Synod on Synodality undersecretary: Deposit of faith doesn’t change and cannot change

Vatican City, Nov 9, 2024 / 08:00 am

Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín is one of the key figures of the Synod on Synodality. Pope Francis appointed him undersecretary of the event, which the Spanish prelate says he has experienced as “an offer of grace” and a call “to personal conversion.”

With the recent meeting in Rome already concluded and the final document issued, the bishop emphasized in a conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that synodality “is a constitutive dimension of the Church,” so that, despite the fact that the assembly is over, “the process continues.”

The prelate noted that this dimension “is not an achievement” or something that is acquired, but “it exists and has always existed.” He affirmed that “the Church ‘is’ synodal” and that in this stage of “implementation” it is therefore intended to develop this dimension, “to draw out consequences and to make it concrete in the life of the Church.”

For the Augustinian, the final document “is not a recipe book for measures or a code of laws,” but rather “it opens doors, indicates paths to travel, and encourages processes” with “diverse speeds, developments, and concrete expressions, because there are geographical and cultural differences,” although with the same “deposit of faith: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

During these four years, he explained, he has tried to “listen to the voice of the Spirit to discern how to be faithful to the Lord and how to live and bear witness to the Gospel in today’s world.” 

He also envisages it as an opportunity for profound renewal, which “comes from the experience of the risen Christ” and is also oriented toward the mission in today’s world, taking up cultural diversity and different challenges, “but always in communion.”

Revision of canon law in a ‘synodal key’

Regarding the proposal of the final document to revise canon law in a “synodal key,” Marín stated that “the Code of Canon Law is a practical instrument.” In this sense, he reiterated that “the deposit of faith does not change, but the laws of the Catholic Church are being renewed, so that they adapt better and are more helpful in the salvific mission that has been entrusted to her.”

“A revision of the 1983 code is requested, taking into account current ecclesiological development, so that it can provide forms, structures, and procedures in a synodal key,” he explained.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, the bishop said “there is a commission of canon lawyers that is working” to review the existing structures and processes so that they are more effective.

Among the topics reviewed, Marín mentioned “the obligatory nature of diocesan and parish pastoral councils; developing ways for the collaboration of laypeople, thus integrating the variety of ministries; expanding the possibilities of laypeople exercising ministries,” or establishing “new regional or continental structures, such as ecclesial assemblies,” as well as “determining the way to carry out transparency, accountability, and evaluations.”

Greater participation ‘without laicizing clergy or clericalizing laity’

Another consequence of the Synod on Synodality is the request for greater participation of the laity in the “decision-making processes” and that this be done through new synodal structures and institutions.

For the prelate, the participation of the laity is not a concession “but a consequence of baptism,” so that “they must assume all the responsibility that corresponds to them, without laicizing the clergy or clericalizing the laity.”

The synod undersecretary emphasized that every baptized person “must feel involved in the life and mission of the Church and participate in the discernment for decision-making, seeking her good.” A co-responsibility that, he pointed out, is differentiated, since “each person participates in accordance with his or her different ministries and functions.”

Authority as service

Referring to the words of Pope Francis, he pointed out that “the model is not the pyramid, nor the sphere, but the polyhedron.”

“The bishop and the parish priest, in order to make decisions, have the duty to consult and listen in order to discern, such that that the participating bodies have to exist and function. They will then make the decisions that correspond to them by their ministry and they will explain the decisions taken.”

Marín insisted on the need to clarify the decision-making processes and co-responsibility, since there are issues “in which the decision corresponds only to the bishop or the parish priest and others that can be taken in other instances.”

However, “there is a need to clarify the decision-making processes and co-responsibility,” the bishop added.

“Authority in the Church must always be understood and exercised as a service. Likewise, it is important to keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity; matters must be resolved at the level closest to those concerned,” the synod undersecretary explained.

‘Nothing prevents women from holding office in the Roman Curia’

With regard to the participation of women in the Church, according to Marín, the document proposes, above all, “the need for women to assume their proper role in the Church, including participation in ministries,” noting that until recently, “surprisingly, lay ministries were open only to men.”

Marín clarified that the same applies to positions of responsibility, “which can be occupied by laypeople, whether men or women.”

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“In the Roman Curia there are already women in the secretariat of some dicasteries and nothing prevents them from presiding over others in the future, as laymen already do today.”

The prelate said that in some places “women perform many pastoral and administrative tasks, as well as governance, and it is appropriate to pursue this direction further.”

Regarding paragraph 60 of the synod’s final document, he said it “also raises the issue of the diaconate, which is an ordained ministry and not a lay one. It is clear that there were deaconesses in the early Church. But was it an ordained ministry? What were their functions? Was it the same in all the local Churches? To further explore the issue, Pope Francis appointed two commissions. The work of studying it continues,” he noted.

In this regard, Marín emphasized that “it’s important to note that this does not mean access to the priesthood and the episcopate; only the topic of the diaconate is being studied, which is a degree of the sacrament of holy orders, but which, as the [Second Vatican] Council recalls, is not oriented toward the priesthood but toward the ministry (deacons are not priests, as are priests and bishops). The synod asks for further clarification,” he pointed out.

Liturgical celebrations as an expression of synodality

One of the paragraphs that received the most votes against it was No. 27 on “studying how to make liturgical celebrations an expression of synodality.” The proposal received 312 votes in favor (87.8%) and 43 against (12.1%).

“Given the importance of the relationship between liturgy and synodality,” Marín continued, “it is suggested that a study group be entrusted with the task of making liturgical celebrations more expressive of synodality.”

“In my view,” he continued, ”it refers above all to three lines of further study: how to strengthen communion, so that those celebrating are the community united in the risen Christ and not a sum of disconnected, unknown and solitary individuals; how to promote differentiated participation, avoiding considering ourselves mere spectators; how to involve all of us in the shared mission, in evangelization. In short, I believe that the key is in how to live and make present the love (caritas), which identifies us as Christians.”

‘Overcome the mentality of power and develop that of service’

The undersecretary also noted that the assembly asked for “clarification on what the criteria are for the selection of bishops and how the local Church should enter into the selection process.”

Along these lines, he indicated that it is “necessary to overcome the mentality of ‘power’ and develop that of ‘service.’ There is no doubt that the more closed in a group is, the greater the risk of elitism, which is why a greater involvement of the people of God is requested.”

However, he emphasized that there are practical difficulties, especially in large dioceses, where knowledge of possible candidates is limited. “Other difficulties we find in participation: only believers? Those who practice [the faith]? Everyone? Also in the way of conducting the consultation, avoiding election campaigns and pressure from organized groups.”

“The principle is clear: to broaden the consultation and allow for greater participation. But an in-depth study, proceeding calmly, is required. That’s why the pope has created a working group on this subject. Let us await its conclusions,” Marín indicated.

‘The deposit of faith doesn’t change and cannot change’

As for those who, “with goodwill, feared a change in doctrine, they have already seen that this is not the case. The deposit of faith does not change and cannot change. It’s a matter of going deeper into it, formulating its expression and developing it in the time at hand, as the Church has done throughout its history,” Marín affirmed.

“The synodal process arises from the action of the Holy Spirit and necessarily requires conversion of the heart. If not, we will understand nothing. The common thread that links the different parts of the document is, in fact, an invitation to conversion: called by the Spirit to conversion; conversion in relationships; conversion in processes; conversion in interconnectivity; conversion for the mission. For this, it is necessary that love be, truly, the common thread,” he concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.