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Unity, Identity, and Shared Suffering
Three themes quickly emerged from the early deliberations of the European Synod

By CWR Staff

When he opened the deliberations of the Synod of Bishops for Europe, Pope John Paul II had a surprise in store for the 179 bishops who had gathered in Rome for the occasion. At the opening Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on October 1, the Pontiff announced that he had proclaimed three new patron saints for the European continent: Sts. Edith Stein, Brigitte of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena. [For another report on that announcement, see “World Watch,” page 6.]

In his homily, the Holy Father noted that Europe has already been placed under the patronage of three male saints: St. Benedict, the 6th-century founder of the Western monastic tradition; and Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the 9th-century “apostles to the Slavs.” But he said that the Church should also have “feminine figures,” in recognition of the enormous work done by Christian women in the civilization of Europe. But in the motu proprio he released the same day to make the proclamations official, the Pope explained why he had chosen these particular women as patron saints. Their lives, he wrote, reflected the fundamental unity of the continent, the pivotal importance of Europe’s Christian patrimony, and the suffering which the European people have endured during the 20th century at the hands of ideologies alien to that Christian heritage.

Ten days later, as the first phase of the European Synod came to a close, those same themes—the unity of the continent, the Christian patrimony, and the trials of the 20th century—still dominated the bishops’ discussions.

Defining the task

Even before the bishops began their deliberations, the Secretary General of the Synod, Cardinal Jan Schotte, had told reporters that the most pressing concerns for the Church in Europe “are not political or social, but involve the need for a new evangelization of the continent.”

Speaking to reporters in Rome on September 30, Cardinal Schotte said that the European bishops must confront the reality that many Catholics have lost their “understanding of the faith.”

“We know very well that many Catholics are not going to Mass every Sunday,” the Belgian cardinal said. “The faith is not being transmitted, as it once was, through the families, the schools, and the parishes.” Cardinal Schotte concluded that the fundamental challenge now facing the Church on the continent is a plain one: “Since we no longer have a Christian culture in Europe, we must find new ways to pass on the faith.”

Pope John Paul II had named three co-presidents for the European Synod: Cardinal Paul Poupard, the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Cardinal Franciszek Macharski of Krakow; and Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne. The relator general for the Synod would be Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid, while Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Genoa would head the commission charged with preparation of a final synodal message.

The participants in the Synod assembly included all of the prefects of the Roman Curia and presidents of the European episcopal conferences, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian and Romanian Catholic churches, and other bishops elected to represent their colleagues in the European episcopal conferences. Pope John Paul personally appointed some participants, including the American Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit and Archbishop Geraldo Agnelo of Bahai, Brazil. The Pontiff has also appointed 17 experts to the Synod, and 38 auditors. Among the latter are the founders and leaders of several lay spiritual movements, such as Chiara Lubich of Focolare and Kiko Arguello of the Neocatechumenate Way. Finally, there were “fraternal delegates” from other Christian churches, including the Orthodox Metropolitan Jeremiah of France, representing the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and Archimandrite Longin of Germany, representing the Moscow Patriarchate. Other churches represented at the assembly included the Romanian, Georgian, Greek, and Finnish Orthodox churches, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Anglican Church, the World Baptist Alliance, and the World Lutheran Federation.

The first meetings of the Synod were dominated by candid discussion of the difficulties facing the Church on that continent. As the participating bishops met in general congregation for the first time on October 2, with Pope John Paul II in attendance, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid, the reporter general, outlined the working document that had been prepared to guide their discussions. That document, which had been made public in July, reflected the fruit of a lengthy process of consultation with the European episcopal conferences, the Roman Curia, and the leaders of religious congregations active on the continent.

Cardinal Rouco said that the Synod should use the working document as an “examination of conscience,” helping prepare the way for a “spiritual renewal” and “the new evangelization” of Europe. He argued that the collapse of Communism had created some temporary illusions for the European people, who felt that history was moving toward “liberty and justice” and “respect for the human person.” But ten years later, despite some progress, there are also alarming signs. He pointed to a general climate of apathy in Western Europe, and said that the Church must help people to recognize the “historical errors” of past decades, and the problems inherent in “a modern conception of man” which leaves no room for God.

Within the Church, the cardinal continued, there are clearly problems with the level of religious practice and the transmission of the Catholic faith. “We cannot transmit the witness of the faith to new generations if we offer nothing but more or less the same modernistic, humanistic formulas,” he said. He added that signs of a watered-down approach to religion are now clear in Europe, and can be found in the decline of religious vocations and Mass attendance. Pointing to a growing division between Christians who practice their faith and those who are estranged from the Church, Cardinal Rouco insisted that the task of the Church is “to announce the Gospel of hope.”

“A well oiled machine”

During the first phase of the Synod, the bishops met in general congregation, and each participating bishop—as well as the official auditors and invited guests—had the opportunity to deliver his own observations on the state of the Church and the needs for pastoral planning. Pope John Paul attended all of these general sessions.

In the second phase of the Synod—which began just as this report was written—the bishops were divided into smaller working groups, so that they could discuss the emerging themes of the Synod in greater depth. Then these working groups were to report back to the general congregation, and—by the scheduled closing date of October 23—the Synod organizers were to have prepared a final summary for the approval of the participants.

During the first phase, both participants and observers noticed that the Synod was going about its business with remarkable efficiency—a fact which bore witness to the careful planning before the assembly. In the breaks between sessions, the restaurants close to the Vatican were flooded by the participants in the Synod assembly. But while the bishops met to discuss their views over lunch, they did not linger at the restaurants; the schedule was too tightly controlled.

Each bishop had an opportunity to present his views, but the 8-minute time limit of these presentations was rigidly enforced. An illuminated panel warned the speaker when he had only 2 minutes left to speak, and a “Stop” sign came up when the 8 minutes were exhausted. Then, if that was not enough to bring the speaker to a prompt conclusion, his microphone went dead. The Synod, as one journalistic observer put it, was a “well oiled machine.”

Reporters covering the Synod gathered outside the assembly hall at the beginning and end of each session, hoping to catch a prelate who might give them some insights on the proceedings. But the reporters faced several difficulties: the bishops were often in a hurry, because of the tight schedule, and there was no convenient place for an interview. One solution to that problem was for journalists to share a meal with the bishop. But there too the reporters had rough competition; many of the Synod fathers preferred to eat in company with their brother bishops. Moreover, Pope John Paul II invited a dozen bishops to dine with him each evening.

Notable interventions

Because the first phase of the Synod is a series of individual presentations, in which a given address may bear no relationship to the one that proceeded, it was not a simple matter to summarize the discussion. However, a reporter could notice the talks which seemed to provoke the strongest reactions from Synod participants.

In his remarks, for example, Cardinal Godfried Daneels of Brussels argued that the crisis facing the Church today is also an opportunity for new evangelical efforts. “In Western Europe we are living in the midst of a culture that is like a garden where there are many poisonous plants,” he said. “But each poisonous plant contains its own antidote.”

In his October 5 intervention, the Belgian prelate insisted, “Not everything is negative.” In fact, he said, some of the apparent problems that now face the Church could be used as “springboards” to a higher plane of pastoral activity. For example, Cardinal Daneels suggested, the “frenetic thirst for immediate and measurable material goods” in modern culture is a symptom of a more powerful thirst for meaning, to which the Church must respond “through the proclamation of the Gospel.” If modern man is often preoccupied with false pleasures, he continued, that is all the more reason for the Church to remind him that “the message of Christ brings healing,” and can bring him true happiness.

Another instance in which contemporary culture offers a “springboard” for evangelization, the cardinal said, is the “taboo” that forbids discussion of suffering and death in fashionable circles. “Never before,” he observed, “has there been such tension in the silent cry for life—eternal life.” In that cry, Cardinal Daneels reasoned, “the Church can find a point of reference for strong teaching on eschatology, on resurrection and eternal life.”

As Cardinal Daneels came to the end of his time, Pope John Paul gestured for him to continue his talk, since he had obviously captured the attention of the participants.

The head of the world’s Dominican order also had an impact when he told the European Synod that one obstacle to evangelization is the rejection of all absolute claims. Father Timothy Radcliffe posed the question: “How can we proclaim Christ in an absolute fashion, when our society sees every claim to the absolute as totalitarian?”

“We cannot respond to this fear by affirming the authority of the Church again, with greater force,” Father Radcliffe argued. Nor will it be enough to make reasoned argument, since “our society is also marked by a crisis of confidence in reason.” Rather, the Gospel must be proclaimed in a way that emphasizes the “Good News” that Jesus offers to everyone.

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini of Milan argued that the Church should look for “newer and more extensive experiences of collegiality.” The Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, in its October 8 edition, reported that Cardinal Martini was actually making a “surprise request” for a new ecumenical council. Il Messaggero argued that the Jesuit cardinal was choosing his words carefully, because he understood “Vatican psychology” and did not want to affront the Pope. Nevertheless, the newspaper said, the subtle message of Cardinal Martini’s intervention was an “unequivocal” demand for a new council.

Lessons from Eastern Europe

In his own powerful statement to the European Synod, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna suggested that Church leaders in Western Europe should ask pardon for the “silence” of the hierarchy in the face of Communist crimes against humanity. The Austrian cardinal observed that the crimes of the German Nazi regime have been exhaustively discussed, but those of Communist governments are too often “enveloped in a cloud of ignorance and in silence.”

“Did we—the Christians and the bishops of the West—participate in that silence?” the cardinal asked. “Should we not ask for pardon in the course of this Synod, so that we can celebrate the memory of the martyrs with a pure heart?” His remarks drew warm applause from the Synod assembly. Cardinal Schönborn also argued that as Europe becomes more unified, the Church in the West can learn a great deal from the Eastern Christian tradition. He mentioned the Eastern emphasis on the works of the Church Fathers, the beauty of the Divine Liturgy, and the tradition of iconography. At the same time, he said that the Eastern churches could learn from the West how to become involved “in the visible structures of society.”

Romano Prodi, the former Italian prime minister who now serves at president of the European Commission, did not actually address the Synod assembly, but he sent a written message acknowledging the “indelible mark of Christianity” on the face of Europe, and saying that the faith had made a great contribution to the new dawn of European unity “after the long night of totalitarianism.”

Among the people who did address the Synod assembly, perhaps none received more sustained applause than the Romanian Orthodox Bishop Iosif, who delivered an emotional apology to Byzantine-rite Catholics “for the suffering they have endured because of us.” The Orthodox prelate reported on the dramatic progress of ecumenical relations since Pope John Paul traveled to Bucharest earlier in the year, and concluded: “The greatest token of love—for the man of today, for the Europe of today, for the world of today—would be to find unity in our Church once more.”

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