In France, signs of “weariness” for the Synod – Swiss Catholic Portal

Are French Catholics losing interest in the Synod on synodality? The newspaper The Crosswhile noting signs of “running out of steam”, notes that the process has already left its mark on the Church.

“We regret a lack of general communication around the subject. We also have the feeling that the process has branched off, no longer having much to do with initial expectations,” confides Chantal Bartet. The 77-year-old laywoman interviewed by The Cross was nevertheless an enthusiast of the synodal process from its beginnings.

The Synod on Synodality, a global approach on the future of the Catholic Church begun in 2021, is experiencing its last phase in Rome, since October 2, 2024. The process was characterized by a broad consultation of the faithful at the diocesan level , national and continental. While the first stages had caused great enthusiasm, the mobilization of French Catholics seems to be experiencing an undeniable loss of steam, affirms The Cross.

Lack of transparency?

A trend that the Franco-Swiss theologian Arnaud Join-Lambert also observes elsewhere, in Western Europe. “On the ground, the Synod fueled strong expectations of structural changes, which excited certain groups while upsetting others,” rereads this specialist in synodality. The choice of the Synod to then place more emphasis on a way of doing and thinking in the Church, rather than on these avenues of change, contributed to diluting the interest of its promoters and its detractors alike.

An observation confirmed by the testimony of around twenty French Catholics surveyed by the newspaper. Like Chantal Bartet, most of them explained their distancing by a lack of “transparency” on the progress and difficulties of the process or by the decision to “exit” certain subjects.

The Vatican method criticized

In a column, Christiane Joly, a member of the Saint-François-Xavier community, believes that many “dropped out” when Pope Francis ruled out the establishment of a female diaconate, during an interview, in May 2024. Other subjects that had generated expectations, such as the removal of the obligation of celibacy for priests, were also removed from the discussion table.

Beyond the disappointment with expectations of reforms, the Vatican’s method has been criticized. Certain advances, such as the authorization of blessing of “irregular” couples, validated by the motu proprio Begging for confidence (December 2023), were certainly welcomed by pro-reform Catholics. They were, however, criticized for having been “imposed” without prior discussion, when many thought the subject would be debated at the Synod.

“We feel that the outcome of this Assembly could lead to new disappointments,” warns another French observer. There is a desire to procrastinate, to avoid any risk of schism: we see, once again, how much the universal Church is not uniform…”

A process which still “infused”

Admitting disappointments, those responsible for the process in France are calling for greater heights, recalling in particular that ecclesiastical procedures are complex and take time.

The Cross also notes “first concrete results on the ground”, signs that the synodal path has nevertheless “infused”. The method of conversation in the Spirit has spread and is often requested by those who have experienced it, underlines among others Guillaume Houdan, deacon of the diocese of Rouen and member of the national team of the Synod. Things are also changing at the level of Church governance. In the Norman diocese, at least two-thirds of episcopal councils are now made up of around 35% lay people and 30% women. In France, in around ten dioceses, some have even been appointed “general delegates”. A webinar deciphering the Synod, launched by the Catholic Institute of Paris, also continues to attract many registrations. (cath.ch/lacroix/arch/rz)