Most of the synodal proceedings are behind closed doors, and the pope has asked participants not to speak to the media. Still, core issues are emerging.
One attendee told me that the aula itself held one of the hermeneutical keys. Unlike the hall where previous synods were held, in which the seats are arranged theater style, hierarchically you might say, and all facing the dais, the large aula used for this synod has round tables, all on one level. A cardinal might be seated next to a nun and across from a layperson. The whole manner in which dialogue is happening is changed.
The seating arrangement symbolizes the altered state of ecclesial deliberation the pope seeks. Similarly, in 1964, during the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI surrendered his coronation tiara as a sign of his commitment to the poor. He never wore it again, and no pope since has been crowned. There is no going back.
These gestures cannot be dismissed as mere symbols. We’re Catholics: Symbols matter.
Governance is at the heart of the debates in the current synod. It is an issue that runs into immediate cultural difficulties. Accountability has been a subject of discussion but there is no Italian word that corresponds to our English word “accountability.” That goes a long way toward explaining the difficulties faced by anyone seeking to reform the Roman curia!
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With thanks to National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Michael Sean Winters, where this article originally appeared.
