Jan-Heiner Tück: The final session of the World Synod will begin shortly. However, there are still many people who do not know what the term synodality actually means. What expectations do you have going into the synod?
Kurt Koch: The fact that various levels of the Church have reflected on synodality over the past four years, and that a synod is being held for this particular purpose will probably come as a surprise to many. However, this term can be understood in many different ways. Therefore, it is important for the Church to find a common understanding of this term and to agree on it – for the present and for the future. I hope and expect that such a consensus on synodality will be jointly developed at the final session of the World Synod. This is also the main reason why Pope Francis initiated this process.
Although the bishops clearly make up the majority in the current format, it is no longer a Synod of Bishops in the strict sense.
Tück: Pope Francis has appointed not only bishops, but also priests and lay people, including women, as members of the Synod of Bishops. Critics have rejected this expansion and claimed that the upcoming World Synod is no longer a Synod of Bishops at all. How do you assess this criticism?
Koch: There are legitimate concerns about both the Pope's decision and the criticism of this decision. Although the bishops clearly make up the majority in the current format, it is no longer a Synod of Bishops in the strict sense. On the other hand, the Pope is convinced that it is precisely when new ways of synodality in the Church are being sought that not only bishops, but also priests and lay people should be involved in the consultations. In my opinion, this is a first attempt to consult a greater representation of the people of God. However, the consultations will have to show whether it can remain in this current format or whether, for example, another synodal body could or should be institutionalized at the level of the universal Church alongside the Synod of Bishops.
Reform: the rediscovery of the true form
Tück: The Church has always been in need of renewal, as the Second Vatican Council says in "Lumen Gentium". The Synod will therefore begin with a penitential vigil, including a public confession of guilt. What kind of message is supposed to be sent with this confession?
Koch: The Church has been entrusted with the mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in today's world. Since she repeatedly falls short of this mission and thus remains indebted to it, and since individual members of the Church are also indebted to their fellow human beings, the Church is called to confession of guilt and repentance. In the Christian understanding, the confession of guilt is associated with the gift of a new beginning from God. A confession of guilt also highlights the important message that the renewal of the Church is only possible from the depth of the faith and that reform is really re-form, the rediscovery of the true form.
Tück: The synodal process is supposed to promote the missionary dynamic of the Church. The word "mission" does not seem to have a good connotation in the German-speaking countries. How would you explain Pope Francis' desire to strengthen the missionary dynamic of the Church to skeptics?
Tück: I am always amazed to find that the word and purpose of "mission" often sound better outside the Church than inside the Church. In today's world, every corporation and every company emphasize with conviction: "We have a mission". How could the Church, out of all institutions, not have a "mission" - especially since she does not give the mission to herself, but has received it from the One, whom she proclaims? A Church that would no longer evangelize would therefore delegitimize herself.
For Pope Francis, synodality is at the service of mission and not the other way around.
Tück: Some who hope that the Synod will fulfill long-held wishes for reform – diaconate of women, liberalization of the Church's sexual morals, more participation of the laity and so on – see the talk of a missionary Church as a spiritual immunization against structural issues. What is your assessment on this?
Koch: As I said, the calling of the Church consists in her mission. The structures are set up to serve this missionary purpose. Therefore, there can be no contradiction or immunization between mission and structures. What comes to my mind, is a comparison with a bottle of wine. In order to transport the wine carefully, you also have to take care of the bottle. However, caring for the bottle should not become so preoccupying that the bottle becomes more important than the wine and that the precious wine is no longer enjoyed. In this sense, for Pope Francis, synodality is at the service of mission and not the other way around.
Unrealistic expectations
Tück: The Pope's decision to outsource sensitive topics such as the diaconate of women or the Church's stance on LGBTQ to study groups has been criticized as a dirigiste intervention in the synodal process - others see it as a cautious and wise steering. What is your perspective on this?
Koch: The Pope's decision can probably be traced back to the fact that he wanted to avoid unrealistic expectations. After all, expecting the four-week synod to be able to intensively discuss and decide on the topics and concerns you mentioned, together with clarifying the main theme of synodality, is beyond realistic possibilities. They require in-depth and time-consuming work. This is probably why Pope Francis has separated these topics into ten groups for further consultation.
Tück: Two desiderata are addressed in the "Instrumentum Laboris", the working document of the session: "toxic forms of clericalism" and the effective promotion of women in the Church. What can realistically be expected here - and what not?
The role of the bishops's conferences
Koch: On the one hand, a distinction must be made between the mission of the clergy in the Church and the sin of clericalism. While the clergy have an important calling and mission in the Church, clericalism is an abuse of the mission entrusted to the clergy. It should not be concealed that "clericalism" is a primal temptation and can also be found in the laity. On the other hand, it cannot be assumed that the appropriate place and mission of women in the Church have already been adequately found. Both topics continue to require solid and sensitive consultation.
Tück: Pope Francis has already spoken in "Evangelii Gaudium" of his desire to promote a "sound decentralization" and to upgrade the Bishops' conferences to "subjects with specific attributions". The Instrumentum Laboris proposes endowing the Bishops' conferences "with their own doctrinal authority" in order to be able to act in a situation-sensitive manner in the various socio-cultural contexts. Theologians such as Henri de Lubac and Joseph Ratzinger were skeptical about this. They were concerned that attributing an effective dimension to Bishops' conferences over the affective collegiality could limit the leadership authority of the individual bishop who presides over a local church. Do you have any ideas to resolve this tension?
Koch: First of all, it is important to realize that this is indeed a tension that is not easy to resolve. On the one hand, the individual bishop's non-delegable responsibility for the faith must be respected, as Henri de Lubac and Joseph Ratzinger rightly pointed out. On the other hand, the individual bishop is the responsible leader of the diocese entrusted to him, in that he is a member of the college of Bishops. Assigning the bishops' conferences the character of subjects with their own competences therefore also presupposes that collegiality among the bishops should be developed more intensively and that decisions are made collegially and synodally. Whether the national bishops' conferences are the appropriate place for this, or whether it would not be better to think of a larger, transnational body at continental level, for example, seems to me to be an open question. As far as doctrinal authority is concerned, the crucial question will not be whether such conferences can be granted doctrinal authority, but in which areas of doctrine of faith and morals this will be possible without jeopardizing the unity of the Church.
Tück: The Bishop of Essen in Germany, Franz-Josef Overbeck, has just stated at a press conference that, in view of cultural and social differences in the global Church, he could imagine different regional regulations on rights for women in the Church. The World Synod should give the national Bishops' conferences leeway, for example, to admit women to ordained ministries. However, he immediately admitted that this proposal would probably come too early at this moment. If this would actually happen, the concept of a "sound decentralization" could develop a serious risk for division, if one local church decides differently on such a crucial issue versus another local church – how would you assess this proposal?
Considering the Catholic understanding of the Church, it does not seem to be realistic that the individual bishop or local bishops' conferences could decide on the question of ecclesiastical ministries, of all things, which serves the unity of the Church in a very particular way.
Koch: If this would only be a matter of regulating equal rights for women, one could agree with this proposal. However, as far as the access of women to ordained ministries is concerned, Pope John Paul II declared in his Apostolic Letter "Ordinatio sacerdotalis" that the Church has no authority to do so; and his two successors Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have confirmed this. This question is thus identified as a question of faith - and not of culture alone - which is why it is impossible for individual Bishops' Conferences to decide whether or not the Church has the authority to change anything about this matter. In this context, it should be recalled that various Bishops’ Conferences have made use of the possibility of reintroducing the permanent diaconate for married men, but this has required a fundamental declaration of the possibility at the level of the universal Church (cf. Lumen Gentium, 29). This would apply a fortiori to the question of opening ordained ministries to women. Considering the Catholic understanding of the Church, it does not seem to be realistic that the individual bishop or local bishops' conferences could decide on the question of ecclesiastical ministries, of all things, which serves the unity of the Church in a very particular way.
Tück: In a decisive passage of the Instrumentum Laboris, the sacramentally based authority of the bishops is described as "inalienable". This is a rejection of the synodal path in Germany, which sought to bind episcopal leadership authority to the majority decisions of mixed synodal bodies through means of voluntary self-commitment. At the same time, it is said that episcopal decisions are also "not unconditional". Transparency and accountability are called for. How could this look like in concrete terms?
Koch: The concept of a voluntary self-commitment of bishops to bind their leadership authority to majority decisions of synodal bodies is indeed a problematic concept that is incompatible with the Catholic understanding of the Church. After all, a bishop cannot dispense himself from the commitment he made during his ordination. For this very reason, however, he must exercise his leadership responsibility in such a way that it is lived out in accordance with the Gospel and for the service of the local church entrusted to the bishop; and this also includes transparency and accountability. The Church is a community of faith, which is hierarchical and synodal at the same time. Particular attention must be paid to the "at the same time" in synodal consultations.
Ecumenism: learning from others
Tück: The promotion of synodality in the Catholic Church has positive implications for ecumenical dialog. Where do you see new chances here - especially after the recent publication of the document on the papal office?
Koch: The various churches and ecclesial communities have developed different forms of synodality in their lives and structures. The Catholic Church can learn a lot from them by exploring her own forms of synodality. On the other hand, the strength of the Catholic Church is that it has clear ideas about her primacy. The Catholic Church is convinced that the Petrine primacy of the Bishop of Rome is a special gift of Jesus Christ to the Church, which she must therefore not keep to herself, but also offer to other ecclesial communities. The relationship between synodality and primacy is therefore a question that is of particular importance in the ecumenical context and requires a willingness to learn on both sides.
Tück: There is a dynamic shift in the regional emphasis of the Catholic Church. During his 12-day trip to Asia and the Pacific region, Pope Francis highlighted the growing importance of the Global South. What does the end of Eurocentrism mean for the Catholic Church in Europe? Do you see any opportunities here?
Koch: First of all, the end of Eurocentrism does not mean the end of the Catholic Church in Europe. Rather, it implies that Europe, which lives on a great Christian past, must find its new place in the universal Church and continue to make its specific contribution. This new situation presents challenges, but also opportunities. In earlier centuries, the Church in Europe made many contributions to the universal Church by sending people abroad and establishing ecclesiastical works. Today, as Christianity in Europe has become weary and weak in its faith, it needs spiritual vitamin injections from other parts of the global Church. These spiritual vitamin injections should be accepted with humility and gratitude.
It is gratifying that the Church's contribution to Caritas and education is also valued in today's society. However, if the Church would be satisfied with this alone and would base its social usefulness on merely social services, she would contribute to her own self-secularization.
Tück: In education and charity, the Church brings a universally appreciated benefit to society. Do you attach any importance to the "supra-useful" ("das Übernützliche" – Thomas Mann) for a synodal missionary Church?
Koch: It is gratifying that the Church's contribution to Caritas and education is also valued in today's society. However, if the Church would be satisfied with this alone and would base its social usefulness on merely social services, she would contribute to her own self-secularization. For the true significance of the Church lies precisely in pointing towards the "supra-useful", i.e. to the transcendence of God. It is in this transcendence of God that man finds the shelter of his own dignity. It is of utmost importance for the vitality of the Church to not only represent but also live the primacy of the "supra-useful" over the useful, and thus the primacy of the invisible over the visible and the primacy of receiving over just acting.
Tück: A process that has been conducting local, regional and universal synodal consultations since 2021 is now coming to a provisional end in Rome. What lasting impact will the World Synod have on the future of the Church? What would be your perspective?
Koch: The four-year process has certainly been necessary to rediscover and live the synodal dimension in the life of the Church. However, after this lengthy process it is recommended that the Church does not preoccupy herself with herself all the time. Rather, it is to be hoped that the synodal process helps the Church to find new ways to carry out her mission with a more credible and renewed vigor. For synodality is not the goal, but an important path to the goal of bringing the living God to people and bringing people to the living God. This is probably why Pope Francis gives such a high priority to the missionary dimension of the Church.
Translation: Justin Arickal