March and 26 April 2022 and copies of which are also attached as Appendices to this submission. 

Our two listening sessions were prayerful and Spirit-filled occasions where members spoke from the heart with deep conviction and courage and out of a sense of care and concern for the Church. 

In summary, three main themes emerged: 

1. Equality for Women. The exclusion of women from the ordained ministries of deacon/ priest/ bishop/ cardinal/ pope is a major source of grievance for members. Many speakers called for women to be given full access to all the sacraments available to men and for an end to the second class status of women in the Church. 

2. Review all church teaching on human sexuality: Members called for a reexamination of the church’s understanding of human sexuality in the light of modern scientific and sociological research and the lived reality of LGBT+ couples. They also called for the removal of compulsory celibacy in the priesthood and the harmful and offensive language the church uses about LGBT+ people in its Catechism and other formal documents (i.e. “objectively disordered” and “intrinsically evil”).

3. Shared Decision Making. Members called for new structures to ensure greater representation of, and consultation with, all baptised women and men in the church. Members expressed frustration and anger at clericalist attitudes in the church and the exclusivist, sexist language still used in the liturgy, lectionary and Bible readings. Members also wish to have a greater say in the appointment of their bishops and in the running of their parishes. They wish to be part of a church that is a communion of equals rather than one that is a hierarchy of men. 

Kieran O’Mahony OSA, the scripture scholar, has argued that Synodality, for Pope Francis, is “a recovery of the ecclesiology of the people of God”. We Are Church Ireland supports this understanding of the Synodal process and will contribute with enthusiasm to the dialogue on that basis. 

However, we wish to flag two concerns. The first has to do with the commitment of the institutional church to facilitate an extensive and deep national consultation for the Synodal process. The second relates to the transparency of the process. Will the bishops report what the people say? 

(1) Our concern is that the institutional church has not sufficiently promoted the Synodal process at a national level. We note that public advertising has been minimal and anecdotal evidence suggests that participation in the process has been patchy. While some parishes and dioceses have whole-heartedly embraced the exercise, the response of many others has been minimalist; restricted to small, select groups in parishes or to impersonal on-line questionnaires. In December 2021, we surveyed all 26 diocesan websites and found that six of them had no information about the synod at all. The Diocese of Cork and Ross only launched its consultation on 29 April.

(2) In January, this year we wrote to the Executive Secretary of the Irish Bishops Conference Msgr Joe Mc Guinness to ask him will the synthesis of the Irish Bishop's National Conference be made public? So far, we have not received a clear answer to this question. We believe that people should know before they take part in the process whether the National Synthesis will be published or not. The National Synthesis will provide the summary for all of Ireland and it is important that we know how our views will be presented. 

We hope and pray that the Synodal process will be an opportunity for the Church to rediscover its identity and its purpose as a unifying force for the human race. 

In particular, we hope and pray that the institutional church can face up to the demands made on it by the contemporary world. This will only happen if you, the members of the hierarchy, can meet this challenge with faith in the love of God and embrace the necessary humility to listen to the Holy Spirit. 

Ursula Halligan / Colm Holmes, 

Joint Coordinators, We Are Church Ireland, 

Charity Regulator Registered No. 20203544

Appendix 1:  WAC Ireland ZOOM Listening Session on 10 March 2022

ROOM 1

1. That women have full access to all sacraments open to men. The Ordination of women is of paramount importance within the present structures of the Institutional Church. There was acknowledgement of the psychological harm caused by the Institutional Church when a person with a vocation is prevented from fulfilling a calling to serve as a priest. For this to be dependant upon one's gender rather than the qualities of their character and their Spirit-given gifts is unacceptable and an abuse (discriminatory and spiritual abuse). Full inclusion to all sacramental and clerical roles of LGBTQ+ people, divorced and remarried people.

2. A return to the early basics of the faith (from the time of Jesus up to 300 AD ) with small grass roots home prayer/church groups led by the laity. Ordained ministers are welcome to attend but are not necessary or even desirable to lead celebrating Eucharistic /breaking bread. Grass roots groups to have a process of ongoing synodality with a mechanism to meaningfully contribute to the decision making within the local church and holding clergy to account.

3. Clericalism, and the system of governance and hierarchy that has evolved from this, is rigid, discriminatory and not fit for purpose - it fosters the development of an echo chamber where only the voices of the elite and powerful male clerics are allowed to drive decisions. It leads to corruption through the pursuit and retention of power, leads to stagnation and is increasingly irrelevant in the modern era. Replace the hierarchical structure with a simpler, more inclusive and responsive, shared process of decision-making engaging both laity and clergy.

4. The language of the liturgy, bible, lectionary, and all holy texts of the Catholic church to be written in Inclusive language giving equal weight and importance to gender, sexuality, orientation, fully representing the equality of all God's people. The androcentric focus of the Catholic liturgy and scripture must be replaced and removed to reflect the equality of all God's people. The use of male pronouns to represent our God must be revised to reflect both the feminine and masculine character of God. In ancient times the Holy Spirit was identified by the female pronoun. The theology of the catholic faith must be completely revised to reflect the truths of the modern era returning to the teachings of Jesus. The theology passed down since the 300 AD has evolved and been re-written many times over to strengthen androcentric and patriarchal perspectives to serve a particular world-view.

5. That there be equal voice of both female and male in the decision-making within the church. As part of this present synodal process, 3000 clerical men will have the final say - so-called discernment, regarding the direction for the future church. To achieve balance, 3000 of the laity, all female, be given the right to contribute to the process of discernment accounting for 50% of the final decisions.

6. Canon Law serves to protect the clergy often to the detriment of the laity as has been evidenced all too starkly in the numerous scandals within the church by relying on concealment and secrecy. That the Institutional church adopt the UN charter of Human Rights and apply these in all it's interactions and activities concerning the laity, religious and clergy. That the UN Charter of Human Rights take precedence above Canon Law and that Clerics must submit to the law of the land where crimes have been committed.

ROOM 2

**Promote lay involvement in governance in all areas of the Church. Provide formation for this to happen

**Include women as co equals with men in celebrating all liturgical services in the Church

**undertake wide liturgical reform so that rituals and language connect with 21st century people

**listen and attend to the needs of the older generation in the Church 

**What is the barrier to the ordination of women?

ROOM 3

Do away with the distinction in roles of men and women in the Church. This is a false distinction which is an obstacle to the working of the Spirit and creates division. 

The Church as institution needs to be dismantled: patriarchy, the pyramid model, clericalism, all disregard the fact that all are equal as baptised people. Therefore there should be equality and respect for the unique gifts of each one.

There is a disconnect between the institution and many people who live the Gospel without realising it. There is also a disconnect between the institution and the findings of modern science on such topics as sexuality, gender, etc.

Bishops in Ireland should be elected by the people. They need to listen to the people: to stand up to the Bishops in the Vatican and insist on lay involvement in decision-making and in all levels of the workings of the Synod.

At parish level there needs to be shared decision-making. Every parish should have a Parish Pastoral Council elected by the people and the Parish Priest should not have right of veto over its deliberations and decisions. There should be lay parish co-ordinators, chosen by the community.

Ie what is important for our Church is radical and significant change which has as its basic principle to foster the living of the Gospel.

ROOM 4

1. Change governance structures, so that diverse voices are heard at decision-making level. How? Upend the pyramid: elected bishops/female and male lay cardinals/parish priest’s role collaborative not authoritarian.

2. Towards an inclusive church based on the words and example of Christ. Therefore no exclusion of women from any role, including ordination, no exclusion of anyone on the basis of sexuality, marital status, divorce etc.

3. Reform the liturgy. Simple, meaningful and inclusive language used in all prayers, including in Mass. Revise the lectionary so that readings from the Old Testament are relevant and uplifting.

1.           All had shared experiences as children of wanting to play at being the priest, giving out communion at our house mass and loving it. All had good memories of very prayerful children, alas ordination was not for women!

2.           The occasional priest encouraged us by saying WAC were saying what a lot of parishioners are saying about the church privately.

3.           Canon Law teaching drives people out of the church. Official teaching of the church is not in tune with the message of the gospel and Jesus’ Way. 

4.           Lectionary needs to be revised/re-written -  inclusive language and include all the people of God; modern telling of gospel stories and how to relate the teachings of Christ to today’s world. Shared homily.

5.           Many good priests are depressed and oppressed after all the work that went into “Year of Family” recommendations that the bishops sent to Rome, all to no avail. When the document came back from the Vatican, all references to women’s ordination in the church, homosexuality, lectionary, training of seminarians, etc were ignored and this Exclusive Club of clerics told the laity this is how it is – if you don’t like it – off you go.

6.           Abuse of power: In one parish in Edinburgh. After the Keith O’Brien scandal, youth workers were sacked for not teaching Canon Law traditional religion and the appointment of new staff, who do what they are told, left a lot to be desired.

7.           A more democratic church – equality of voices – more open ordination of married men, not just converts to Catholicism who can remain ordained priests.

8.           Abolition of compulsory celibacy.

9.           Pre-marriage course and marriage encounter should not invade the privacy of married couples by any priest probing the sexual act of married couples.

10.       Mass is often a “performance” with little witness to Jesus’ teaching and real welcome from the priest. 

11.       Parish Priests should not have a veto over what is discussed and decided upon at Pastoral Council meeting. Synod has not been promoted/encouraged by PPs.

12.       Governance: the pyramid should be a truncated pyramid, with no apex, that is: no pope, no cardinals, only members of the Church, in equality terms (women/men, laypeople/clergy) that vote a bishop. No pope, no cardinal college. Sorry I sound a little protestant, but I do not see the point for a pope. I know that all this is a dream, but let’s say that the main point is the equality of all baptised, equal participation managing the church and voting for bishops. 

13.       Hopes: The synod will open the door for change. That the priests will live their call to being “Servants of the People of God”. Root and Branch reform of all Ministries needed if the church is to survive. 

Attending this ZOOM Listening Session were:

Cristina Bernardis

Breda Butler

Brendan Butler

Maura Clerkin

Maggie Conway

Colette Dempsey

Emmet Devlin

Patricia Devlin

Nieves Fernandez

Noel Fitzpatrick

Kathy Foulds

Mike Foulds

Patricia Hallahan

Colm Holmes

Soline Humbert

Kevin Liston

Patrick Littleton

Dairne McHenry

Nora Mary O’Driscoll

Josephine O’Neill

Liz Maitland

Mary Morrissey

Jacqueline Nelson

Máire Ní Shiodhail

Maeve Walsh

Nora Wiseman

Appendix 2:  WAC Ireland ZOOM Listening Session on 20 April 2022

ZOOM Listening Session 20. April 2022

We Are Church Ireland organised this ZOOM Listening session as a contribution to the Global Synodal process which consisted of two rounds:

1.  “My experience of church”

2.  “What changes are important for our church?”

Listed below are the main points from each of the 3 Break-out rooms

ROOM 1

1.  Church needs to go back to go forward – learn from the mystics.

2.  Restore the feminine on an equal basis; the feminine that is within all of us has been silenced.

3.  Our church must be open and transparent.

4.  We are all church: we have to be more assertive in forums, emails, writing letters.

5.  Younger people are living in a more democratic way.

6.  For the Irish Assembly the lay members should be chosen to represent all the people including those who have left. One suggestion was that the lay members should be chosen using a system similar to the Citizens Assembly.

ROOM 2

·     More of an emphasis on ‘People’ of God rather than ‘church’

·     Call to live out ‘Gospel Values of love of God and Neighbour’

·     A more inclusive church

·     Role for women in ministry and decision-making

·     Optional celibacy – married priesthood – allow those who left to get married to return to minister.

·     Emphasis on being more Ecumenical – this dimension lacking

·     Outreach – care of Planet and Creation

·     Faith-formation to live our faith in the world since God speaks to us in the circumstances of our lives.

·     Inclusion of LGBT community – abolish the language of ‘intrinsic evil’ when speaking of people who are gay.

·     Inclusive language in the Liturgy

·     Lay-led liturgies – don’t have to have Mass always

·     ‘Do this in Memory of Me’ not exclusive ‘call’ to males only – women are called to ministry and this needs to be honoured and acknowledged

·     Look out for young people who have left the practice of their faith and engage with them.

·     ‘Laudato Si’ study groups to include young people who are concerned about the environment

·     We are members of the church and therefore we must be the change that we wish to see going forward

ROOM 3

The general consensus was that the Church needs to evolve to remain relevant

·     The sharing of governance from the grassroots up – those in positions of governance not to be chosen by the clergy – leads to “Yes” people making the decisions

·     Inclusion of women and lay men at all levels

·     Concerns at the exclusion of single women – a lot of focus on families

·     More participation/involvement of the people of God in the Liturgy – e.g. dialogue during homilies/preaching of homily by lay persons (both women and men)

·     We are all equal through Baptism – the current model of Church does not portray this

·     Mass services outside of the Church buildings – the phrase “we are massed out” was used

·     Small intimate Eucharistic gatherings, family sharing of the Eucharist…

·     Focus on social justice issues – Laudato Si was mentioned here – particularly attractive to young people - young people will not participate unless we make it relevant to them

·     Encourage activities like Lectio Divina - outside of Church settings

·     Change in media focus – one person in the group felt the media focused only on negative Church issues – change the narrative

·     The importance of Hospitality – Invite and include everyone - Christ is the Host/Not the Hierarchy

·     LGBTQ+ groups need to be welcomed and doctrine changed to eliminate “the intrinsically evil” narrative which is exclusionary and damaging

·     Ecumenism – focus on and nourish the similarities among Christian faiths rather than the differences – unity

·     A simple and more inclusive Church – a Church that portrays and relates to the Gospel message - let go of the Institution

·     Inclusive language in Liturgical texts – appropriate for women and men

·     Use of current/relevant terminology for presiders – e.g. Presbyter (New Testament) instead of Priest (Old Testament)

·     “Do this in memory” is an inclusive statement of both women and men

·     The image of the Eucharist as food for the journey – all Christians regardless of denomination are on this journey together

Attending this ZOOM Listening Session were:

Julia Collins

Mary Pauline Connolly

Paddy Cully

Eleanor Dorgan

Mairead Flanagan

Geraldine Hallahan

Patricia Hallahan

Colm Holmes

Kevin Liston

Theresa McDonnell Friström

Mary Morrissey

Kay Mulhall

Patricia Mulhall

Móna Nic Lochlainn

Josie O’Reilly

Maeve Walsh

Appendix 3:  WAC International contribution to the synodal process

WAC contribution to the synodal process

Preparing the 2023 synod of bishops

Introduction^[1]

The We Are Church International (WAC) offers its contribution to Synod 2021-2023   "For a Synodal Church : Communion, Participation, and Mission" in light of the Preparatory Document (PD) and, in particular, the "Ten Thematic Nuclei to be Explored ".

To-day, in our Catholic Church, the "journeying together", that « enacts and manifests the nature of the Church as the pilgrim and missionary People of God » (PD 1) and “allows the Church to proclaim the Gospel” (PD 2), is realized in a very weak and defective way because:

a) the hierarchical dimension and the concentration of power in the ordained ministers     generate a systemic separation between them and the laity who are merely executors,

b) there are few examples of synodality since the councils that do exist (pastoral,   presbyteral, etc.) are then merely consultative, and

c) the few successful achievements of synodality are linked to the personality, ideas and  availability of open-minded ordained ministers. But they are subject to his will and    often disappear when he moves on.

All this generated a “culture imbued with clericalism … and with those forms of exercising authority on which the different types of abuse (power, economic, conscience, sexual) are grafted. " (PD 6). To remedy this, the Church must convert to synodality and have faith/trust in the Spirit who always leads his Church.

To grow in synodality, the Church must respond to the Spirit's invitation to become a more community-based Church of brothers and sisters, equal in their life as disciple, an "inclusive" Church capable of "recognizing and appreciating the richness and variety of gifts and charisms" of its members, including the least of these, a Church that credits them with their good faith and must become accustomed to living in the pluralism of ideas (PD 9). This requires in particular:

a) opening of all ministries to those who are currently excluded (women, married men,    LGBTQ+ persons, etc.) according to their competence and charisma,

b) relationship of equality between all members of the Church whatever their responsibility are since they are sisters and brothers. This means in the present    situation relationship of equality between laity and clergy, even at the level of         decision-making,

c) revision of governance, including the separation of powers,

d) establishment of small ecclesial communities (promoted by Vatican II, see also EG     29)

e) the abolition of all kinds of sanctifications/ ordinations, only assignments/commissions, gladly in solemn form.

All this would be in keeping with the Gospel and the situation in the early Church and at the same time it would be the decisive way out of the current Church crisis, to promote a discipleship of equal brothers and sisters taking on different responsibilities for the community in different ministries/services.

This involves promoting:

a) training in synodality,

b) the creation of synodical structures, including the creation of particular synods to settle disputes, especially when the “depositum fidei” is at stake, whose existence is not left to the will and sensibility of the clergy and whose functioning expresses co- responsibility and not a simple consultative character;

c) the definition of procedures to prevent the sensus fidei fidelium from being left to  the good will or sensitivity of priests and bishops; this implies the establishment of academic freedom for Catholic theological researchers;

 d) the establishment of new structures (national and continental ecclesial assemblies, patriarchates or continental episcopal conferences, ;etc.);   

e) the establishment of structural forms of consultation, exchange and comparison  with other Christian Churches;

f) the creation of a new legal system with separation of powers, participation in decision-making and independent control of power.

Hence the 24 proposals expressed within the “Ten Thematic Nuclei” proposed by the Vatican

I.           THE JOURNEYING COMPANIONS

The journey that our Church undertakes, leaving the comfort of the present situation to go towards an "unknown" future, in order to transform itself into a synodical Church, can seem dangerous, as it was for the people of the Hebrews at the call of Moses: we should expect recriminations, like those of the Hebrews at the time of the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex. 14, 11-12).

This journey, the "common march" of the People of God "with the whole human family" (PD 29), requires overcoming the tendency of the Catholic Church and Catholics to act in the world separately from others, not to mix with other Christian Churches or other social actors. It implies profound reforms, expressed in the 24 proposals presented below, in order to improve the capacity of the Church to accomplish, with the participation of all its members in communion, its missions, namely the proclamation of the Gospel, and the reformulation of the message for a 21st century world.

This implies in particular:

a)   reorganizing the Church to adapt it to its mission and to what it is, 

b)  modifying its governance (separation of powers, clerical and lay co-responsibility) by introducing a synodical functioning,

c)   rethinking the meaning and organization of the services (ministries) it needs (desacralization, access to men and women...).

But this journey is necessary so that the Church does not risk being reduced to a sect, and can accomplish its missions in communion. According to Matthew, Jesus said: " Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17),

Do not be afraid because we will be accompanied by the blow of the Spirit, as Jesus promised us « “If anyone loves me, they will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them… the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, she will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (Jn 14, 23 et 26)

     Pr1: All baptized, men and women, and not only those who practice in the parishes, constitute the Church and are therefore the journeying companions. Members of other faiths are also journeying companions. All of good will are welcome on this journey

For this reason, since its inception in 1996, WAC has worked with other movements for the reform of the Catholic Church, beginning with those that represent people and groups usually left on the margins of the Church (women, remarried divorcees, married priests, LGBTQ+ persons, etc.), but also with ecclesial forms that prefigure a more inclusive and participatory way of being Church (grassroots ecclesial communities, etc). On many occasions, WAC has also worked alongside popular movements and grassroots organizations committed to peace, social justice and the integrity of creation.

II.         LISTENING

Each disciple is a dwelling place of Jesus and receives the Spirit (Jn 14:23-26). Therefore, all disciples must be listened to in order to give each of them the opportunity to share what they have perceived of the Gospel. Without doubt, "listening is the first step", but to be authentic, it implies recognizing that the other has something to say that may concern me, and inviting them to participate in the decisions that result from the dialogue. Otherwise, the simple act of listening risks becoming a means of reaffirming one's own superiority and the inferiority of others, even their exclusion.

There are many people towards whom the ecclesiastical institution has a "debt of listening": the laity, but especially lay women, young people, workers, sexual minorities, etc.

Pr2: A synodical church must organize itself in such a way that all its members can be heard and listened to.

III. SPEAKING OUT

In the logic of the above, each disciple should not be afraid to share what he or she perceives of Jesus' message and the way it is presented and lived within the Church. Is this not what Jesus implies in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30)?

But in order to "promote a free and authentic style of communication within the community and its bodies", it is first necessary to recognize a true freedom of expression, which is unthinkable as long as the expression of opinions against the majority or the official word leads to disciplinary sanctions or de facto censorship.

However, the word is currently monopolized by clerics and often even by bishops. This situation gives the false image of a Church made up of clerics only.

Pr3: It is therefore essential that, all members, i.e.in the present situation the laity included, be able to speak in the various organs of the Church, in celebrations and in the external media, in a spirit of sharing and attentive listening to each other, without condemnation.

Pr4: To this end, formation for all members, i.e. in the present situation for clergy and laity, should be organized to enable them to acquire the attitudes and skills necessary for the practice of truthful dialogue in mutual respect, as well as the skills for non-destructive conflict management.

Pr5: Pluralism of ideas must be fully legitimized so as not to encourage conformism.

IV. CELEBRATING

     IV.1 Sacraments and the Meaning of the Mass

When we celebrate the sacraments and especially the Eucharist at Mass, their liturgy is often "separated" from life, because it is considered a "sacred space and act" in which a ritual is performed that is no longer capable of speaking to men and women today.

Pr6: Rethinking celebrations and their liturgy so that they

- express in a comprehensible symbolic form their link with the Gospel, faith and life, integrating the existential experience of the people, the journey of the community and the socio-cultural context in which it evolves.

- ensure that this encounter of each disciple with Jesus Christ and with his or her brothers and sisters in the course of the celebrations will increase and nourish his or her desire, strength and capacity to respond to the calls of Jesus, to live a life more coherent with the Gospel and to witness to it more effectively.

Pr7: Rethink the meaning and place of the sacredness in celebrations and especially in the Mass,

Jesus having revealed to us that there is no longer any need to make sacrifices because every human being has a direct relationship with God. And Jesus died for living love to the extreme consequences. 

Thus, the Eucharist is the thanksgiving meal to which Jesus invites a community in order to nourish its members with his word and his being under the species of bread and wine shared in memory of what he is, of his life given, of his death and his resurrection. Jesus is thus present at this Eucharistic meal:

1) within the community itself, gathered in his name: " For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. (Mat 18:20),

2) in each of its members: " Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (Jn 14:23),

3) through his word "for he speaks as the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 7),

4) by the bread and wine thus shared in memory of him

Consequently, in order to preside over the Eucharist, there is no need for celibate males to be placed above the other disciples to act "in persona Christi" and having the "power" to "make Jesus present", for he himself tells us: " For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them " (Mat 18:20). It is the people of the baptized, organized in communities, who celebrate under the moderation of one of its members, within the framework of a Church made up of ecclesial communities, living cells of a synodical Church.

The current model of priest generates a two-class Church, which Jesus never proposed and which contradicts what Paul said to the Galatians: " There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). Moreover, this model leads the current ecclesiastical institution to organize communities around fewer and fewer priests, instead of allowing local communities to celebrate, generating "deserts of communities”.

Pr8: Explain the meaning of the Eucharist and the impacts on its liturgy in view of the latest results of theological, historical and exegetic research.

Pr9: Rethink the theology of ministries, the status of ministers, the state of a priest, the notion of "priesthood", desacralizing it, ridding it of the notion of "representative of God and Christ on earth", and opening it to women as well as to men. Develop a new system of services for the community

Pr10: Consider the priesthood as "service of the evangelical word and of community life". See it as a task to animate, in co-responsibility with the laity, the services devolved to every community, the evangelical witness, prayer, community meditation of the Bible. This involves the celebration of the sacraments and especially Eucharistic sharing, the service of communion within the community and of this community with other communities. It includes also formation, teaching and transmission of the faith, responsibility for the material life of the community.

IV.2 The Need for small (grassroots) Ecclesial Communities

Small (grassroots) ecclesial communities carry out the missions of the Church by working, together with their brothers and sisters in humanity, for justice and peace so that it can be said: "There are no poor among them" (Acts 2 and 3) and "See how they love one another". These small communities are made up of a limited number of members living a koinonia (communion), which allows for celebrations, personal deepening, evangelization, prayer, fraternity and active and fraternal presence in the world in a flexible and decentralized organization.

Pr11: In order to celebrate and vivify the celebrations and the ecclesial life, it is necessary to set up small (grassroots) ecclesial communities close to the inhabitants of a neighborhood, or to the members of a movement, or of an association, or of a social and professional environment. These basic ecclesial communities must be connected to each other, in order

(1) to be in communion with the universal Church and

(2) to be challenged in such a way that they do not shape a Jesus to their own liking.

Thus, the small (grassroots) communities grouped together at the level of a parish constitute the parish community, the parish communities grouped together constitute the diocesan Community, the diocesan communities constitute the national Community, and all the national Communities constitute the universal Church.

The Church is thus both close to the places where men and women live, which allows it to present the Gospel message in the culture understood by these men and women, and universal, which allows it to build a unity in the diversity of approaches and languages, much more in keeping with the spirit of the Gospel than unity in uniformity (cf. Babel’s Tower).

V. CO-RESPONSIBLE IN THE MISSION

To proclaim the Gospel and to witness to it today, by what it says, lives and does, requires our Church

  I)  to present the Good News of Jesus in a language and culture adapted to the socio-cultural context of the various parts of the world of the 21st century, taking into account the evolution of the understanding of the world and of human relationships due to scientific progress, and of the Bible as a result of research in history, theology and exegesis. This implies, in particular, an appropriate revision of everything that no longer makes sense today. Thus

Pr12: Research in theology, exegetics and history of religions must be academically free in all research institutions and universities, including those managed by the Church

II) To accompany and support its members, as well as the men and women of the world today, in their life and their path for deepening their humanity. The organization of the Church into ecclesial communities greatly facilitates this accompaniment

Small (grassroots) Ecclesial communities facilitate the establishment of co-responsibility in this double mission of the Church by allowing all their members to contribute according to their charisms, competencies and availability. Indeed, the functioning of the communities at all levels of organization of the Church and the assignment of responsibilities and ministries necessary for their functioning at each of its levels of organization are based on equality between men and women, and exercised within the framework of synodical structures to allow all their members to participate actively in its life without exclusion. 

Pr13: Persons engaged in ministries must have the training, skills, and charisms required to perform them. They must be nominated from among the members of the community that they will serve, or be called by that community. They must be recognized (or empowered) by the Church as a whole in order to be a sign of universal communion and to be able to ensure the necessary links between communities, since each community is only a cell of the Church.

Pr14: Any person, man or woman, who is to exercise a function within a community will be "called" by a vote of the members of that community according to a synodical process that the Church will have to set-up by appealing to the sensus fidelium.

For example:

the person presiding at the celebration of the Eucharist (a priest at present) within a community will be proposed by that community by election and will have to be "recognized" or empowered at least by the diocesan community on which it depends;

the person in charge of the communion of the diocesan community (currently the bishop) will have to be proposed by election by the diocesan community concerned and recognized by the national community and the whole of the international Church through an international synodical body.

Pr15: In order to accomplish its missions in co-responsibility, our Church must equip itself at each of its levels of responsibility (e.g., local, parish, diocesan, etc.) with synodical bodies composed of representatives of the different components of the people of God and charged with discerning and making the decisions necessary for the life of the Church at that level (local, parish, diocesan synods, etc.), and for its mission.

VI. DIALOGUE IN CHURCH AND SOCIETY

There is currently little room for dialogue in the Church, both

- because the clergy are still assigned, at least implicitly, the functions of teaching, decision making and animation, with the result that communication is one-way,

- and because the imbalance of power in decision-making processes sometimes makes listening sterile.

The same is true of the participatory bodies, which are confined to a consultative role. Thus, the suggestions of the laity can sometimes be expressed, but they are not taken into account; divergences and conflicts are sometimes dealt with by seeking syntheses, but most of the time they are ignored or even repressed in law and in fact.

But when does the sensus fidei manifest itself and become binding? What happens when the sensus fidei and the magisterial function of pastors come into conflict (for example, in the prohibition of the use of artificial contraceptives)?

In fact, the hierarchy generally thinks that they have all the answers, so that they almost never dialogue, at least explicitly, with other ideal positions with a view to modifying their own, but rather tends to emphasize, sometimes even beyond reality, its autonomy from the demands of the world (see the insistence that "the Church is not a democracy", referred to in a certain way in PD 14, but in fact the Church is much more than a democracy).

However, in the relationship with society, it is necessary that the commitment to peace, justice and the integrity of creation be a "Church commitment" and not an accessory and optional activity of the Catholic beings. It must therefore be an integral part of the formation of clergy and laity.

Pr16: The Church must establish the necessary structures for dialogue at all levels of its organization, both for internal issues and for those concerning society, and the corresponding training for laity and clergy.

VII. WITH THE OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS

Relations with other Christian denominations are generally non-confrontational and sometimes cordial, but there are currently relatively few examples of collaboration. "Doing together everything we don't have to do separately" is a slogan far from reality.

. More decisive steps are needed both in common service to the world and in mutual acceptance:

Pr17: The Church must open discussion with other denominations (faiths) in order to create and develop appropriate structures for relations with other denominations (faiths) such as ecumenical councils of churches, ecumenical bodies (or others), to improve the reception of ecumenical dialogues and to develop Eucharistic hospitality.

VIII. AUTHORITY AND PARTICIPATION

It is necessary to open all ecclesial ministries to all disciples. The present weakness of the organs of synodality stems from their inadequate organisation, procedures, etc., which can already be improved, and from the discrepancy between their conclusions and the decisions taken by the clergy in an entirely autonomous manner.

In the present situation, all powers coincide in the hands of one cleric, at the different levels of organisation of the Church. This leads to dramatic scandals, as it was experienced in the sexual abuse crimes of clerics. Such a systemic dysfunction must first be recognised. In this respect, as a first step, the confession of personal guilt and personal acceptance of their responsibility by church officials is of great importance (even though they may have acted correctly according to the letter of Church law), particularly for the survivors of sexual and spiritual violence who must be acknowledged.

Therefore, it is proposed:

Pr18: No longer do all powers coincide in the hands of one person. The exercise of authority in the Church requires a distinction between legislative, executive and judicial powers.

Pr19: Ecclesiastical tribunals should be composed of competent clerics and laity and have the right to prosecute ex officio crimes of which they have knowledge without being subject to episcopal authorisation and respecting the principles of "giusto processo" (knowledge of the accusation, right to adversarial proceedings, impartiality of the judge, etc.).

Pr20: As an example, it is proposed that the legislative power be the responsibility of a synod composed of clerics and laity elected according to a process to be defined, and the executive power be that of the bishop within an appropriate synod.

IX. DISCERNING AND DECIDING

Pr21: It is essential that the whole Church (all baptised men and women) participate in the elaboration and decision making concerning them..

This includes discernment, which involves listening and debate. Therefore:

Pr22 (cf. Pr16 Pr15): Provide the Church, at each of its levels of responsibility (e.g., local, parish, diocesan, etc.), with its own synodical bodies, including structures for appeal in case of strong opposition to certain decisions. These bodies should allow for dialogue, consultation and decision-making with the input of the members of the community who can thus express their sensus fidelium and contribute to the life of their community.

For a given level, members of the Church (including the ministers concerned) of that level must be part of these synodical bodies that have competence for the questions pertaining to that level (principle of subsidiarity).

X. FORMING OURSELVES IN SYNODALITY

Training in synodality implies, especially for the members of our Church, being open to the richness of the synodical organisation, of the transition that it implies from the "current theology of the priesthood" to that of service within (and not above) the people that implies clerics and laity co-responsible for the organisation, the government, the mission and the functioning of the Church, according to their charismas and their competences. This implies a new look at what is sacred.

Pr23: This training to synodality must therefore combine practice and reflection. To do this, it is necessary

1)to practice synodality from now on, starting from what is currently possible. At this end, opportunities for action that are already canonically possible must be immediately addressed in the individual dioceses and implemented in "immediate programmes".

2) to build step by step the elements proposed above from this experience.

Pr24: It is also necessary to train clerics and laity to work and make decisions in teams. For those who will be entrusted with a function of authority, to be trained to exercise it as a service to the people "infallible in credendo", in co-responsibility.

This document was prepared by François Becker (France) and Mauro Castagnaro (Italy) for WAC International.

The Coordinating Team of WAC International approved publication of this document on 23.February 2022.

^[1] In this document:

-      PD stands for Preparatory Document Synod of Bishops 2023

https://www.synod.va/en/documents/english-version-of-the-preparatory-document.html

-       EG for Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html