The management of princes was an essential task of statecraft in earlier, monarchical ages. In our more democratic epoch, the essence of governance or leadership is more often the management of expectations.
Pope Francis’ synod on synodality, which concluded Oct. 26 with the adoption and promulgation of a 51-page final document, has been stalked by an inability to manage expectations from its start. That failure need not be fatal, but it must be addressed soon and often.
The final document sets forth the purpose of this synodal undertaking: “In simple and concise terms, synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more participatory and missionary, so that it can walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ”. Such a reorientation is the work of a generation or more. It is not a three-year process, but a 30-year one. Our generation must learn how to be synodal and only when we have passed that gift on to another generation will we know if the change has taken root.
You can’t turn a large ship on a dime, and the church is a large ship. But the turn has begun. This is no managerial alteration. “Ecclesial discernment is not an organisational technique but rather a spiritual practice grounded in a living faith,” the document states.
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With thanks to National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Michael Sean Winters, where this article originally appeared.
