The Synod on Synodality sounds more like something from Monty Python or The Babylon Bee than a real gathering of church leaders. Yet, as Father Robert Sirico describes, some considered it to be “the most significant global event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s [and] will likely be the defining moment of Pope Francis’ pontificate.” The Synod, which officially ended this past weekend, was a multi-year series of meetings in which the Catholic Church attempted to “reshape how the church functions by embracing a ‘synodal’ model—one where openness, transparency, and dialogue are central.”

Many understood synodal to mean a shift away from the emphasis on a “universal church” to one that saw Catholicism as more of a “communion of churches.” The move was intended to recognize the increasing diversity within the church and, as Father Giacomo Costa put it, help it to “serve as a hub where people of different backgrounds find unity as brothers and sisters, children of one Father.”

However, in the aftermath of the Synod’s conclusion, the question remains as to how well it achieved that goal.

Where Diversity Matters Most
One of the most significant changes in emphasis from previous synods is that men and women from the church’s laity were invited to take part in the discussions and have their voices heard alongside the bishops. Moreover, representatives from Catholic churches around the globe were present as well to ensure that no region went without a voice in the proceedings.

Yet, a common refrain among many participants was that “for all the talk of openness, the synod’s process was, in fact, carefully controlled.” For example, while the participants reflected the diversity of the church, the leadership did not. Rather, the synod’s drivers hailed primarily from the more progressive side of Catholicism in terms of theology. And that ideological divide is just as, if not more, important than nationality, gender, or a host of other markers of diversity.

One of the primary reasons that the Catholic Church is trying to make room for greater diversity is that the divide between its progressive and conservative wings is nearing a potential breaking point. Schism is a word that has been floated far more frequently in recent years, and it’s not difficult to see why.

German priests started their own version of the synod in 2019 in an effort “to bring pressure on the synod in Rome to address some of the church’s most controversial issues: the decentralization of church authority, questions surrounding sexuality, the role of women, and the life and celibacy of priests.” The result of their meeting was a document calling for adopting more progressive views on each of those topics—views that align well with the culture in Europe and much of North America but are quite anathema to the rest of the world.

And while the final document from the Synod on Synodality largely avoided discussing such issues, the tension between those two parties should serve as a warning to Christians from every denomination.

When the Culture Moves On
You see, the progressive wing of the Catholic Church is responding largely to the precipitous drop in both membership and clergy in their areas of the world. Last year, Germany’s Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck spoke of how in his fourteen years as the bishop of Essen, he has “buried almost 300 priests and ordained fifteen.” And that decline is mirrored in the larger population as well.

The culture seems to have moved on from the more traditional doctrines of the church, and the bishops feel the need to try to catch up in order to survive. However, in so doing, they have increasingly moved away from the traditions of the Catholic Church and, more importantly, the truth of Scripture. And the numbers would seem to indicate they have gained little for doing so.

After all, the only parts of the world where the Catholic Church is still growing and demonstrating consistent fruit are the parts that have not wavered in their commitment to biblical teaching on these more controversial issues. It would seem that attempts to placate the culture do little to make it more receptive to the gospel.

As Father Sirico perceptively noted, “It is a stark reminder that when the church loses its focus on its primary mission, it also risks losing its ability to speak meaningfully to the world.”

Maintaining that focus can be difficult, however, when fear begins to drive our decisions.

The Church’s Greatest Strength
Paul’s admonition that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” is among his most oft-quoted teachings (2 Timothy 1:7). Yet, the context for that statement seems particularly relevant to our topic today.

It was only after reminding Timothy of the legacy of faithfulness that he received from his grandmother and his mother (2 Timothy 1:5) that Paul encouraged him to act from a place of God’s power, love, and self-control rather than from his fears. That legacy was meant to remind him that, regardless of his present difficulties, his faith was trustworthy and had proven itself effective in the past.

If Paul could say that based on the gospel’s effectiveness over a few decades, how much more should we believe it today nearly two thousand years later?

Is interest in the gospel declining across much of Europe and North America? Unfortunately yes. But is the problem with the gospel? Absolutely not.

So, as we attempt to help demonstrate our faith’s relevance and validity to the lost around us, we must be sure that we don’t compromise God’s truth in the process. To quote Father Sirico one more time:

“In a world that is increasingly fragmented and uncertain, the church’s strength lies not in its ability to adapt to every cultural shift but in its steadfast commitment to the truth it has carried for over two millennia. The future of the church—and perhaps of the civilization it helped to build—depends on whether it can hold fast to that identity, even as it navigates the complexities of the modern world.”

Amen.

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