VATICAN— Synod on Synodality events open to the public gave a glimpse Wednesday evening into the private debates happening among delegates and theological experts on the issues of a bishop’s authority and his relationship to the laity in light of synodality.
At the Oct. 9 forum on “The Role and Authority of the Bishop in a Synodal Church,” hosted in a conference hall near the Vatican, four theologians and a canon lawyer gave presentations on finding and following the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on episcopal authority, with frequent citations of the council’s dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium.
Speakers claimed an important part of synodality is implementing the proper understanding of a bishop’s authority in his diocese, which demands cooperation with laypeople.
Italian canonist Father Matteo Visioli pointed out that “What power of governance can be entrusted to laymen and women?” is one of the questions being asked by the synod that, he said, still needs further theological exploration.
“The problem is, which offices require the sacred orders and which don’t?” he asked in response to a question about changes Pope Francis has made to permit laypeople to hold positions formerly reserved to priests or bishops.
The canonist noted that while Pope Francis has drawn practical lines in the sand in some instances, including in the newest constitution governing the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, “if he entered into the theoretical line, he would have gotten stuck.”
In his remarks, Italian theologian Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin and bishop of Susa, cited paragraphs 38-39 of the 2024 Instrumentum Laboris, which says that a bishop’s powers and ministry do “not imply his separation from the portion of the people of God entrusted to him” and “is not the justification for an episcopal ministry that is ‘monarchical …’”
In light of what is written in the Instrumentum Laboris, Repole, who will be made a cardinal in December, said there are different ways to interpret Lumen Gentium’s teaching that bishops have the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders.
He argued that a “synodal” interpretation of the bishop’s ministry — one in which he serves in full cooperation with priests and laypeople — could “dissolve” some of the isolation and stress faced by bishops around the world and prevent a “monarchical”-style rule.
A prominent theologian from Argentina, Father Carlos María Galli, argued in his lecture that the bishop is the servant of the Lord, not a “lord” of the Church, and said a “novelty” of Vatican II was viewing the people of God as equal in dignity to the Church’s hierarchy.
The second chapter of Lumen Gentium, on the people of God, was a “big revolution” in Church ecclesiology, he said. “These theological foundations should move us to a change of mentality, of mindset.”
In his contribution, Father Gilles Routhier, a French Canadian and theological consultant to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, described the bishop’s relationship to the laity using imagery from the Mass.
Just as the celebration of the Mass includes the organic participation of all the parts (priest and laity), so, too, the bishop should view his communion and cooperation in running a diocese, he said.
Routhier also criticized the Church’s use of the prepositions “of,” “for,” or “at” to describe a bishop instead of the words “in” and “within.” As written in Lumen Gentium, the priest and bishops, he said, are part of and within the same assembly of the people of God.
“We can’t speak of the autonomy of the pastor from the rest of the assembly,” the theologian and Vatican II expert claimed.
Sister Gloria Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN, addressed bishops directly in her contribution to the forum, exhorting them to be servant leaders and to combat abuse.
During a question-and-answer session, Cistercian abbot general Father Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori responded to the religious sister’s speech, saying that if he were a bishop it would have left him feeling “depressed.” Lepori stressed that bishops cannot be “supermen” and added that lay Catholics should help their bishops help others.
The theological conference, held at the Pontifical Patristic Institute “Augustinianum” and moderated by U.K.-based theologian Anna Rowlands, was well attended by cardinals, bishops, and priests, with a small number of laypeople also present. Most of the attendees appeared to be Synod on Synodality participants.
While not synod delegates, Routhier, Galli, and Repole are three of the seven members of a study group formed to provide a deeper theological perspective on “the synodal missionary face of the local Church.”
Sister Franco was the only presenter who is also a synod delegate; Galli is one of the synod’s theological “experts”; and Visioli, a canonist, is a member of the study group on “the synodal method.”
At the evening’s other event, a forum hosted by the Jesuit Curia on “The People of God as Subject of Mission,” theological experts shared insights on Church governance and synodality.
Thomas Söding, vice president of the lay organization promoting the German Synodal Way, argued that bishops shouldn’t control or dictate discipleship but should encourage diverse expressions of faith. Australian theologian Father Ormond Rush warned against reducing synodal reform to majority-rule voting or mere consultation, stressing the need to balance the Church’s divine and human aspects.
Italian canonist Donata Horak criticized the Roman Catholic Church’s current structure as “monarchical” and out of step with democratic sensibilities. She suggested that the Latin Church adopt deliberative synods, as seen in Eastern Catholic churches, although she did not note that these do not allow lay voting.
During questions and answers following the panelists’ presentation, an attendee raised concerns that the people of God image can be overtly sociological, while a teacher from Germany suggested that the reason the faith is struggling in her home country isn’t because of a lack of participatory structures but because Church leaders are ashamed of being Catholic.
Bishop Lúcio Muandula of Xai Xai, Mozambique, also gave a presentation at the conference, which was moderated by the Austria-based theologian Klara Csiszar.
On Oct. 16 there will be an additional two forums, running simultaneously, on the topics “The Mutual Relationship Local Church-Universal Church” and “The Exercise of the Primacy and the Synod of Bishops.”
Jonathan Liedl contributed to this report.
