Synodality, New Image Of Church

A Catholic professor in the Human Development Department of a Catholic University gives the readers of the Catholic Peace Weekly an overview of the Synodalitas Spirit at work in Korea.
 
"The journey of Synodalitas is the path God expects from the Church of the 3rd millennium." These are the words of Pope Francis in his speech in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Synod of Bishops of the World in 2015. The Pope did not intend to suggest any "new" path. The Pope said that synodalitas is the essential way of life of the church itself, so the answer to how the Catholic Church in the 3rd millennium should live and how to carry out its mission of proclaiming the Gospel lies in synodalitas.
 
The Pope’s wish for a "church living the synodalitas spirit" is reflected in the opening of the Synod of Bishops to be held in 2023. In the smallest gatherings of believers, religious orders, and various groups in the parishes, the "voices of the people" were heard and gathered through the synodal method, especially through the methods of listening and discernment, which were heard in the parishes, and dioceses. All this material was gathered by the bishops in each country.
 
In addition, the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops prepared the 'Documents for the Continental Stage' through the process of listening to and identifying these voices from all over the world with those invited from all over the world. There is one thing that runs through this whole process. That is, as the people of God speak out and listen to each other, they see the hope of the people and the hope of the Holy Spirit toward these people.
 
However, this process is only "one part" of the realization of synodalitas. This means that holding a synod in a parish or diocese is by no means "the end". "We have done our best" is not something that "we just have to watch" what the Asian Bishops Conference decides. Of course, the journey of the Synod will continue until next year's Synod of Bishops.
 
However, the large and small communities of each local church should not just wait for the final conclusions of the bishops but should consider and discern together the "voices" gathered in their synod journey. Some issues will need to be addressed at the universal church level, while others will be realized "here and now". For these issues, large and small communities of believers united with their shepherds should seek concrete ways to realize them and move on to implementing them.
 
At this stage of realization, the very "method" experienced in the Synod is applied. Shepherds and believers each move forward to achieve a common goal while doing what they can, and this is what synodalitas is. So synodalitas is often compared to a choir or orchestra. This dynamism takes place at various levels: small communities, parishes, dioceses, and the entire Korean church, and after the publication of "Documents for Continental Levels", it is extended to each continent and the global level.
 
The 'Documents for the Continental Level' are not simply a collection of documents for continental bishops' conferences. It is to "give back" to all the synthesis of the voices of the people of God around the world through listening and discernment. This is to make the people see the results of  their discussions and discernment in  the light  of the needs to be realized in their place of life in the universal church. And this "giving back" is actually something that has to be done at each stage of the synod. Only then can we move from the stage of listening to the stage of realization, and this process is the synodalitas, the way of life of the Church. Synodalitas is not an event that ends with a synod, nor is it a passing fad but should be the life of the Church.