Pope Francis says: “what is under discussion at synodal gatherings are not the traditional truths of Christian doctrine. The Synod is concerned mainly with how teaching can be lived and applied in the changing contexts of our time.” Therefore, all topics can be raised, but it is important to realize that not all topics will form part of the ongoing discussion.
The synodal process is not about a democratic debate. It is place of respectful mutual listening and experiencing the call of the Holy Spirit to move in new ways. Again, the Pope is clear on this: “Another temptation that so often confuses people is treating the synod as a kind of parliament underpinned by a ‘political battle’ in which in order to govern one side must defeat the other…this goes against the spirit of the synod as a protected space of community discernment.”
What the synodal process will do is embed at all levels of the Church a new way of listening and hearing, of discernment and action, which remains faithful to the truths received but expresses them in the context of a particular time.
