Mario Grech: There should be no fear of renewal at all

The Church could be living through a historic moment at the end of October 2024, as confirmed by the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, with whom we sat down in Rome the day after the Synod of Bishops, which will significantly transform the Catholic Church.

– When we spoke two years ago, you said that nothing was written down in advance about the Synod on Synodality, that it would be a blank paper in front of you, that the Holy Spirit would work and we would see what would happen. We are now after the formal period of the synod, but obviously there is no end to the synodal process, because we are going home, everyone is continuing the renewal in their own homes. That particular paper is no longer blank – what is on it?
– So what happened at the synod? It is written: the final document tells us. This final document is the fruit of the work of a community that listened to the Spirit. I am happy to repeat that

there was no agenda, there was nothing preplanned,

but that the task of the commission responsible for writing the document was to put together the various voices and to detect the single voice, the voice of the Spirit, the voice of the Church.

– We are witnessing a special, historic moment. Whereas previous Synods of Bishops had ended with a final document, and then a few months later the Pope issued an exhortation with the force of a magisterium, this time Pope Francis decided that what was the Synod’s decision was the voice of the Church. Do you think that something new has happened, that will change the Church?
– It is something new, even though the constitution of the Synods of Bishops took into consideration this possible step. In fact, in this constitution it is written that the Pope can approve the final document of the assembly, making it his own, as it happened on the last Saturday in October. Obviously, the Holy Father also said that it is not a normative document – although it is part of the ordinary magisterium – but he also underlined that there are certain issues, such as those dealt with by the 10 synodal study groups, which need further discernment. And the Holy Father also said in his final speech that he will be also listening to the bishops and local churches on certain issues not concluded in the document. And that’s something very positive, isn’t it? That

even the successor of Peter is working on a synodal way. The Pope feels the need to listen to and consult with the local churches, obviously he will then make the final decisions. This is a historic moment, an important step forward.

– The closing liturgy of the Synod touched my heart very much. Pope Francis spoke about the image of the Church in a sitting style and the Church on the move. We must not allow ourselves as a Church to sit and wait, but we must move, we must develop. All of us, the people of God, have to go through a conversion, a synodal conversion. The starting point of this synod was in 2021, and now we are at a kind of end point in the autumn of 2024. As I have already said, the interesting part of the journey begins now, when we return home. What do you suggest for those who are interested in synodality in Hungary? How can they embark on this journey and follow the direction that the Synod has set out?
– The celebration of the Synod is come to an end, but it is a process and it is still going on. The very important phase that is just beginning is what I would call restitution. Because it all started with listening to the people, listening to the local churches. I repeat that the working documents that were prepared for both sessions of the Synod were not written in Rome. They were documents that we compiled from reports of the local churches. And now the final document of the synod is being returned to the local churches, not only so that the local churches can translate and apply the document in pastoral decisions, but also, that the members of the church can continue to discern it locally. Because there are certain issues that are still open and the importance of the particular place must be taken into account, since the Church is always present in a particular territory in history. One thing is sure: we are under Peter, faithful to the Gospel and to the tradition. There should be no fear of renewal at all. But

we need to understand each other better, and we need to be more together in order to be able to proclaim Jesus to the world today.

All the baptised share this.

– When I think about my personal faith, I feel that in the last three years, partially thanks to the synodal process, I have come closer to the Church. For you, who has done a tremendous amount of work over these years and are surely exhausted, has something changed in your heart about the Church?
– I am a baptised person, called to the priesthood, and I am also called to serve the Church as a bishop. There is nothing extraordinary – I feel the same as you do. In these three years my love for Jesus and my love for the Church got stronger. So much so that after three years of active ministry I am not tired. In a way, I am sorry that this Synod of Bishops has come to an end. But a new phase is already beginning. I pray to the Lord to assist me and my staff to have more energy, more passion to share the good news.

Written by István Gégény