Synod at Vatican News

I have found that ongoing news of the current Bishops’ Vatican Synod on Synodality is as well found on the Vatican News website (link HERE) as the Synod website. Vatican News is "the news portal 9f the Holy See," and you can read more about it HERE. The main page of the Vatican News is a collection of many happenings, but streaming is possible for live synod events from there. For articles, using the same website, go to the heading of “Vatican” for the synod (although that also has other news). You can move from page to page at the bottom to catch up with what has been going on since the Bishops' Synod on Synodality opening on Oct. 4. The link for the "Vatican" page of Vatican News is HERE.

The news is mostly in the form of briefings given by Paolo Ruffini, President of the Commission for Information of the Synodal Assembly, although sometimes he is accompanied by other participants. Pope Francis had said before the synod began that he wanted an atmosphere of prayer during the proceedings which he felt would not be maintained if the press were physically present.

Still, Catholic websites for news and blogs have been watching the synod, as I have, and making comments along the way. A Google search for “Synod on Synodality” brings many results, as probably would other browsers. A variety of opinions about the meetings come from various worldviews.

At one of the synod’s briefings, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (Secam), was asked about “so-called LGBT” issues (article HERE). I liked his answer: “On the LGBT issue, the Lord Himself through collective discernment will show us the direction.”

Though the Catholic Church has had a long, ongoing journey, Cardinal Besungu expresses the idea the pope is trying to get across concerning all the current issues with which Christians are grappling. The present walk of synodality is an attempt to include all Catholic Church members in seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, the Lord, for where we go from here.

Pope Quote, Theologians

 At a mass celebrating the Holy Spirit's approach to mankind after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, Pentecost on May 28, 2023, Pope Francis related that event to the upcoming Bishops' Synod on Synodality (link HERE to the article, and first reference at bottom of post):

The Catholic Church's current Synod of Bishops should not be a "parliament for demanding rights," but a journey in accordance with the Spirit.

He emphasized, "the Holy Spirit is the heart of synodality and the driving force of evangelization."

But from the same homily, Francis warned, "We often hear so many so-called thinkers and theologians who give us cold doctrines that seem mathematical because they lack the Spirit."

The Pope covers at least three themes in his statements: the Holy Spirit; Church synods; and "cold" (assuming bad) doctrines of theologians. I'd like to address the third in my last post on these quotes. 

First, I don’t know if Pope Francis meant the doctrines or the theologians “lack the Spirit,” but I will not speculate directly on whether a specific individual has the Spirit or not.

Simply put, Catholic doctrines are defined as all Church teaching in matters of faith and morals. Heresies are ideas contrary to accepted, approved religious beliefs. Theologians study God and write about their findings and their thoughts can be very complex.  Many of us don’t understand them and thus lies one of the problems. We trust in our educated Church leadership, many themselves theologians, to sort through the opinions of others through the ages and then tell the rest of us what we need to know. 

Popes and bishops sometimes need to actively oppose false doctrines, as we saw in the Arian heresy (described in my last post HERE), where our Nicaean Creed was drawn, so that all Catholics can know the clear beliefs of the Church. Yet, as we saw in the same Arian heresy, many leaders were misled for a long time. So much so, that St. Jerome at one point said the world “awoke with a groan to find itself Arian.”

Some theologians resist what the pope and magisterium teach. At times, popes have required Catholic professors to sign pledges to teach orthodoxy (Church approved beliefs). That does not always stop their resistance, however. And, to be fair, the Church does change for the better sometimes due to new realizations, such as the injustice of slavery.

The Holy Father didn't name any theologians and neither will I, but I will mention two extremes of intellectual thought that, if not at this point can even be called Christian theology, have influenced theology and therefore culture in general. I’m not an expert and I’m defining these theories very broadly, so anyone out there who reads this and can add or correct, feel free. But I think these labels will fit well enough to be recognized and cover some of what is going on in minds both inside and outside the Church.

One theory is called “Naturalistic Modernism” (or some form of the term), where all of existence is from natural laws and material substance. The other theological theory is the “Supernatural Existential,” where all people who in some sense know they are human are infused supernaturally and ultimately called by God to the Divine Nature so that pretty much every person, no matter what they believe about God or have even heard of Him, end up with Him in Heaven.

Naturalistic Modernism started centuries ago and involved so-called intellectuals denying miracles, mostly because, I think, of the increase of understanding of nature and scientific method. They wanted to look at Christ in the sense of a simple human teacher but transformed in stories by what his disciples thought of Him. The theory led to the elimination of all supernatural phenomena, including God Himself. And, of course, this is where many people stand.

Concerning the Supernatural Existential, as I understand it, individuals, even avowed atheists, do not have to believe in Christ in order to be Christian. If they accept their own essence as human beings, with an innate transcendent consciousness open to God as the Other, they are Christian even if they don’t know it. As far as I can tell, if the theory is right, no one would be eliminated from Heaven. There is more to this than I can describe here or fully understand, so I refer you to a book by Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, linked below, called, Gethsemane: The Origins and Rise of the Intellectual Revolution in the Church.

Cardinal Siri did not flinch in denouncing this theory. Another negative analysis came from none other than Pope Emeritus Benedict, previously Pope Benedict XVI, also known as a brilliant theologian. In an interview HERE (reference below), the Pope Emeritus pointed out that simply accepting oneself as human does not explain the “drama of change and renewal that is central to Christianity.”

And this theory is not what is laid out in the Bible. In the first book of Romans, a letter by the Apostle Paul to citizens of that city, Paul first describes those faults of Gentiles which Jews point out. But in the second chapter, he accuses the Jews of the very same faults. In the third chapter he spells out, with verses marked under the Bible’s New International Version (Romans 3, NIV): 

9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 

10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11

    there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 

All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”

Paul continues after naming more human faults:

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith…

Though all have sinned and are justified by the grace that comes through Christ’s sacrifice, this redemption is only received by faith.

Unfortunately, the Supernatural Existential thinking has permeated the Catholic Church, leaders and laity, to the point where evangelization is damaged. Why exert yourself if everyone is saved anyway? Evangelization can be very challenging.

Are people saved who never heard of Christ? It is up to God if He wants to make exceptions for His own reasons. It is our job to make sure all persons in our day hear the Gospels loudly and clearly. Are atheists or persons from other religions saved who have heard the Word and strongly deny either that God exists or that Christ is God and has atoned for our sins as long as we believe in Him? I very much don’t think so unless they change, no matter how much they accept themselves as human or transcendently spiritual they feel. 

Most of us are familiar with the verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16). This is stated by Jesus Christ Himself. But the next two verses, especially 18, are not as familiar in our culture: 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (NIV). (Though the wording “they have not believed” may imply “at any time in our lives,” I think that as long as we are alive, we can realize and accept the truth of Christ and subsequently be saved.) 

Only Christ leads to God, which He distinctly told us, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). We consider the Bible to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and although the Bible itself can be challenging for the laity, it is not impenetrable. We also have faith that the Holy Spirit lives within Christians and leads us to Truth. 

The “cold doctrines” Pope Francis mentions are those that lead us away from Truth, from understanding and therefore from a right relationship with God. There are intellectual and theological ideas floating around right now which openly and obviously counter to what we seek in prayer, hear in our consciences, read in the Bible, and of what Christ Himself taught. These can be analyzed by sincere believers, theology professionals or not, in our reason and our hearts, and should be called out for the "cold doctrines" that they are.

I hope all Catholics will be willing to seek the Lord's will together, throughout the Bishops' Synod on Synodality and its aftermath.

References

Justin McClellen, "Pope on Pentecost: Synod is a journey in the Spirit, not 'a parliament,'" Catholic News Service, May 28, 2023.

https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/pope-pentecost-synod-journey-spirit-not-parliament

Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, Gethsemane: The Origins and Rise of the Intellectual Revolution in the Church (Franciscan Herald Press, 1981). (This book is again available in a reprint by Sophia Institute Press, 2022.)

Fr. Jacques Servais, SJ, “Faith is Not an Idea but Life: 2016 Interview with Pope Emeritus Benedict,” Catholic Culture website, Proceedings of the residency of Gesu on Justification by Faith, accessed Sept. 9, 2023.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=11197

Pope Quote, Synod

In my previous post (HERE), I commented on Pope Francis's quotes at a mass celebrating the Holy Spirit's approach to mankind after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, Pentecost. On May 28, 2023, the Pope related that event to the upcoming Bishops' Synod on Synodality (link HERE with reference at bottom of post):

The Catholic Church's current Synod of Bishops should not be a "parliament for demanding rights," but a journey in accordance with the Spirit. 

He emphasized, "the Holy Spirit is the heart of synodality and the driving force of evangelization."

But from the same homily, Francis warned, "We often hear so many so-called thinkers and theologians who give us cold doctrines that seem mathematical because they lack the Spirit."

I mentioned that the Holy Father's comments brought out three major themes: the Holy Spirit; Church synods; and certain theologians.

Though these themes are interwoven, in my second post, I'll address Church synods, along with a closely related subject, Catholic Church councils.

Since it began around 2000 years ago, the Catholic Church has had 21 official ecumenical (worldwide) councils, listed in Catholic Answers Website HERE. The Pope doesn't have to attend these meetings of bishops but has to approve their concluding documents.

In addition, there are other meetings of bishops that are known as synods. They can be restricted to a certain geographical location. Also, a synod can be a meeting of bishops called by a pope to discuss a topic of theological or pastoral significance in order to prepare a document of advice or counsel to him. In an effort to keep the spirit of Vatican II (concluded in 1965) alive, Pope Paul VI enacted regularly spaced bishops' synods since then.

Though we might expect all meetings of Catholic bishops, many of whom have advanced to cardinals at this stage, to be smooth going, history shows this was not the case. Two particular situations were especially contentious for long periods of time.

One was the Arian heresy. It started when a man named Arius claimed that Jesus Christ was not a Person of God but rather made by God to be somewhere between God and humans as a mediator.

For a very in-depth report of that controversy, you can refer to a book, entirely online, by John Henry Cardinal Newman called, Arians of the Fourth Century (link HERE). You can also read a shorter summary under “Arian controversy” at Wikipedia HERE.

There were many synods between the two Councils that are considered the ones that officially condemned Arianism (which were Nicaea in 325 AD and Constantinople I in 381 AD). A list of the intervening meetings is found in Note 6 of Cardinal Newman's book (link HERE). These sometimes pronounced in favor of Arianism. There were various locations of all the synods due to various factors, even prevailing illnesses, so the events can be hard to follow. But in one of these Catholic Church synods the Arian heresy was supported even by a pope's signature (Pope Liberius at the Synod of Sirmium in 357 AD).

In those days, emperors got involved with religion, so some of the divisions were due to their interference. However, there were genuine disagreements between leaders of the Church, especially along what were considered geographical lines of East (Constantinople) and West (Rome). 

It is relevant to the current synod to say that the laity were intimately aware of the Arian heresy over these years and actively fighting it. Cardinal Newman felt free to give his view (Note 5 HERE) in Arians of the Fourth Century: 

The episcopate, whose action was so prompt and concordant at Nicæa on the rise of Arianism, did not, as a class or order of men, play a good part in the troubles consequent upon the Council; and the laity did. The Catholic people, in the length and breadth of Christendom, were the obstinate champions of Catholic truth, and the bishops were not.

 After mentioning exceptions on both sides, such as Athanasius, he adds to the above quote:

This is a very remarkable fact: but there is a moral in it. Perhaps it was permitted, in order to impress upon the Church at that very time passing out of her state of persecution to...her long temporal ascendancy, the great evangelical lesson, that, not the wise and powerful, but the obscure, the unlearned, and the weak constitute her real strength. It was mainly by the faithful people that Paganism was overthrown; it was by the faithful people, under the lead of Athanasius and the Egyptian bishops, and in some places supported by their Bishops or priests, that the worst of heresies was withstood and stamped out of the sacred territory.

Another example of Councils that did not bring immediate solutions were those of Pisa in 1409 and Constance in 1414 to 1418. In 1309, the geographical center of the Catholic Church had been moved from Rome to Avignon, France, largely due to political interactions with the pope and the king of France at the time (info HERE). In 1377, it returned to Rome, led by Pope Gregory XI. When he died and a new pope, Urban VI, was elected, he was critical of the cardinals who had lived in luxury in France. Some of them then returned to France in 1378 and elected an anti-pope, Clement VII. About 30 years later, some of the leadership got the Church into even more of a bind when they attempted to replace 2 popes at a meeting in Pisa in 1409, when they elected a new Pope. However, instead of the desired result of a total of one pope, the election was contested and the Church now had 3 popes.

At Constance (info HERE), the participants eventually emerged with one pope. However, they claimed supremacy of Church councils over the pope in certain cases, and pronounced that councils should be held every 10 years. This is known as conciliarism and was declared heretical by Pope Pius II  in 1460.

I hope you have seen it can take time to work out where the Holy Spirit is truly leading us when it comes to Catholic Church councils and synods.

References

Justin McClellen, "Pope on Pentecost: Synod is a journey in the Spirit, not 'a parliament,'" Catholic News Service, May 28, 2023. https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/pope-pentecost-synod-journey-spirit-not-parliament

Karl Keating, "The 21 Ecumenical Councils," Catholic Answers, 6/1/1993. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-21-ecumenical-councils

John Henry Newman, Arians of the Fourth Century, (Longmans, Green and Co., 1908). https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arians/index.html

“Arian controversy,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified March 1, 2023, 12:41 (UTC). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arian_controversy

“Council of Constance,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified July 12, 2023, 05:28. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Constance

Pope Quote, Holy Spirit

At a mass celebrating the Holy Spirit's approach to mankind after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, called Pentecost, on May 28, 2023, Pope Francis related that event to the upcoming Bishops' Synod on Synodality (link HERE, the article is first reference at bottom of post):

The Catholic Church's current Synod of Bishops should not be a "parliament for demanding rights," but a journey in accordance with the Spirit.

He emphasized, "the Holy Spirit is the heart of synodality and the driving force of evangelization."

But from the same homily, Francis warned, "We often hear so many so-called thinkers and theologians who give us cold doctrines that seem mathematical because they lack the Spirit."

I'd like to comment on the Pope's statements in a very abbreviated way. As Francis often does, I'll point out three themes. Though the subjects are intertwined, it is perhaps easier to think about them distinctly: the Holy Spirit; Church synods; and certain theologians.

To learn about God, we use the Bible, which has records of Christ's life on Earth and early Church development. All Christians should read the Bible, with studies available through Church, schools, and other sources.  (This separate link to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website Bible, the New American Bible, Revised Edition, NABRE HERE, can be used for Bible verses given below and further reading).

That said, God is a Trinity of one essence and three Persons: the Father; Jesus Christ the Son; and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is one Person with two natures, human and divine. Though He is God, He came to Earth and took on flesh in order to live a perfect life and die in atonement for our sins, so that a just God would accept us into His presence in Heaven (to read more, click HERE).

To learn about the Holy Spirit, we can see what Christ said about Him. In the Bible's book of John, chapter 14, Jesus was talking with His disciples. He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you (John 14:15-17, NABRE).

This is an exciting promise since the Holy Spirit is God Himself! It should make us pay close attention to what Christ means.

What are Christ's commandments? One is to love one another, as He tells the same disciples in the previous chapter (John 13:34).

But this is not all, as some seem to think. The other major commandment is to believe in Jesus Christ Himself. Again in the book of John at an earlier time, Christ answers a question in an exchange with a crowd following Him: "So they said to him, 'What can we do to accomplish the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent'” (John 6:28-29). He was referring to Himself as both God and Son of God.

Most of us are familiar with John 3:16, where Christ tells a Jewish leader that "God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Belief is crucial.

Throughout the Old Testament, God had a special relationship with the Jewish people. However, He insisted they worship Him, the True God, and no false conceptions of other gods. They often failed and eventually were exiled by God to foreign lands.

Too often today even Christians don't take belief in the Trinity, including Christ, seriously enough. But it is a fundamental element of our relationship with God. He wants us to know Him, be devoted to Him and worship only Him as the Lord. Jesus Christ came to Earth, lived a perfect life and died in atonement for our sins, and our attention should be focused on what this means.

There are more verses about this subject that could be quoted. But for now, I want to address the other themes I mentioned, namely Church Synods and certain theologians.

References:

Justin McClellen, "Pope on Pentecost: Synod is a journey in the Spirit, not 'a parliament,'" Catholic News Service, May 28, 2023. https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/pope-pentecost-synod-journey-spirit-not-parliament

“Good News – The Gospel!” Womanatwell Website, March 9, 2023. https://womanatwell.blogspot.com/2023/03/good-news-gospel.html

Synod Press

 The list of participants for the first session of the Catholic Bishops’ Synod on Synodality 2021-2024 has appeared, but it is only in Italian. The organizers have been promising the list in English, but it is not yet available at this writing. The list in Italian is HERE and I imagine the English one will be found from that link when it finally is completed. The list of North American Delegates for the Synod is HERE.

I’ve been reading the Instrumentum Laboris (the working document) for this general assembly and it is impressive, displaying large amounts of prayerfulness, thoughtfulness, and hard work of many people.

Recently Vatican News reported (link HERE) that Pope Francis received an award from Italian journalists for persons who “have shaped the narrative of current affairs in Italy with objectivity, professionalism and creativity.” In the article, the Holy Father discusses problems with the press concerning disinformation and efforts to steer public opinion. He asked for help from journalists to report on this upcoming Synod on Synodality. Quoting the Vatican News article: 

Reiterating that synod participants want to contribute together to building a Church where everyone feels at home, where no one is excluded, Pope Francis reiterated his request “to the masters of journalism” for help to “tell this process for what it really is, leaving behind the logic of slogans and pre-packaged stories.”

World Youth Day

 This year's World Youth Day, a Catholic celebration with and for young persons, starts August 1, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. For more information, you can go to their website HERE. 

Synod IL

 The Instrumentum Laboris (IL, Latin for Working Document) for the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (Oct. 4-29, 2023) is now available. Links to the IL are at a Synod webpage HERE.

This document is a culmination of input of thousands of Catholics, from laity to leaders, from local to Rome. As Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod said, "The IL is not a document of the Holy See, but of the whole Church” (link to IL Introduction webpage HERE).

The IL synthesizes certain themes that have emerged from all the work, and provides worksheets for the participants of the Synod to contemplate.

Since I have not read the whole thing yet and am still catching up with other reading, I won’t make more comments now. I just wanted to get the links into my blog now that they are available.