NZ dioceses publish synod synthesis documents

Each of the country’s six Catholic dioceses has published the synthesis documents as part of the process leading up to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will have the theme: “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.”

The six local synthesis documents follow the recently completed diocesan phase of New Zealand’s part in synod 2021-23 — launched by Pope Francis in 2021 and concluding in Rome next year.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference will prepare a national synthesis, which will become part of international documents sent to Rome for the synod.

Representatives from dioceses, parishes, schools, priests and religious orders will attend a hui at St Catherine’s College, Kilbirnie on Saturday, July 2, to discuss the feedback syntheses from the dioceses.

“The bishops look forward to gathering with a very wide group of people as we look at the synodal question ‘How do we as a Church journey together?’,” said Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe, secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

The NZCBC will prepare a national synthesis for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Syntheses from around the world will then serve as the basis for the first edition of the Instrumentum Laboris, which will be refined during a continental process. NZ Catholic understands that a gathering for Oceania will be in Fiji in February, 2023.

A final version will be used at the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October, 2023.

Each diocese in Aotearoa New Zealand (and around the world) was asked to consult widely on the synod topic. Many of the dioceses in New Zealand refined the process down to two basic questions, along the lines of “In your experience, how have you felt welcomed and supported by the Catholic faith community?” and “In what ways could the Catholic faith community journey with people better?”

Response

However, the syntheses indicate that participation was relatively low.

In Auckland diocese, over 500 submissions were received, with about 40 per cent from individuals. Submissions for the Auckland consultation were received from 23 parishes, 5 ethnic communities, 9 lay associations, 6 religious congregations and 4 schools.

The Auckland synthesis noted that there was “no clear voice of the clergy . . .[and] although we heard from the young, school communities, Māori, and those that are marginalised from the Church, these were not strong voices”. The relatively low involvement of Māori, ethnic communities and young people in the process was also noted by several syntheses, which stated that their responses came largely from older, Pākehā people.

In Hamilton diocese, 44 groups, made up of 260 people, took part in a “spiritual conversation”. Surveys were responded to by 124 individuals. In Palmerston North diocese, there were about 230 submissions, representing some 500 people. More voices were heard in a second phase of the process.

In Wellington archdiocese, 237 group submissions and 395 individual submissions were received, engaging more than 1500 people. “While the numbers are encouraging, we are aware that there are voices that remain unheard, and are not necessarily included in this report,” the Wellington synthesis stated.

In Christchurch diocese, there were 577 individual submissions and 43 group submissions. Separate email submissions were received representing a further 47 groups and 18 individuals. No figures were mentioned in the Dunedin diocese synthesis.

Many of the dioceses also held gatherings so that feedback could be prayed about, discussed and refined. But the Covid-19 restrictions meant that the whole process was made more difficult, it was admitted.

The Auckland diocese was under stay-at-home orders at the start of the diocesan process, and significant restrictions around gatherings were in place until Easter, 2022, the Auckland synthesis noted.

Many of the syntheses noted feedback from some people who doubted that the synod process would lead to meaningful change or that their contribution would be listened to. But other people expressed their appreciation of being able to take part in the process, and they stated that it was a worthwhile experience.

Some of the strong themes in the syntheses were inclusion and hurt, abuse and Church response, Church governance and decision-making, the involvement of women in the Church, adult formation, homilies, being a bicultural Church, and inclusive language. Some of the statements in the syntheses about people’s experiences or suggestions for improvement on some of these topics are below.

 

Inclusion and/or hurt in the Church:

Dunedin: “Many people spoke of the importance of the Church being a place where everyone is welcome, and where people are not judged. A place where their dignity is upheld. . . .Many mentioned with sadness the Church’s formal stance on LGBTQI+, and challenged the Church to be more open to difference. There is a real desire to move away from withholding sacraments based on sexual orientation or marital status.”

Palmerston North: “It was painful reading from those who have felt ignored and excluded and been deeply hurt by the Church, including the personal experiences of abuse, yet the repeated need and desire for a fulfilling Catholic community was clear.”

Hamilton: “The conversation around ‘hot button issues’, such as the ordination of women, clericalism, and how to welcome LGBTQI and divorced persons, reveals a deep need for ongoing conversation and catechesis in what the Church teaches and practises and why. . . . Many submissions spoke of division: of difficulties experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, including division caused by the use of vaccination passes in parishes.”

Auckland: “We heard a call that the Church be more welcoming of diversity. Diversity of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marriage status and theological perspective.”

 

Abuse and Church response:

Christchurch: “People urged honesty, humility and openness ‘for the light of truth and humility to shine into the dark places of our Church’. They stressed the importance of welcoming those who come with concerns and complaints.”

Wellington: “As Church we must face the deep wounds of the past that need healing for all. Meaningful reparation for the sexual and power abuse by our Church is urgently needed if we are to move forward in true synodality.”

Auckland: Call to the Universal Church: To discern how we:- “Ensure robust systems of safeguarding, admit to the systems that enabled the scandals of the past to happen, and sincerely seek forgiveness for failures that enabled abuse to flourish in the Church.”

 

Church governance and decision-making:

Christchurch: “This [participation] was one of the themes about which people were most passionate. It captures people’s desire for the Church to be the People of God, journeying together, rediscovering the priesthood of all the baptised. People see this happening through: ‘Collaborative leadership arising from affirming the place of the laity, and especially of women in leadership, ministry and decision-making. This includes working in ways that involve the priest, but ‘do not depend on him for a final say’.”

Dunedin: “Many challenged the leadership structure of the Church. It is seen as being authoritarian, and needs to be a better listener and include all the baptised in decision-making and leadership.”

Wellington: “A key theme that emerged from the submissions was that, if we are to be a truly synodal Church, we need to move beyond hierarchical decision-making structures which tend to put immense pressure on the ordained, while disempowering the laity.”

Palmerston North: “Many submissions reflected on the current leadership style, or styles. There was a strong call for less clericalism and clerical leadership, and instead to move towards more lay leadership, and more opportunities for involvement by women and from other thus-far excluded groups.”

Hamilton: “Some desire a different way of communication, and some feel the need to be involved in decision-making, leadership, and governance at parish and diocesan levels. At the same time, some recognise that leadership and decision-making starts with each person ‘doing their bit’ wherever they find themselves.”

 

Women in the Church:

Wellington: “A strong theme that came through was the need for inclusivity, with particular attention to the role of women. The appointment of women in key leadership roles in the Vatican is overdue and welcome. However, this needs to filter down to the local level. Typically, women carry the load of voluntary service within their community and on the peripheries. Yet for centuries, their voices have been dismissed in a Church that is patriarchal in its structure.”

Dunedin: “Many decried the lack of opportunity for women in the Church, in leadership and liturgy. This lack of equality for women within the Church is seen as a huge stumbling block for the Church in the modern world.”

Auckland: Call to the Universal Church: To discern how we: acknowledge the “gifts and talents of women in a more equitable presence in Church structures, including decision-making bodies. Call to the Universal Church: To discern how we: Explore the roles, responsibilities of clergy, and who might take on these responsibilities that respect and honour sacramental orders in a manner that the ordained serve the people of God. This would include looking at the possibility of optional celibacy for priests, the possibility of the ordination of women to the priesthood or at least [the] diaconate”.

 

Homilies

Auckland: Calls to the Universal Church: to discern on homilies — “sharing some of the responsibilities for ministry with those not in orders, and homilies by formed and appropriate people”.

Christchurch: Suggestions: “In-depth formation is needed for clergy and laity, so that homilies are well-informed by good scholarship in Scripture, theology, and local, global contexts.”

Palmerston North: “There was a strong desire for a more loving community, where all people can be involved and be spiritually nourished. Participants considered this achievable through the use of inclusive and accessible language, and relevant homilies that help parishioners navigate their way through today’s moral, environmental, and cultural issues.”

 

Adult formation:

Christchurch: “As people seek more inclusion and participation in the life of the Church, they also seek the formation that will allow this transformation to occur.”

Wellington: “Most Catholics have little understanding of the mission of the baptised. Catholic faith formation here is inadequate in enabling our people to engage in mission. The study and discussion of Scripture, and the Church’s documents on mission and social justice, are a fundamental part of that mission.”

Links to the syntheses for the New Zealand dioceses can be found at www.catholic.org.nz