Sister of Mercy Elizabeth Davis of Newfoundland, Canada, sees the latest Synod of Bishops as a pivotal moment for the church, one that could be as significant as the Second Vatican Council.
She is one of 54 women who were chosen to be voting members in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. She visited Kentucky in early June to speak with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth about her experience thus far.
“I felt quite privileged to be chosen to attend,” Sister Davis said in a recent interview. “It’s an amazing experience. It was nothing that I could have anticipated.”
This synod, the Synod on Synodality, is the first in which women are voting delegates. Women constitute 15% of the total number of delegates; the majority are bishops and cardinals.
The 54 female delegates were selected by bishops’ conferences across the world, with the exception of five, including Sister Davis, who were chosen by the Union of International Superiors General.
Sister Davis, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland and Labrador, began her career in secondary education before moving into health care administration in Canada. She also holds multiple degrees, including a doctoral degree in theology with an emphasis on biblical studies from the University of Toronto.
The Synod on Synodality convened for its first session in October 2023 in Pope Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Sister Davis described the session as bearing the “fruits of all the assemblies,” including the resources gathered at the diocesan and continental stages of the synod.
“Pope Francis encouraged us not to focus too much on singular issues,” she said. “But rather to focus on ways of making our church a synodal church.”
The 2023 gathering focused on three themes: communion, mission and participation, Sister Davis said. These themes emerged from documents produced by the diocesan phase of the synod.
The delegates were trained in roundtable discussions to use a synodal method of communication, Sister Davis explained. In a series of rounds, each delegate would speak to the theme, share what they learned from the other delegates, discuss major agreements or disagreements as a group and then create a document.
The documents created from the roundtable discussions were used to compose two final documents: a two-page document called “Letter to the People of God” and a 41-page synthesis report titled “A Synodal Church in Mission.” Both documents can be found on the synod’s official website: www.synod.va.
Sister Davis spoke of the synod as an “important moment,” comparing it to the Second Vatican Council, because of its potential to create a “new way of being church.” Sister Davis, who entered religious life in 1966, spoke firsthand about the effect of the council on religious life.
“We (religious) changed totally after the (Second Vatican) council — we saw wisdom in doing so,” she said.
She described her time in the assembly thus far as pondering the question: “What does it mean to be a church in the 21st century?”
Sister Davis said that she hopes the synod produces three “new ways of being church.”
“The time has come when we see how women, members of the LGBT communities, and Earth herself, have to be understood in a different way,” she said. “So if the synod is going to do anything, it has to transform our church, wherever our church is.”
“It’s not just walking together, but listening to the person you are walking with,” she said.
Since the first session, Sister Davis has been meeting in person and online with various groups about their “dreams and visions for the synod.” These meetings, she said, have given her hope and have been a “great source of comfort,” as they have shown her that many agree with her that, “we have to be a different church.”
“Continue to follow the synod,” Sister Davis said. “Remain engaged.”
She added, “Pray for the synod, pray for the delegates, pray for Pope Francis.”
The assembly will convene for its second session in October 2024.
