By Francesca Merlo
Pope Francis has written a note to accompany the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, a text that captures the results of the two-year-long Synod of Bishops on Synodality which Pope Francis called for in Oct 2021 that concluded in Oct 2024.
Guided by the spirit
In the text accompanying the Document, Pope Francis writes that from its very creation, the synodal path has been characterised by openness to the voice of the Holy Spirit. This spirit has guided the Church across continents, languages, and cultures.
“This journey,” Pope Francis writes, “has allowed the Church to read her own experiences and identify steps to live communion, realise participation, and promote the mission entrusted to her by Christ.”
He describes how this synodal journey actually began at the local level, moving then through national and continental phases. Now that the Assembly has concluded, Pope Francis entrusts the Final Document and its contents back to the local Churches, whom he invites to implement the contents of the Document with discernment, creativity, and respect for their unique contexts.
Synodality forward
Pope Francis then goes on to describe the Document as part of the “ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter” and asks that its authoritative nature be respected as such. “It represents a form of exercising the authentic teaching of the Bishop of Rome”, explains the Pope, adding that “it contains elements of novelty but aligns with what I clarified on Oct 17, 2015, when I stated that synodality is the proper interpretive framework for understanding hierarchical ministry”.
However, he clarifies that the Document “is not strictly normative” but rather a call for reflection differently applied in each context.
He also reiterates “the conclusion of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops does not mark the end of the synodal process”. Instead, he says, it marks the beginning of a phase of implementation, and “local Churches and their groupings are now called to implement, in different contexts, the authoritative directions contained in the Document through discernment and decision-making processes foreseen by canon law and the Document itself”.
Accountability and Support
Pope Francis then goes on to entrust the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia with the task of accompanying local Churches as they work to effectively implement the synodal vision. Bishops, too, he continues, “will report on the choices made in their local Church concerning the indications in the Final Document, the difficulties encountered, and the fruits achieved, and are called to report on progress during their ad limina visits, sharing both challenges and fruits of their efforts”.
The Pope encourages bishops to approach this phase with courage, creativity, and humility, acknowledging that it will take time to address certain issues that require consensus across the global Church.
A renewed Church
Bringing his note to a close Pope Francis reminds all the faithful that the synodal journey “needs shared words to be accompanied by deeds”, before expressing his hope that the Holy Spirit, as the “harmony” of the Church, will continue to renew and guide her, leading her to full communion with Christ. – Vatican News
