A post-synodal exhortation: Let’s learn to speak more accurately
October 30, 2023 Mark Brumley
A synod where a significant number of voting participants aren’t bishops isn’t a Synod of Bishops, really. It just isn’t.
Delegates meet at round tables during the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 10, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media With all due respect to various folks, including Cardinal Schoenborn, the Synod that just concluded wasn’t a Synod of Bishops but a Synod of Bishops and Others.
If the Pope wants to have a Synod of Bishops Plus or a Synod of Mostly Bishops or a Synod of Bishops and Others, it’s his decision. He can have whatever consultative bodies he wants. But a synod where a significant number of voting participants aren’t bishops isn’t a Synod of Bishops, really. It just isn’t.
Now, since I’m more radical than Pope Francis on this, I don’t object to voting non-bishops in an advisory group to the Pope. If I write him a letter, I 100% vote for what I write. As I say, he can have whomever he chooses. But I do object to false labeling and misleading talk.
Speaking for my part of the People of God, and engaging my sensus fidei, I don’t care whether the bishops attending liked having non-bishops voting, as someone said trying to justify this gathering as a rootin’ tootin’ Synod of Bishops. That still doesn’t transform a Synod of Bishops and Others into a Synod of Bishops.
(I know some of Pope Francis’ advisers think that in theology 2 + 2 can equal 5. Talk that way a lot and we’ll wind up with Catholic doctrine amounting to 0/0. Some mathematicians still call this “indeterminate”, because while 0/0 can be 1, it can also be 2 or 3 or 4, etc., at least by some expert reckoning. Is that what we want for Catholic beliefs, indeterminacy?)
A senior church observer told me that this talk about the Synod of Bishops is Pope Francis’ way to “develop” a more inclusive Synod of Bishops. “Well, if it is, then it’s failing,” I replied. It may be succeeding at developing a more inclusive synod of some other kind. (Fine with me.)
But adding non-bishop voting members doesn’t make a Synod of Bishops more inclusive as a Synod of Bishops. Stop abusing words and insulting people’s intelligence.
All of this seems obvious. When church leaders seem to talk past what seems obvious, it doesn’t inspire trust or confidence.
For the record, if the Pope wants to have an international equivalent of a diocesan pastoral council or a parish pastoral council, I’m all for it—in principle. In practice, I think we’re quite a way aways from walking that road together. I have little confidence in the “People of God” “discerning” much right now. It’s hard for 1.3 billion people to engage in and express common “discernment.” And an international pastoral council would be a small subset of that. But then I’m uninspired by how collaborative or co-responsible or synodal most parishes and dioceses are. (Not very, though some are exceptional.)
I’m all for grand talk. It can inspire. But we have to do much, much, much better if we want more than grand talk. If we really want to hear the Holy Spirit. If we want this whole synodality business to be Catholic. Come to think of it, on these general points about co-responsibility and “synodality” of all Catholics the Holy Spirit has already spoken, just as he has on many of the doctrinal points some folks seem to think are still up for a future synodal vote.
I hope my saying all this doesn’t cause those synodalists disappointed with the latest outcomes not to trust the Spirit or to be fearful. Many of them seem to have too ready to resort to that way of thinking, if their rebuttals to others’ expressed concerns are any indication.
Pax Domini.
October 30, 2023 Mark Brumley
Delegates meet at round tables during the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 10, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media
With all due respect to various folks, including Cardinal Schoenborn, the Synod that just concluded wasn’t a Synod of Bishops but a Synod of Bishops and Others.
If the Pope wants to have a Synod of Bishops Plus or a Synod of Mostly Bishops or a Synod of Bishops and Others, it’s his decision. He can have whatever consultative bodies he wants. But a synod where a significant number of voting participants aren’t bishops isn’t a Synod of Bishops, really. It just isn’t.
Now, since I’m more radical than Pope Francis on this, I don’t object to voting non-bishops in an advisory group to the Pope. If I write him a letter, I 100% vote for what I write. As I say, he can have whomever he chooses. But I do object to false labeling and misleading talk.
Speaking for my part of the People of God, and engaging my sensus fidei, I don’t care whether the bishops attending liked having non-bishops voting, as someone said trying to justify this gathering as a rootin’ tootin’ Synod of Bishops. That still doesn’t transform a Synod of Bishops and Others into a Synod of Bishops.
(I know some of Pope Francis’ advisers think that in theology 2 + 2 can equal 5. Talk that way a lot and we’ll wind up with Catholic doctrine amounting to 0/0. Some mathematicians still call this “indeterminate”, because while 0/0 can be 1, it can also be 2 or 3 or 4, etc., at least by some expert reckoning. Is that what we want for Catholic beliefs, indeterminacy?)
A senior church observer told me that this talk about the Synod of Bishops is Pope Francis’ way to “develop” a more inclusive Synod of Bishops. “Well, if it is, then it’s failing,” I replied. It may be succeeding at developing a more inclusive synod of some other kind. (Fine with me.) of this seems obvious. When church leaders seem to talk past what seems obvious, it doesn’t inspire trust or confidence.
For the record, if the Pope wants to have an international equivalent of a diocesan pastoral council or a parish pastoral council, I’m all for it—in principle. In practice, I think we’re quite a way aways from walking that road together. I have little confidence in the “People of God” “discerning” much right now. It’s hard for 1.3 billion people to engage in and express common “discernment.” And an international pastoral council would be a small subset of *that*. But then I’m uninspired by how collaborative or co-responsible or synodal most parishes and dioceses are. (Not very, though some are exceptional.)
I’m all for grand talk. It can inspire. But we have to do much, much, much better if we want more than grand talk. If we really want to hear the Holy Spirit. If we want this whole synodality business to be Catholic. Come to think of it, on these general points about co-responsibility and “synodality” of all Catholics the Holy Spirit has already spoken, just as he has on many of the doctrinal points some folks seem to think are still up for a future synodal vote.
I hope my saying all this doesn’t cause those synodalists disappointed with the latest outcomes not to trust the Spirit or to be fearful. Many of them seem to have too ready to resort to that way of thinking, if their rebuttals to others’ expressed concerns are any indication.
A post-synodal exhortation: Let’s learn to speak more accurately
October 30, 2023 Mark Brumley
A synod where a significant number of voting participants aren’t bishops isn’t a Synod of Bishops, really. It just isn’t.
Delegates meet at round tables during the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 10, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media
With all due respect to various folks, including Cardinal Schoenborn, the Synod that just concluded wasn’t a Synod of Bishops but a Synod of Bishops and Others.
If the Pope wants to have a Synod of Bishops Plus or a Synod of Mostly Bishops or a Synod of Bishops and Others, it’s his decision. He can have whatever consultative bodies he wants. But a synod where a significant number of voting participants aren’t bishops isn’t a Synod of Bishops, really. It just isn’t.
Now, since I’m more radical than Pope Francis on this, I don’t object to voting non-bishops in an advisory group to the Pope. If I write him a letter, I 100% vote for what I write. As I say, he can have whomever he chooses. But I do object to false labeling and misleading talk.
Speaking for my part of the People of God, and engaging my sensus fidei, I don’t care whether the bishops attending liked having non-bishops voting, as someone said trying to justify this gathering as a rootin’ tootin’ Synod of Bishops. That still doesn’t transform a Synod of Bishops and Others into a Synod of Bishops.
(I know some of Pope Francis’ advisers think that in theology 2 + 2 can equal 5. Talk that way a lot and we’ll wind up with Catholic doctrine amounting to 0/0. Some mathematicians still call this “indeterminate”, because while 0/0 can be 1, it can also be 2 or 3 or 4, etc., at least by some expert reckoning. Is that what we want for Catholic beliefs, indeterminacy?)
A senior church observer told me that this talk about the Synod of Bishops is Pope Francis’ way to “develop” a more inclusive Synod of Bishops. “Well, if it is, then it’s failing,” I replied. It may be succeeding at developing a more inclusive synod of some other kind. (Fine with me.)
But adding non-bishop voting members doesn’t make a Synod of Bishops more inclusive as a Synod of Bishops. Stop abusing words and insulting people’s intelligence.
All of this seems obvious. When church leaders seem to talk past what seems obvious, it doesn’t inspire trust or confidence.
For the record, if the Pope wants to have an international equivalent of a diocesan pastoral council or a parish pastoral council, I’m all for it—in principle. In practice, I think we’re quite a way aways from walking that road together. I have little confidence in the “People of God” “discerning” much right now. It’s hard for 1.3 billion people to engage in and express common “discernment.” And an international pastoral council would be a small subset of that. But then I’m uninspired by how collaborative or co-responsible or synodal most parishes and dioceses are. (Not very, though some are exceptional.)
I’m all for grand talk. It can inspire. But we have to do much, much, much better if we want more than grand talk. If we really want to hear the Holy Spirit. If we want this whole synodality business to be Catholic. Come to think of it, on these general points about co-responsibility and “synodality” of all Catholics the Holy Spirit has already spoken, just as he has on many of the doctrinal points some folks seem to think are still up for a future synodal vote.
I hope my saying all this doesn’t cause those synodalists disappointed with the latest outcomes not to trust the Spirit or to be fearful. Many of them seem to have too ready to resort to that way of thinking, if their rebuttals to others’ expressed concerns are any indication.
Pax Domini.
October 30, 2023 Mark Brumley
With all due respect to various folks, including Cardinal Schoenborn, the Synod that just concluded wasn’t a Synod of Bishops but a Synod of Bishops and Others.
If the Pope wants to have a Synod of Bishops Plus or a Synod of Mostly Bishops or a Synod of Bishops and Others, it’s his decision. He can have whatever consultative bodies he wants. But a synod where a significant number of voting participants aren’t bishops isn’t a Synod of Bishops, really. It just isn’t.
Now, since I’m more radical than Pope Francis on this, I don’t object to voting non-bishops in an advisory group to the Pope. If I write him a letter, I 100% vote for what I write. As I say, he can have whomever he chooses. But I do object to false labeling and misleading talk.
Speaking for my part of the People of God, and engaging my sensus fidei, I don’t care whether the bishops attending liked having non-bishops voting, as someone said trying to justify this gathering as a rootin’ tootin’ Synod of Bishops. That still doesn’t transform a Synod of Bishops and Others into a Synod of Bishops.
(I know some of Pope Francis’ advisers think that in theology 2 + 2 can equal 5. Talk that way a lot and we’ll wind up with Catholic doctrine amounting to 0/0. Some mathematicians still call this “indeterminate”, because while 0/0 can be 1, it can also be 2 or 3 or 4, etc., at least by some expert reckoning. Is that what we want for Catholic beliefs, indeterminacy?)
A senior church observer told me that this talk about the Synod of Bishops is Pope Francis’ way to “develop” a more inclusive Synod of Bishops. “Well, if it is, then it’s failing,” I replied. It may be succeeding at developing a more inclusive synod of some other kind. (Fine with me.) of this seems obvious. When church leaders seem to talk past what seems obvious, it doesn’t inspire trust or confidence.
For the record, if the Pope wants to have an international equivalent of a diocesan pastoral council or a parish pastoral council, I’m all for it—in principle. In practice, I think we’re quite a way aways from walking that road together. I have little confidence in the “People of God” “discerning” much right now. It’s hard for 1.3 billion people to engage in and express common “discernment.” And an international pastoral council would be a small subset of *that*. But then I’m uninspired by how collaborative or co-responsible or synodal most parishes and dioceses are. (Not very, though some are exceptional.)
I’m all for grand talk. It can inspire. But we have to do much, much, much better if we want more than grand talk. If we really want to hear the Holy Spirit. If we want this whole synodality business to be Catholic. Come to think of it, on these general points about co-responsibility and “synodality” of all Catholics the Holy Spirit has already spoken, just as he has on many of the doctrinal points some folks seem to think are still up for a future synodal vote.
I hope my saying all this doesn’t cause those synodalists disappointed with the latest outcomes not to trust the Spirit or to be fearful. Many of them seem to have too ready to resort to that way of thinking, if their rebuttals to others’ expressed concerns are any indication.
Pax Domini.
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