Synodality as the Hope of the Church? Experiences of the Synodal Way of the Church in Germany

Abstract

Pope Francis expressed his conviction that God expects the Church of the third millennium to courageously embark on the synodal path. This call to synodality is not a question of perfecting its existing forms known within the Church, rather this call is intended to be a new understanding of the structure of the Church which, in his opinion, is a community perpetually guided by the Holy Spirit. True synodality, therefore requires participation of the entire People of God (clergy, laity and consecrated persons) by listening to one another, by forming concrete framework for ecclesial life in the community and in bearing common responsibility for the future of the Church. This new vision of synodality is still blurred. Many open questions remain, for example who precisely will participate, and to what extent will they participate in the process of making decisions integral to the life of the Church? The precedent to such questions may reside in the Synodal Path of the Church in Germany. The German Synodal Way is currently being closely watched by journalists, theologians, as well as cardinals from the Vatican and Pope Francis himself, because it promises German Catholics quite radical changes in ecclesial life. Synodality undoubtedly presupposes a hope for the renewal of the Church; but is the experience of the Synodal Way in Germany able to fulfill this hope? The purpose of this study is to answer this question within the construct of current contemporary pastoral theology, whose task is to search for ways of renewal of the Church in the current context of social, cultural and ecclesial changes. This study analyzes the documents of the Synodal Way, statements of its participants and the comments of observers.