At the end of August, the European Synod on Synodality participants in Linz met to discuss the working document for the second session of the Synod in the autumn.
Among the 43 participants were the President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), Archbishop Gintaras Grusas (Vilnius), and the Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of Italy, Austria and Switzerland, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (Bologna), Archbishop Franz Lackner (Salzburg) and Bishop Felix Gmür (Basel).
Also present was the well-known Czech priest, theologian and philosopher of religion Tomas Halik (pictured).
He reported in the run-up to of the interview of two conferences at the Belgian University of Leuven on the subject of “Church and Society in China and the West”.
Asian delegates from the Synod on Synodality took part, including two bishops from China and a theologian from Hong Kong.
In this context, the theologian emphasised that he had become aware for the first time of how important the decentralisation of the Church is, as the conditions for Church life are very different in the various cultures.
In an interview with katholisch.de, he therefore talks about decentralisation, reform projects and which ministries the Church should create.
Question: Professor Halik, what structural changes do you think are necessary for the Church to meet the demands of today’s world?
Halik: There is a need to establish ministries in the Church that do not require ordination, including the ministry of spiritual direction.
This ministry requires both a personal charism and special training, i.e. training and supervision. It is one of many ministries in the Church for which God has given many charisms, not least to women.
Question: You mentioned decentralisation earlier. What does this mean in concrete terms for the whole Church?
Halik: The service of the Church in the age of a globalised world cannot be limited to territorial communities.
The following also applies to the Church in the globalised age: act locally, think globally.
Acting locally always means respecting the context. This requires a decentralisation of the Church, the application of the principle of subsidiarity, but also solidarity: in respect for those who are different from us.
The ministry of chaplains in hospitals, in the army and in prisons is the vanguard of this Church ministry, which is open to all, not just its own members.
Question: And “thinking globally” means?
Halik: Thinking globally means constantly deepening catholicity and ecumenism.
The universal openness of the Church, which is a sacrament, is sign and instrument of the unity of all humanity.
This unity is an eschatological goal, but one for which we must constantly work. The Catholic unity of the Church must be an organic unity in diversity, not the uniformity and conformity of totalitarian systems.
Question: Speaking of diversity, one of the aims of the European meeting was to recognise diversity in Europe and make it visible. But what does diversity mean for the Church in Europe?
Halik: European Christianity finds itself in a paradoxical situation: we are a minority in a largely dechurched society, which nevertheless carries two thousand years of indelible experience with many forms of Christian faith in its genes.
This is a rich and at the same time burdensome heritage. This heritage also includes European secularism and atheism. Our mother, the European Church, has many unknown descendants and many “lost sons and daughters”.
A deeper understanding of European culture brings us many surprising encounters with our unknown brothers and sisters.
Question: What role does the voice of the Church in Europe play in the universal Church?
Halik: We have to reckon with the fact that for many our synodal invitation is met with mistrust. To regain lost trust, we need patience and credible witnesses. Read more