On the weekend of 16th and 17th March Dr Sandie Cornish visited Perth to share something of her experience of the church’s synod in Rome in October 2023.
Sandie described a 3-stage process, beginning with local consultation and ending at a second Synod in October 2024, but most importantly Sandie described a process of ‘conversations in the spirit’ in which everyone at the Synod (Bishops, priests, lay and religious) were engaged at round tables of 12. This was a unique and unheard of process for such an occasion. (Previously, only Bishops have met in hierarchical order giving general presentations called interventions.) This was a new process of ‘engagement’ and listening to one another!! Pope Francis calls this the way forward for the church. In the Synthesis report, the following recommendation is an example of where we might be heading.
SR 11.k “Transparency and a culture of accountability are of crucial importance for us to move forward in building a synodal Church. We ask local churches to identify processes and structures that allow for a regular audit of how priests and deacons are carrying out roles of responsibility in the exercise of their ministry.
On Sunday 17th Sandie spoke about how the Synodal process is informed by Ignatian spirituality. She identified a number of ways in which the two connect.
Listening to God in ourselves, in others and in the signs of the times, is a way of discernment, that is the Ignatian way of proceeding. Conversations in the Spirit
are central to journeying together as the faithful People of God. We are pilgrim people and friends in the Lord attempting to find God in all things and reading the signs of the times in the light of the Gospels. In summary, Ignatian Spirituality underpins the synodal process.
Grateful thanks to Sandie for sharing her experience so clearly and generously in Perth.
Dr Jennifer Gardner