What happens when a Synodal decision is rejected?

As a concept, synodality is wonderful!

The Holy Father’s idea of synodality is that we listen to other Catholics and Christians to find a dialectic; then develop a consensus for action and move forward. Together! What a beautiful image.

The only problem is that the participants in the synod are human. This reality means we must consider the following questions:

• What will happen when the same synodal decision is repeatedly rejected by the Pope?

  or,

• What will happen if the same synodal decision is not rejected by the Pope?

The CRUX magazine asked the valid question: “Can a ‘Synodal Church’ exist under Papal Primacy?”

In the West, synods were often held in the early centuries of the Church, and included important theological debates. However, as the powers of the papacy grew, the synods became less common, although “councils” – which are arguably synods by a different name – still continued. Ecumenical Councils, such as Vatican II, continue to issue theologically definitive statements, but more localized councils generally tackle administrative affairs, with theological questions reserved to the Vatican.

More prominently, after Vatican II, Pope Paul VI established the Synod of Bishops, which had no real authority at all.

…This was apparent when the German Church began its “Synodal Way,” which sought to change Church teaching on the role of women and to allow more liberal views on sexuality. Pope Francis told the Associated Press the German “Synodal Way” was “elitist” and “ideological…”

Universal Primacy

A unique difficulty for synodality within the Catholic Church arises from the ‘universal primacy’ of the Holy Father. This means that the Synod is—and will always be—purely advisory. [The Ecumenical Council of Vatican I confirmed the doctrine that the Bishop of Rome has universal primacy over the Church and is “infallible” when he speaks ex cathedra.]

This holds at the diocesan level for a synod advising the bishop and at the parish level where the parish priest holds full local authority.

“Ask and you shall receive…”

There is a saying about the cross-examination of a witness in court: Never ask a question for which you do not know the answer. Perhaps this should be adapted to the synodal process: Only ask a synodal question when you already know the answer!

Practically, the only ‘win’ for the Pope is when he receives the answer he was seeking. If the synodal process includes relativistic “inclusive” questions, the response from our relativistic & “inclusive” society is likely to include relativistic and inclusive answers. That is a problem for a church holding to moral absolutism.

The Pope cannot simply ignore or modify a Synodal decision: he must either reject or accept it.

Rejecting a ‘liberal’ synodal decision will tick-off the participants for many reasons (ignoring their opinion; wasting time & effort; “hurty feelings”; their ‘cause’ is not furthered; etc.)

Accepting liberal decisions which are opposed to fundamental Catholic theology will tick-off conservative Catholics holding fast to established dogma.

Both of these outcomes are a ‘loss’ for the Holy See.

The German Synodal Way

One picture is worth a thousand words...

Delegates at the fifth assembly of the German Synodal Way, meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 11, 2023, applaud after the passage of a text calling for changes to the German Church's approach to gender identity. Photo:  Jonathan Liedl, National Catholic Register

I see no dialectic or consensus here. I see motivated pressure groups gloating over their victory…

From left: Katharina Westerhorstmann, Dorothea Schmidt, Marianne Schlosser, and Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz. | Credit: Screenshot from K-TV on youTube, courtesy of EWTN

How did this fiasco come about?

It is reported that 8 out of 27 German ordinaries were absent from the Nov. 10-11 meeting. (So, almost 1/3 of the bishops were missing…really??)

Also, 4 German laywomen—2 theologians, 1 journalist and 1 philosopher—had resigned in protest earlier that year. (The women had the balls to write to the Holy Father, but by then the Synodal Way was properly lost.)

The Pope rejected the German Synodal Way:

• Chief among the pope’s concerns is a push to set up a permanent “Synodal Council,” a mixed body of laity and bishops that would govern the Catholic Church in Germany.

• Pope Francis has expressed deep reservations about the direction of the Catholic Church in Germany, warning that concrete steps currently being taken “threaten” to undermine unity with the universal Church.

• Instead of seeking “salvation” in “constantly evolving committees” or “self-absorbed dialogues rehashing the same themes,” the pope underscored the need for the Catholic Church in Germany to be rooted in “prayer, penance, and adoration.”

• He also called upon German Catholics to “engage with our brothers and sisters” on the margins, especially the sick, imprisoned, and those “at the thresholds of our church doors.”

• “I firmly believe that in these places, the Lord will guide us,” Pope Francis wrote.

Did this help the faithful in Germany? Is the German Church now stronger? Do Germans think that “Synodality in the Church is a grace!”? Has the Pope helped synodal processes elsewhere..? Other secular countries like Ireland, France, Canada and the USA will eventually go the same way as Germany.

Now that Pope Francis is appointing liberal, LGBT-leaning people to higher offices, the problem ain’t going away! His appointees will prep cardinals slated for the next conclave to choose another liberal pope and that might enable liberals attending future synods ‘to hold the field.’

Alternatively, when the Libs tire of their opinions being continually rejected, there may be a revolution against papal authority.

Feminism and the Church

Click image to link to X and view the clip.

Rightly, the Holy Father has an inclusive view of women in the Church.

About 60 fully voting women are involved in the Synod on Synodality, when it was restricted to bishops previously.

Women’s influence obviously swayed Pope Francis’ opinion last year on the issue of Marko Rupnik. The Pope relieved the statute of limitation on Rupnik’s alleged crimes so he is now awaiting an ecclesiastical trial. Long past due!

The feminist agenda is still pushing a female diaconate and ordination to the priesthood. The Holy Father has diverted these proposals yet again. (See the clip by Cardinal Fernandez.)

How long can the Pope ask for women’s opinion and yet reject their answer?

Protestant minister supporting abortion

Once women gain leverage within the Church, the radical feminists will push LGBT rights; contraception; “equity” under Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives [DEI] and—God help us—possibly abortion.

This is happening in some protestant churches.

Conservative Disengagement

Yes, the Holy Father crushed the Synodal Way this time, but it is no surprise that conservative Catholics withdraw when a process is overrun by extremist liberals.

In the face of radical liberalism, conservative Catholics flee to the wings of the church. They often seek refuge in the Traditional Latin Mass [TLM]; the Society of Saint Pius X [SSPX]; sedevacantist Society of Saint Pius V [SSPV] and the canonically regular Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter [FSSP].

That would be fine, except that the Holy Father is gunning for the TLM through his motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes. (“Pope Francis said he acted “in defense of the unity of the Body of Christ,” on the grounds that there was “distorted use” of the ability for priests to say Mass according to the 1962 missal. The opportunities provided by St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI were “exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her to the peril of division.”)

Pope Francis hopes that by restricting the TLM he will quash sedevacantism. He describes sedevacantists as "mushrooms"; that they are "sad people" and that "They carry sadness in their hearts, I have compassion for them." [Sedevacantists are schismatics who believe that there has been no valid pope since Vatican II. Sedes attend the TLM in a sort of demonstration against Papal authority. The problem for the Church is that many good and faithful Catholics also attend the TLM.]

Conclusion

Pope Francis is either very naïve, or is playing a dangerous game with synodality as the pawn between liberal and conservative Catholics. This, coming at a most dangerous time in the world as we face possible WWIII out of the conflicts in Ukraine/Russia or Israel/Iran.

Synodality could indeed lead to a wonderful regeneration within the Church—or someone might just change the rules of the game.

Once-upon-a-time a German priest & friar was (correctly) distressed by the Church selling plenary indulgences. Initially he attempted to resolve these differences amicably. Then in 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicated the man. In 1546 he died with the excommunication still in effect.

That game-changer was Martin Luther.

Kevin Hay

You can follow Kevin on X @kevinhay77

Title Picture is a detail from “Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter” in the Sistine Chapel by Pietro Perugino [1481-82]