Timothy Radcliffe, former Master of the Order of Preachers, leads Synod Fathers and Mothers on a three-day retreat before their historic assembly
What a week it has been here in the Eternal City! The “Synod on synodality” that so many reform-minded Catholics have long been waiting for (and which their more traditional brothers and sisters have been dreading) is finally underway.
With an exquisitely choreographed outdoor Mass on October 4th in front of the massive façade of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis officially opened the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. This particular assembly – which runs through the end of the month and is just the first part of a two-part (or two-session) gathering that will be concluded in October 2024 – is an absolute novelty for the Catholic Church.
Lay members, a new venue, and a spiritual retreat
Although the Synod has no authority to make any binding decisions, and is but a consultative body for its president (the Roman Pontiff), it is dramatic that Francis has expanded its membership beyond bishops and other clerics and has named more than 50 women and just as many men as full voting members. And instead of meeting in the amphitheater-shaped Synod Hall in rows by ecclesiastical rank, the more than 400 participants are gathered in the Paul VI Hall, grouped in small language groups, seated at roundtables.
And for the first time in the history of the Synod, an assembly was preceded by a three-day spiritual retreat at a religious house several miles outside of Rome. The man the Jesuit pope asked to lead it was none other than Timothy Radcliffe, the former worldwide head of the Dominicans.
The 78-year-old Englishman, who was Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001, gave six masterful reflections or conferences in the course of the October 1-3 retreat, using the Transfiguration of Jesus as their touchstone.
The death and resurrection of the Church
“This is the retreat Jesus gives to his closest disciples before they embark on the first synod in the life of the Church, when they walk together (syn-hodos) to Jerusalem,” Radcliffe said at the start of his first conference. “This retreat gives them the courage and hope to set off on their journey. It does not always go well. They immediately fail to free the young lad from the evil spirit. They quarrel about who is the greatest. They misunderstand the Lord. But they are on their way with a fragile hope,” he said.
“So we too prepare for our synod by going on retreat where, like the disciples, we learn to listen to the Lord. When we set off in three days’ time, we shall often be like those disciples, and misunderstand each other and even quarrel. But the Lord will lead us onwards towards the death and resurrection of the Church,” the former Dominican Master said.
And this reflection (or “meditation”) only became more and more inspiring from that point on – as did the other five, all presented in English, and which you can read or watch, thanks to Vatican News.*
A man of uncommon wisdom and creative vision
When it was announced last January that the pope had asked Radcliffe to lead the pre-Synod retreat, it was almost like an answer to a prayer. Exactly two years ago, the “Letter from Rome” (“Red hats or little white lies”, 22 October 2021) noted that there were rumors that Francis was about to call a consistory to create more cardinals. In the end, these were little white lies. The pope did not give out another batch of reds. That would not happen until August 2022.
But the Letter speculated, nonetheless, on what surprises the Argentine pope might have for the Church at his next consistory. After all, in his previous seven consistories up to that point he had chosen a number of men from places and with positions that had never been led by a cardinal before.”
Each time Francis creates new cardinal-electors, there is a chance that one of them could turn out to be his successor,” the piece said, while pointing out that not all of them are “viable candidates for papacy”.
It added that the body of papal electors still would need “at least some who are known for their uncommon wisdom and insight, which can help the other electors discern who among them can best lead the Church at the present moment”. This is how that Letter concluded:
One such person is Timothy Radcliffe, the 76-year-old former head of the Dominicans. The British friar, who is as comfortable in French as in his native English, was Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001. The author of numerous books and a popular lecturer, Radcliffe possesses numerous gifts, including those of listening and synthesizing, as well as building consensus. He’s a creative thinker and theological centrist who has a reverence and love for the Church’s “big-T” tradition. And his sense of compassion and respect for the dignity of even those who have been uncharitable and cruel towards him are legendary. The former Master of the Dominicans has been dealing with some health issues the past few years that probably would disqualify him as papabile (a candidate for pope) if he were to actually be made a member of the College of Cardinals. But the Church could benefit immeasurably if he and more men – and women – like him were to be given a key role in helping to decide who comes next after Francis.
The six meditations that Timothy delivered last week at the pre-Synod retreat, could yet be part of that discernment process in the next conclave (whenever that takes place) just as much as it will be for this month’s Synod assembly on the Church’s future.
If you long to have your Christian hope rekindled, despite all the divisions and ugliness in our Church and world at this moment in time, do yourself a favor: prayerfully watch (and listen!) to the meditations. They are challenging and inspiring.
* Links to the Six Meditations by Timothy Radcliffe OP
First Meditation, “Hoping against hope”: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-day-1-radcliffe-first-meditation.html
Second Meditation, “At home in God and God at home in us”: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/retreat-day-1-radcliffe-meditation-2.html
Third Meditation, “Friendship”: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/synod-retreat-meditation-friendship.html
Fourth Meditation, “Conversation on the way to Emmaus”: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/synod-retreat-meditation-conversation-on-the-way-to-emmaus.html
Fifth Meditation, “Authority”: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/synod-retreat-meditation-authority.html
Sixth Meditation, “The Spirit of Truth”: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/synod-retreat-meditation-the-spirit-of-truth-radcliffe.html
Reproduced with permission from La Croix International.
