The Catholic Times in its recent issue has an article by a priest director of the Korea Institute of Christian Thought. The Catholic Times, in collaboration with the Institute, explores the theological meaning of Synodality in the context of the Korean Church, and how its values can be meaningfully embodied in the actual church setting and to unearth church practices and models that can provide inspiration and insights towards Synodal renewal for the Church.
The COVID-19 pandemic briefly halted or slowed down our society. From this, we have had the opportunity to reflect on our problems. In the Church, we also had the opportunity to reduce activities and look back at ourselves to explore our mission anew. The increasing interest in Synodality in the Church can also be understood in this context.
Synodality is a movement of ecclesial renewal. It calls for reflecting on the reality of the faithful and the community, and the ways of adapting to the changing environment of the world with a new mission and methods.
As the paradigm of thinking about the world changes with each era, the Church also needs to communicate on this basis and proclaim the Gospel. This does not mean changing doctrine and tradition. It means that the form of living and expressing it is changing. To create a "Synodal Church" in the future, the author intends to share some of his feelings of regret.
From October 2021 to October 2024, the 16th World Synod of Bishops, with the theme "Walking Together," proceeds from the local diocese to the nation, continent, and universal Church. The Church in Korea has already gone through the Synod process at the diocesan level in 2022 and shared its contents with the global Church. The application of the principle of Synodality was an important point in diagnosing the realities and difficulties of each local Church and finding the Church's mission. Since all members of the Church are equal in the eyes of the Lord, it is crucial to listen, respect each other, actively participate in the Church's work with a sense of faith, and work together in the Lord's mission.
However, there are negative views in the Korean Church that the momentum of the Synodality movement will soon wither away. Unlike the Roman and Western churches, which are currently experiencing a church crisis, many people in the Korean Church do not sense the great danger of the situation. When talking with the parishioners and priests one can feel that there is a significant lack of understanding and necessity regarding the Synod and Synodality.
Unlike the Korean Church, the German Church has been losing about 200,000 believers annually in recent years. To overcome this crisis, the German Catholic Church has been holding a regional church synod since 2019, separate from the 16th World Bishop Synod. At this synod, which consists of 230 members representing various levels of believers and priests, controversial issues within the Catholic Church, such as same-sex unions, priest celibacy, and women priests, were discussed and resolutions were passed through one vote per person. Of course, implementing this is the responsibility of the bishops of the respective dioceses, but the German Bishops' Conference also expressed its respect for the German Synod's resolutions.
Of course, creating a Synodal Church is not a measure for crisis management but rather a necessity for performing the Church's mission within the expressions and methods of the times. However, the danger is we may become a church that is more concerned about preventing a crisis than sincerely fulfilling its essential mission.
We need to pay attention to the clericalism or priestly authoritarianism of the clergy that is a problem in the Korean Church. Such criticism is also related to the impact of social culture based on the increase in values of democracy and individual freedom. The consciousness of equality and individual freedom and decision-making is becoming more important in our society. Priests are required to serve with a more humble attitude for the sake of the flock.
Of course, since it is the spirit of the gospel, priests should seriously consider the incorrect authoritarian priestly attitudes and the decentralized role-sharing of the Church's mission. Conversely, we also need to think about Korean believers' passivity. Believers themselves must take responsibility for their faith, and the Church should foster an environment where they can participate actively.
