THE English theologian and former global Master of the Dominicans Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, who will be created a cardinal in December (News, 11 October), has urged participants in the Rome Synod to prepare for disappointment when final reform proposals are voted on this weekend.
“Freedom is the double helix of the Christian DNA: the freedom to say what we believe and listen without fear to what others say in mutual respect,” Fr Radcliffe said. “We may be disappointed with the decisions of this synod. Some of us will consider them ill-advised, or even wrong. But we have the freedom of those who believe . . . that ‘God works all for the good of those who love him.’”
He addressed the Synod on Synodality in his capacity as its chief spiritual adviser. The meetings, which began on 2 October, are scheduled to conclude on Sunday (News, 18 October).
Fr Radcliffe said that the 370 clerical and lay participants, who include 16 “fraternal delegates” from Anglican, Orthodox, and Protestant denominations, should trust God’s providence and uphold their own convictions, while also being ready for disagreement.
“This is just one synod — there will be others, and we do not have to do everything, just try to take the next step,” Fr Radcliffe told the plenary session on Monday. “If we have only the freedom to argue for our positions, we shall be tempted by the arrogance of those who . . . see themselves as ‘the incarnate norm of orthodoxy’. We shall end up beating the drums of ideology, whether of the Left or the Right.”
Issues during the final week included decentralisation; a possible position for Bishops’ Conferences in formulating doctrine; and plans for a common celebration of Easter from 2025.
On Monday, having drawn criticism for failing to attend a discussion concerning the place of women in the Church, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, stood by an earlier statement opposing the ordination of female deacons (News, 11 October), and called for “deeper, more inclusive reflections” on ways of elevating women’s leadership “without focusing exclusively on the sacrament of ordination”.
New Vatican data, released last week, put the number of Roman Catholics worldwide at 1389 billion — 17.7 per cent of the global population — after a rise of almost one per cent annually, but showed that baptisms and vocations had fallen worldwide, especially in Europe. At the end of 2022, the Church had 5353 bishops, 407,730 priests, and 599,228 nuns.