Synod Session 2, Part 2: The Preparatory Document

The Preparatory Document for the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality: What We Can Learn From It About the Upcoming Session

When the Preparatory Document for the second session of the Synod on Synodality was published last July, some people were excited about it, while others were disappointed. Why was that so? Perhaps one way of explaining this is by understanding what the document is and what it is not.

First of all, it is not an agenda for the second session. There is no schedule for each day, nor is there a list or calendar of the topics to be covered. These items will come later, perhaps just as the session is convening. And many of the specific topics will come from the study group reports which we discussed last time.

The preparatory document might be better described as a statement of the theme or overall approach for the second session. Its central focus is that this is a Synod on Synodality. This means it will be primarily about how decisions are to be made rather than what the outcome of each decision would be. Therefore, the document is both a justification and a rallying cry for synodal decision-making itself, and the session is focused on learning what that synodal style looks like in practice. This practice includes listening and prayerfully reflecting on where the Spirit manifests in the worldwide Church of today.

In that light, the preparatory document has been described as an “exciting” document, even though it does not focus on the controversial issues of the day. That focus is left to the study groups, while this document focuses on how the decisions are to be made. And the answer to that is “in a Synodal way guided by the Spirit.” This is a process that the whole Church is still learning, but it is fundamental to the Synod’s objectives.

To this point, the Preparatory Document says:

• “This is the ongoing conversion of the way of being the Church that the synodal process invites us to undertake.”
• Synodal practice “calls us to mutual care, interdependence and co-responsibility for the common good”
• “Weakness in reciprocity, participation and communion remains an obstacle to a full renewal of the Church"
• “The concentration of power shuts out the voices of the poorest, the marginalized and minorities.”

With words such as these, the preparatory document emphasizes the participatory approach set during the first Synod session by using the small group format and the detailed process of “Discernment in the Spirit” which was introduced at last year’s synod session. It also calls for such a process to be the norm and “an opportunity for the entire people of God to discern how to move forward.”

Next Time: The opening retreat and the first days of the second session
Click here to start from part 1 of our Synod Session 2 coverage.

Want to learn more? Check out our series on the Synod on Synodality, from the first session to our parish listening sessions!