[Sundaycommunity] Fwd: SynodWatch RoundUP for Oct. 28: Here Is the Final Report; Women Deacons Forward; A Crushing Blow on LGBTQ Justice

[Catherine Walther]

The English version of the final synthesis is quite good but very long.
Catherine

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: FutureChurch <debrose at futurechurch.org>
Date: Sat, Oct 28, 2023 at 11:23 PM
Subject: SynodWatch RoundUP for Oct. 28: Here Is the Final Report; Women
Deacons Forward; A Crushing Blow on LGBTQ Justice
To: <catherine.walther at gmail.com>


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October 28, 2023
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CLICK HERE TO READ THIS BLOG WITH FULL PHOTOS
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SynodWatch RoundUP: October 28, 2023
Here Is the Final Report; Women Deacons Forward; A Crushing Blow on LGBTQ
Justice
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODY2JmQ9eDJnMXUxag==.u1mKlchKqMyhTDRzD3WTCZREHr3cTGWMcL-23sAfnDI>

Today the synod members had the opportunity to read the final document,
heard it read in the assembly, and vote on it paragraph by paragraph.

The document is forty pages long and while a consensus was achieved, the
document was tragically lacking. It should have been much bolder given the
input received from around the world during the past two years. One can’t
help but feel that in this winnowing down process where the voices and
wisdom of the laity and women fall away and bishops become the great
majority of decision makers, we are forever being held back from our full
potential by those who like things just the way they are. Our efforts to
evolve toward a more synodal church have just begun, but if we keep the
same players and structures in place, can we actually do what the Spirit is
calling us to do? And if Paolo Ruffini is correct
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODY3JmQ9dThqN3o5bw==.Osip5YFJgzLZx4-J8SlepbA2DF9GaoAuq760zoUYHvs>,
it looks like the same players will be back next year. That makes sense in
many ways, but it would be a more authentically synodal process if they
increased the number and percentage of women who participate and vote. We
certainly need them.
The Final Synthesis

You can read the official Vatican Synthesis report
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODY4JmQ9bjNwN2oybg==.x1QJt86hhJ0QfK7ooDtpnp1tG5Di5C1C2kI28_-pYZ0>
which was in Italian along with the voting results
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODY5JmQ9ZzVpMGs0cw==.P4k3VsvwuRhmX581X_TYfD_dVDRBTPVszFneHYaZ2wk>.
I have also uploaded an unofficial translated version in English
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODcwJmQ9ajBsMXE2aQ==.4m-L4rZoUWwi3GztZdho-OFPAm9Ey6IAM913vkor9FM>.
An official version the English will come out, but sometimes that takes a
while.
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODcxJmQ9dDJmOXA5cw==.FioMeZGm9qybwMoDLo7y9JNjk9cfoJFip73S4hb_0v8>
Discerning Deacons in Rome: Photo by Tracy Kemme, SC Women Deacons Forward
but Not a Word About Women Priests

Here is what was discerned about women:

*b) In Christ women and men are clothed with the same baptismal dignity and
receive equally the **variety of gifts of the Spirit (cf. Gal 3:28). Men
and women are called to a communion **characterized by non-competitive
co-responsibility, to be embodied at every level of the **Church’s life. As
Pope Francis has told us, together we are “People summoned and called by **the
power of the Beatitudes.”*

*c) During the Assembly we experienced the beauty of reciprocity between
women and men. **Together we revive the call of the previous stages of the
synod process, and ask the Church to **grow in its commitment to understand
and accompany women, pastorally and sacramentally. **Women desire to share
the spiritual experience of walking toward holiness in the different **stages
of life: as young people, as mothers, in friendship relationships, in
family life at all ages, **in the world of work and in consecrated life.
They claim justice in societies still deeply marked **by sexual violence
and economic inequality, and the tendency to treat them as objects. They **bear
the scars of human trafficking, forced migration and wars. Accompaniment
and **determined advocacy for women go hand in hand.*

*d) Women constitute the majority of those who attend churches and are
often the first **missionaries of the faith in the family. Consecrated
women, in contemplative and apostolic life, **constitute a gift, sign and
witness of fundamental importance **in our midst. The long history of women
missionaries, saints, theologians and mystics is a **powerful source of
inspiration and nourishment for the women and men of our time.*

*e) Mary of Nazareth, a woman of faith and mother of God, remains for all
an extraordinary **source of meaning theologically, ecclesially and
spiritually. Mary reminds us of the universal **call to listen attentively
to God and to remain open to the Holy Spirit. She has known the joy of **giving
birth and making grow and has endured pain and suffering. She gave birth in
precarious **conditions, experienced being a refugee, and experienced the
heartbreak of the brutal killing **of her Son. But she has also known the
splendor of the resurrection and the glory of Pentecost.*

*f) Many women expressed deep gratitude for the work of priests and
bishops, but they also **spoke of a Church that wounds. Clericalism,
machismo and inappropriate use of authority continue to scar the face of
the Church and damage communion. A deep spiritual conversion is needed as
the basis for any structural change. Sexual, power and economic abuses
continue to **demand justice, healing and reconciliation. We ask how the
Church can become a space **capable of protecting all.*

*g) When dignity and justice in relationships between men and women are
harmed in the Church, **the credibility of the proclamation we address to
the world is weakened. The synod process **shows that there is a need for a
renewal of relationships and structural changes. In this way we **will be
better able to welcome the participation and contribution of all – lay men
and women, **consecrated men and women, deacons, priests and bishops – as
co-responsible disciples of the **mission.*

*h) The Assembly asks that we avoid repeating the mistake of talking about
women as an issue or **problem. Instead, we wish to promote a Church in
which men and women dialogue for the **purpose of better understanding the
depth of God’s plan, in which they appear together as **protagonists,
without subordination, exclusion, or competition.*
*Issues to be addressed*

*i) Churches around the world have clearly formulated the call for greater
recognition and **enhancement of women’s contributions and growth in the
pastoral responsibilities entrusted **to them in all areas of the Church’s
life and mission. In order to give better expression to **everyone’s
charisms and better respond to pastoral needs, how can the Church include
more **women in existing roles and ministries? If new ministries are
needed, whose responsibility is it to discern, at what level and in what
ways?*

*j) Different positions have been expressed regarding women’s access to
diaconal ministry. Some **consider that this step would be unacceptable as
it would be in discontinuity with Tradition. **For others, however,
granting women access to the diaconate would restore a practice of the **early
Church. Still others discern in this step an appropriate and necessary
response to the **signs of the times, faithful to Tradition and capable of
finding an echo in the hearts of many **who seek renewed vitality and
energy in the Church. Some express fear that this request is an **expression
of a dangerous anthropological confusion, embracing which the Church would
align **itself with the spirit of the times.*

*k) The discussion in this regard is also connected to the broader
reflection on the theology of the **diaconate (see infra ch. 11, h – i).*
*Proposals*
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODcyJmQ9YjdvN3Y4dw==.brPi9-nmf_yaSUCkMxxZY0fF25XzjZMvh74629d0-zg>
Women at the Synod/photo by Sheila Pires

*l) Local churches in particular are encouraged to broaden their service of
listening, **accompanying and caring for women who are most marginalized in
different social contexts.*

*m) There is an urgent need to ensure that women can participate in
decision-making processes **and assume roles o f responsibility in pastoral
care and ministry. The Holy Father has **significantly increased the number
of women in positions of responsibility in the Roman Curia. **The same
should happen at other levels of Church life. Canon law should be adapted *
*accordingly.*

*n) Theological and pastoral research on women’s access to the diaconate
should be continued, **taking advantage of the results of the commissions
specially established by the Holy Father and **the theological, historical
and exegetical research already carried out. If possible, the results **should
be presented at the next Session of the Assembly.*

*o) Cases of employment discrimination and unequal remuneration within the
Church be **addressed and resolved, particularly with regard to consecrated
women who are too often **considered cheap labor.*

*p) There is a need to expand women’s access to training programs and
theological studies. Let **women be included in seminary teaching and
training programs to foster better formation for **ordained ministry.*

*q) Let liturgical texts and Church documents be more attentive not only to
the use of language **that holds men and women equally, but also to the
inclusion of a range of words, images and narratives that draw with greater
vitality on women’s experience.*

*r) We propose that properly trained women can be judges in all canonical
trials.*

There are a lot of ways that we can foster the issues that are on the table
including advocacy and education on the women who are missing or
misrepresented in the Lectionary and a vocabulary that uses inclusive
language, promoting women preaching, educating Catholics in the parish
about women deacons, educating and advocating for women’s ordination to the
priesthood, and advocating for women’s authority and inclusion at every
level, but especially at the parish and diocesan levels.
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New Ways Team/CNS photo A Crushing Blow on LGBTQ Justice

After some very heartwarming meetings between LGBTQ+ advocates at
DignityUSA/Rainbow
Catholics Coalition
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODc0JmQ9ZzV6OW82cQ==.fp8Ppf1Uvl6Jv4HIl_7iIlxGdB9_Yekjw2nmhdH5YKM>and
New Ways Minis
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODc2JmQ9ZTRoMHM0dw==.LFjC-g38XwA0lITgyZaaFnwcsM9uoqSe32BfxZzP-v0>try
and Pope Francis, the discernment of the synod’s participants fell flat.
And that felt crushing…again.

It was with tears in my eyes that I read Frank DeBernardo’s words
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODc4JmQ9dzh4MGYwZg==.1QOclkrWHrI1SczdYmuhQ0GjjAphxIFPCx2rdt6gibU>
:

*With no positive statement on LGBTQ+ issues in the document, and with only
two references which simply state what was known when the Synod began,
Catholics globally will be greatly disappointed. After two years of calling
on the church to have a more positive approach to LGBTQ+ people, repeated
over and over around the globe and in every phase of the Synod
consultations, it is clear that Catholics want a more inclusive church.*

*Stating LGBTQ+ issues are controversial in the church does not raise new
questions, as the report suggests, for this fact was known well before the
Synod even began. Church leaders have had decades to learn about scientific
and theological developments about gender and sexuality. Likewise,
acknowledging people excluded by the church because of identity or
sexuality seek to be heard is well-known. The questions the report claims
are now are not, in fact, new.*

*The only acknowledgment that the church needs to grow is a single sentence
which admits that current Catholic anthropological categories do not
sufficiently respond to new information which is being discovered from
experience or scientific knowledge. Yet the vagueness with which this
acknowledgement is described does not provide sufficient confidence that
change can be envisioned.*

*While LGBTQ+ Catholics and their supporters will be disappointed, we pray
that they will not also become discouraged. When New Ways Ministry’s
co-founder and staff met with Pope Francis this month during the Synod
assembly, he counseled us never to give up hope, quoting St. Paul: “Hope
does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).*

*The Catholic LGBTQ+ community must take Pope Francis’ message to heart.
The report’s shortcomings are an invitation to speak anew about their joys,
their sorrows, and their faith during the remaining year of this synodal
journey.*

When will the bishops of this church learn to love our LGBTQ+ family? I
pray for their redemption.
Other important articles:

By Cindy Wooden:
https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/synod-synthesis-shows-agreement-divergences-including-synodality
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODgwJmQ9YjN3N2g5cQ==.cduoZDm-hRpKbKxvlQyyLva5H7wTgZXoGXE_aMnqy7M>

By Christopher White:
https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/popes-major-vatican-summit-ends-without-action-women-deacons-mention-lgbtq
<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODgyJmQ9cDZtOXowag==.MjWyxAeWoeBZYZeljzHD2yell7DrgCdrhA7rclt-aJE>
Stay tuned

FutureChurch will offer an overview of the final synthesis along with a
time for reflection and discussion of the synod process thus far. Join us
as we talk about the ways we can use this next 11 months to advance the
issues that are important to us and important for the life of the church.
Read the blog
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<https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0yMzM2MDg0NzExNzgyMjI2ODYwJmM9dTVvNiZlPTAmYj0xMjMwMzUwODg4JmQ9dzh1MmEwaA==.fwteESMwdkxTx8ZZ-f6-EaZsBUokOUyIo36PnU3F9yg>
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Each participant will have the opportunity to learn, pray, and engage in
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This year, our keynote presenter is *Cynthia Bailey Manns*, one of the
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