The Archdiocese of Louisville’s report on the local synod listening process — part of Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality — is now available at www.archlou.org.
The report, “Journeying Together,” reflects themes prevalent in church and society, such as issues related to clericalism, the experience of LGBTQ+ Catholics, the engagement of young people in church and polarization in society.
“This synthesis reveals pain and challenges within our Church along with opportunities for healing and growth,” writes Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre in a cover letter that accompanies the document. “It also reflects the great enthusiasm with which participants entered into this process.”
As prescribed by the synodal process, the report is a 10-page synthesis of feedback gathered during listening sessions conducted around the archdiocese or through an online portal. It was distilled from more than 600 pages of feedback gathered from February to May.
People were invited to trust in the Holy Spirit as they shared their experiences of the church during 120 in-person group listening sessions. Seventy-eight sessions were hosted by parishes; 12 were based at schools; 23 were conducted through archdiocesan agencies and outreach programs; four religious orders hosted sessions; three lay associations held listening sessions.
Archbishop Fabre is inviting Catholics to read the synthesis and in his letter calls attention to the love participants have for the church.
“I invite all of you to read and reflect on this synthesis and look for ways to engage with your local faith community,” he said. “A major theme that emerged from this listening was people’s love for the Church and their deep desire for the Church to be a vital force in the lives of individuals, families and communities.”
That love was evident in the 600 pages of feedback, too, said Richard “Tink” Guthrie, vice-chancellor for the archdiocese, who has served as coordinator of the archdiocesan synod process since it began in October 2021. He led the team that produced the synthesis — distilling it from 600 pages down to 10.
“We were really relying on the Holy Spirit to bring it to fruition and to bring impact out of it,” he said during a recent interview. He noted they kept in mind that Pope Francis wants to hear the voice of the people.
During the listening sessions, “The Spirit led them there, and with almost every session (the conveners said) the spirit was positive in the room. There was gratitude for the opportunity to hear other people’s stories. There were hurts; there were pains; there were frustrations. But they were brought forward in a positive way so people could grow from that.”
He noted that some of the things that came up in the sessions, such as the ordination of women as deacons or priests, can only be addressed by the Holy Father. But some things can be addressed locally, such as better engaging youth and young adults in the life of the church.
The archdiocese aims to address those things in the future.
Guthrie said the feedback, which ultimately came from 2,389 people, generally fell into four categories: ordained leadership, engagement, inclusion and welcoming and polarization. Following are some highlights from each category. Read the full report at archlou.org/synod-2022/.
Ordained Leadership
This category showed that “many participants in the Synod process are deeply concerned about leadership of the Church and the need for increased vocations,” the synthesis says. “Participants also expressed concerns about ordained leaders, especially a leadership style for which some used the term ‘clericalism,’ and the sexual abuse crisis.”
Failures to address abuse and clericalism were cited as obstacles to placing trust in church leaders and to hearing God’s voice.
The synthesis, which frequently offers direct quotes from participants, also notes, “A summary from one parish listening session stated, ‘[The Church] especially needs to open ordination to married people and women. This must take place if the sacramental life of the Church is to continue … There are vocations — married people and women!’ ”
It notes that others disagreed with this notion.
Engagement
Participants repeatedly expressed the need for Catholics to be more engaged in their faith, especially youth and young adults and those who feel excluded because they feel “judged” by the church.
Some suggested better efforts to build relationships in parishes and improve catechesis, particularly adult formation.
A group of former African American Catholic parishioners “lamented what they described as a lack of openness to their desire to share their gifts with the Church, the cultural inexperience of clergy leading their parishes, and their grief over the past closing of so many churches and schools,” the synthesis said.
Inclusion and Welcoming
There “was a constant refrain for the Church to be more inclusive and welcoming, especially to the voices of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, persons of color, divorced Catholics, the poor and immigrants.”
The church was described as unwelcoming and judgmental to the LGBTQ+ community.
The synthesis says, “Parents of gay children shared very personal stories: ‘I’m a proud parent of (the) angel that God gave me … She happens to be gay. She is the most loving and caring person I know. But it hurts me that she is not welcome in our Catholic Church.’ Another parent lamented, ‘No one has ever apologized for making my son feel suicidal … I want my fellow Catholics to understand what the hateful rhetoric does to our sons and daughters. LGBTQ kids have a much higher rate of suicide compared to straight kids.’ ”
Another predominant theme in welcoming extended to concerns about current racial issues and welcoming the growing diverse ethnic groups in the archdiocese, the synthesis said.
Some respondents cautioned against diminishing church teaching in efforts to be more inclusive.
Polarization
Participants also expressed frustration with polarization in the church and the feedback on the subject represented the spectrum of Catholic viewpoints.
“Several group reports and input from individuals expressed deep concern about the Church abandoning the reforms of Vatican II, while others decried a weakening of Catholic identity,” the synthesis noted.
One respondent said, “I would like to see traditional Catholicism, the Latin Mass and orthodox teachings in the Catholic Church.”
Another said, in part, “There was a consensus that many modern issues are complex and challenging and best approached with humility, discernment and patience.”
The synthesis noted a parish summary in which participants looked to the church for a solution: “many expressed a desire for the Church to help our people to learn to talk to one another again and to provide experiences where people can express their own viewpoint but also actively listen to another’s views with humility, openness and mutual respect.”
The synthesis is being forwarded to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where all diocesan reports from the United States will be sent. The U.S. bishops will produce a report based on those diocesan documents and forward their report to the Holy See.
Ultimately, Pope Francis will receive synthesis documents from around the globe.
Archbishop Fabre notes in his letter, “While this experience will contribute to the fruits of the Synod of Bishops that will take place in Rome in 2023, it also provides us with new paths and opportunities in our own efforts to live out our mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in Central Kentucky.”
