Pope Welcomes 232 at Synod : Catholic Bishops Gather to Consider Role of Laity

VATICAN CITY —  With Scripture readings by two women from the majestic main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica to fuel their thoughts, Roman Catholic bishops from around the world convened here Thursday in white-robed splendor to weigh the role of the laity within their church.

“We nourish a profound esteem for our lay brothers and sisters,” Pope John Paul II told 232 bishops gathered for a monthlong debate on the obligations and responsibilities of the faithful.

In the long term, positions adopted by the bishops over the next month could eventually reach into the parishes of each of the world’s 850 million Catholics. An expanded role for women, greater participation by the faithful in church decision-making and a more effective presence of Catholic laity in the world outside their church, particularly in the interests of social justice, are among issues to be addressed by individual bishops during the deliberations, judging from the Vatican working paper prepared for the synod.

In addition to their own thoughts, the bishops will hear the views of about 60 invited lay Catholics from around the world, 27 of them women.

“Help us to loose whatever needs to be loosed in this vast sphere of the laity, so that their proper and specific tasks for the ecclesial missions will spring forth from their vocation,” the Pope prayed at a High Mass that he celebrated with his fellow bishops.

“It’s hard to know in advance which way the synod will go, but I hope it will produce some new sense of vitality for the laity’s role, and clarity about directions of lay involvement,” Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahony said Thursday.

Mahony said bishops will address the “unfinished agenda” of the 1965 Second Vatican Council, which urged lay Catholics “to be more active in the world, not so much as church ministers, but as agents of change in a world that needs the Gospel brought to it.”

Some Direct Appointees

Mahony and Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua of Pittsburgh are among the 15% of synod delegates appointed directly by the pontiff.

In preparation for the synod, bishops around the world took grass-roots soundings to single out key issues for deliberation.

In the United States, more than 200,000 lay Catholics participated in consultations. Polls have shown that many U.S. Catholics want a greater say in running their church and more responsibility for the church’s posture on moral issues such as birth control and abortion.

Four U.S. bishops chosen by their peers in the National Conference of Bishops will each have eight minutes to address the synod on an area of American concern. After the formal presentations, the bishops will convene by language groups for round table discussions.

Archbishop John L. May of St. Louis, president of the bishops’ conference, will introduce the main American theme, “Co-discipleship for the Mission of the Church in the World,” and speak of the parish as the primary focus for the spiritual development of Americans.

Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin of Chicago will speak on the role of “lay ecclesial ministries . . . in service and support of the lay vocation in the home, the workplace and political process.”

The third American speaker during the month, Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee, will discuss the role, status and treatment of women in the church “within the broader cultural movement toward mutuality in relationships between women and men.”

The final American speaker, Bishop Stanley J. Ott of Baton Rouge, La. will discuss American lay Catholics’ desire to “nurture growth in faith through liturgies and preaching that address the real needs and experiences of the laity at home and at work.”