In tug of war at synod, curia gets the last
word
By THOMAS C. FOX
A moment midway through the Synod for Asia neatly encapsulated the
clash of perspectives -- Asian leaders, pleading for the flexibility to meet
local needs, versus Vatican officials, advancing a one-size-fits-all approach
-- that seemed to be the subtext of the gathering.
It was Friday, April 24, and participating bishops had completed
their second week of speeches. It was now time to hear from heads of missionary
orders. The superior general of the Missionaries of the Holy Family, Fr.
Wilhelmus van der Weiden, delivered what soon became one of the most talked
about interventions.
During these days we heard a number of interventions with
inculturation as the central theme, Weiden began, noting that a
really wide gap had arisen between church principles and practice
on the issue of inculturation.
Citing Romes refusal to grant experts in local churches the
freedom to carry out liturgical inculturation, Weiden isolated the central
matter -- trust -- around which all synodal issues seemed to revolve. From the
point of view of the Asian bishops, curial officials appear unwilling to permit
local bishops to carry out the work of the church as they see fit.
Weiden asked: Are the Roman dicasteries [offices] so
afraid for aberrations from that which is considered as the only true doctrine
and the only true formulation of the liturgy? Must we not say that often the
bishops conferences with 20, 30 or more bishops and a number of
theologians and specialists can better estimate what in liturgical matters is
best for their flock than Roman authorities who often dont know the
language and the culture of that country?
The superior general then cited scripture passages to show that
lack of trust is nothing new to Gods people. But the response required is
the same, trusting the Holy Spirit. In this case, he argued, Rome needed to
grant local churches more autonomy. He finished with a rousing plea to the
Roman officials: Be not afraid!
In fact, fear on the part of Roman officials seemed to dictate the
synods course from its outset. It was manifested in the need to maintain
strict control over synod proceedings. These attitudes governed all aspects of
the gathering, keeping it closed to the media, keeping synod documents secret,
forbidding participants from receiving the texts of their fellow bishops
interventions and even forbidding them from taking notes during the
proceedings.
Unlike the Africans, the Asian bishops had not requested a synod.
They came without specific goals and spoke simply about their visions of
becoming a local church, being a communion of communities in dialogue with
other Asian religions, cultures and with the poor.
The synods official theme, chosen by Pope John Paul II, was
clear cut. It was to focus on Jesus Christ as Savior. The Vaticans aim,
repeated in documents before and during the month-long gathering, was to
reassert the task of proclamation as the essence of the churchs
evangelical mission.
To which the Asian bishops would respectfully say, Yes, but
how? They suggested that dialogue and focus on areas of common concern
with other faith traditions -- critical in cultures where Christianity remains
a tiny minority -- would be a more effective mode of evangelization in their
local circumstances.
It became the task of the general secretary of the synod, Belgian
Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, to see that the meeting did not veer from the
Vaticans agenda. At every turn of the elaborately dictated process, after
the Asian bishops had overwhelmingly reaffirmed the need to ground the local
churches in Asian culture and context by breaking away from Catholicisms
Western and often colonial heritage, after repeated requests for greater local
autonomy, Vatican officials would issue summaries or questions or propositions
that left the Asian positions unrecognizable.
Through it all, the Asian bishops were persistent, always
respectful, patient and resigned. Their interventions were often cut from
theological statements carefully crafted during the past 25 years under the
auspices of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences, an organization
of some 20 Far East and Southeast Asian bishops conferences.
If the Asian bishops never flinched, they also never sought
conflict. As one of the Asian cardinal moderators reportedly said: We
should not become over excited by curial machinations. Yes, they have filtered
out our contributions. When we return to our countries, we shall also be
filtering their documents.
Months of exchanges between the Asian bishops and curial
officials, led by Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples, preceded the synod. Seemingly from the outset, the
participants positions had been set.
Underscoring the basic dynamics, the story was told of a Filipino
bishop who, dining one afternoon with the pope, asked him: Your Holiness,
do you see any difference between the American and the Asian synods?
The pope replied: No, I dont. Each has the same
secretary general.
The Filipino bishop laughed and said: Yes, Your Holiness,
the same secretary general, the same methodology, the same pope.
During the first part of the synod, the assembly heard
eight-minute interventions by 191 bishops and auditors. Forty-three bishops
spoke on interfaith issues, 41 on becoming autonomous Asian churches through
inculturation and decentralization, 33 on becoming a church of the poor and the
marginalized, 29 on the pivotal importance of the laity.
Only three bishops spoke directly on the synods official
theme, and two of these were from the curia.
As the synod moved into its second phase, a committee appointed by
Schotte published what was supposedly a summary of the episcopal interventions,
bringing the centrality of Christ as savior back to center stage. The report,
which included key questions the bishops were supposed to answer as they
gathered into language groups, drew widespread criticism for not reflecting
their concerns.
Most of the 11 language groups returned the emphases to what they
referred to as the needed triple-dialogue with religions, cultures
and the marginalized.
Asked how they would handle dissident theologians, most groups
made strong statements of encouragement for their theologians as they attempt
to express the faith in Asian terms, according to knowledgeable synod sources.
Informed sources also said most language groups had harsh words to say about
the arrogance and power of curial officials.
The groups drew up propositions to be passed on to the pope. Each
group contained a mixt ure of Far East Asian bishops, Middle East bishops and
members of the Roman curia. Each group also had a Vatican-appointed court
theologian.
The groups came up with 52 propositions that were then edited by
the secretariats office and read aloud to the assembly. Indonesian and
Japanese bishops complained their propositions had not been included. Some
bishops wanted propositions dealing with issues of subsidiarity,
but were turned down, a synod source said.
The propositions, meanwhile, had become very general, only a few
directly related to Asia, knowledgeable sources told NCR. One synod
participant reportedly said of the propositions, Most could have been
written 20 to 30 years ago. The groups then returned to work to draw up
proposition amendments.
At this point several curial cardinals were seen rushing from
group to group as their proposals were again being rejected, according to a
synod insider.
As the synod drew to its bumpy conclusion, participants set out to
draw up a message for the People of God. The original draft ignored
Christology and concentrated on the Asian bishops interventions, a source
told NCR. Again, in curial hands the point got lost -- the final message
returned to the official topic.
The propositions will end up on the popes desk, and he will
eventually issue an apostolic exhortation, probably next year and probably in
Hong Kong, synod sources say. What relationship that exhortation will bear to
the message carried to Rome by the bishops of Asia remains to be seen.
Tom Fox is NCRs publisher.
National Catholic Reporter, May 29,
1998
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