Validity of Oceania synod discernment in question

Monday, April 17th, 2023

The validity of the Vatican’s Oceania Synod Continent phase of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality is being questioned by the report itself.

“The Vatican’s fictional construct, a new continent it calls Oceania, may have been a step too far” a seasoned observer of Church politics told CathNews.

The Vatican’s “Oceania Continent” occupies 33% of the planet. It comprises 21 countries, from small island states to large land masses, with a wide range of ethnic, cultural and linguistic groups.

Significant gaps

The Oceania Working Document for the Continental Stage highlights significant gaps in its report.

The Document identifies ‘of concern,’ the absence from the report of certain groups of people.

Men, young people, migrants, abuse victims, West Papuans and those who do not want to see change were less likely to be heard.

The Document also records that for a range of reasons, the Bishops Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC) could not submit their synthesis document to the process.

It also indicates that some bishops could not attend the continental stage meeting.

The report states the vastness and cultural divergence of the Continent meant some members were systemically excluded.

Among the reasons some members did not take part in the process, the report identifies a lack of access to information, a lack of suitable communications technologies, travel, language difficulties and language disabilities.

To make up for some of these gaps, the report says “advocacy” was implied throughout the process.

“Accordingly, ‘advocacy’ was implied throughout the five responses — advocacy for diverse groups of people in the Church or wider society which could not be directly part of a synodal listening, dialogue, discernment and decision-making process,” the document says.

Similarity of voices

While the voice of some local churches and groups within them is absent, the similarity of many voices could be heard directly – many themes, issues, and insights emerged as priorities, including:

Mission – that there be a transition from a maintenance to a mission church.
The ecological crisis was seen as an urgent existential global issue that particularly impacted the “Oceania Continent”; it should be viewed as a mission field in which the whole Church should be engaged.
The development of Church teaching on sexuality, diverse sexual relationships, contraception, the situation of the divorced and remarried, intercommunion with other Christian denominations whose Baptism we recognise, priestly celibacy and the restriction of ordination to men.

(While the issue of women’s ordination was raised in the Australian response, the New Zealand response noted that “there was no request for the consideration of ordination of women as priests, although one group asked for their [women’s] ordination as deacons).

Becoming more synodal and embedding Synodality as the way of being Church at every level.
A cultural and structural change in leadership, including shared governance and decision-making.
Investing in how the faith needs of young people can be met and how young people can be better formed in order for them to better utilise their skills and passions.
The participation of women in the Church and ensuring the Church continues to listen to those women who do not feel sufficiently recognised.
Formation of lay people to help them participate more fully in a synodal Church.

Bishops’ offer pastoral reflections

By way of comment on the document, the FCBCO bishops offered a pastoral reflection acknowledging that despite the Church appearing in disarray, that it is in these areas of pain that Christ reveals himself.

While acknowledging the document is not a census of all Catholics in Oceania, they identify it as real and as an expression of all those who responded.

They say the document is not a teaching document, but more like a postcard sent home describing where we are today.

They say Synodality will take time both in Oceania and the Universal Church and that they do not want to build a different Church, but renew and revitalise the Church we love.

To this end, the bishops depart from their non-teaching “pastoral reflection” bringing together some of the core issues that emerged – Church, belonging, the place of baptism, reconciliation and eucharist.

“For Catholics, the Eucharist is central.

“Through Baptism, we gain entry to the Eucharistic community gathered at the Table of the Lord.

“With Christ, we as a people are invited to die to self and rise again with Christ as we participate in his sacrificial self-emptying and self-giving.

“The Lord Jesus gives us Himself as food for the journey until we share in the banquet of heaven.

“He gives us priests, whom He calls to have a shepherd’s heart to care for their people, proclaim the Word of God, celebrate Eucharist with and for them, and so nourish the Church as she strives to fulfil her mission for the life of the world.

“Similarly, the Sacrament of Penance reunites the sinner with the Eucharistic community.”

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