Confidential Synod docs posted to unsecured server

Monday, October 16th, 2023

In a stunning revelation, it has been discovered that private deliberations at the Synod on Synodality have been accessible through an unsecured server.

According to The Pillar news outlet, the records contain vital information. This includes rosters of synodal participants and their working group assignments.

Reports filed by these working groups at the conclusion of the first segment of the synod’s discussion were also available.

Anyone with the correct web address could access the records openly without requiring a password.

The security failure has sent shockwaves through the Vatican and calls into question the level of confidentiality within the Synod.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni has started an investigation into the matter.

Vatican embarrassed

The Pillar, in compliance with Pope Francis’ request for restraint in press coverage of the synodal process, has refrained from publishing the names of members of individual working groups.

However, the revelation has left the Vatican embarrassed. It also exposed an extraordinary breach of the supposed wall of secrecy surrounding the Synod’s proceedings.

One of the major concerns arising from this breach is the question of who else might have been spying on these confidential deliberations.

Additionally, the availability of the Synod’s working group assignments raises doubts about the organisers’ decision not to share this information with the media.

One journalist reported that Paolo Ruffini, president of the synod’s information commission, said this week he did not have access to the names. He added he would be unwilling to obtain and share them with the media.

Inclusivity questioned

That such information appears to be withheld even from senior synodal participants but freely available on an unsecured server raises significant questions about the synodal secretariat’s approach to internal information sharing and security.

Moreover, the reports reveal discrepancies with Synod leaders’ claims that the assembly would focus on inclusivity rather than Church teaching.

Some working groups emphasised doctrinal fidelity, while at least one report proposed reconsidering doctrine on sexual morality.

The breach highlights a significant communication blunder. It undermines Pope Francis’ emphasis on maintaining the confidentiality of Synod proceedings.

This secrecy is crucial to enabling Synod members to “express themselves freely.”

Vatican representatives are yet to confirm the security status of the server. They have also refrained from outlining the action they intend to take in response to The Pillar’s report.