Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis led the people of God courageously and never lost hope when confronted with significant challenges both within and outside of the Church. His popularisation of the term ‘synodality’ indicated his intention for the Church to see itself as a body of people who walk together, dialogue together and discern together. A final snapshot of his life reveals a leader intent on leaving a legacy of communion, fellowship and discernment.
Keeping Hope Alive
Faced with the challenges of a world often caught in the grip of poverty, war, corruption, indifference and injustice, Pope Francis always pointed to a theological virtue that is at the heart of the Church’s current Jubilee Year: hope.
Never the one to lose hope, he answered to problems within and outside of the Church by prescribing a culture of encounter and dialogue between people of good will.
Pope Francis named this culture ‘synodality’ – a process not based on theological experts coming together to find a solution to a problem, but one which begins with a question raised among the people of God: what is the Holy Spirit trying to say to us through the signs of the times? The synodal way has less to do with arguments over who may be right or wrong about particular issues within the Church, and more to do with prayer, deep listening, discernment and ultimately capturing the voice of the Holy Spirit in the voices of the faithful.
This same process was at the heart of Australia’s own Plenary Council, which began with the question to all: ‘what do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?’. The process also featured in the Archdiocese of Perth’s Diocesan Assembly (2023 – 2024) – a gathering whose aim was primarily to re-establish a Diocesan Pastoral Council and to discern how this Council could reflect the process of synodality asked for by Pope Francis.
Throughout his pontificate and life, Pope Francis repeatedly called Christians to walk together on a journey where the pace is set by the Holy Spirit according to a person’s needs and disposition.
He suggested that a delicate balance be struck between discerning what these needs are and responding to them with faithfulness to Church teaching.
He leaves us with the inspiring task of continuing our synodal journey together by leaving our comfort zones and reaching those geographical and existential peripheries so urgently in need of a message of hope.
Should a breach on our journey prevent us from striving forwards, we should look for one of the many bridges that Francis built throughout his papacy.
Dr Marco Ceccarelli is the Director of the Centre for Faith Enrichment for the Archdiocese of Perth and a Lecturer in the school of Philosophy and Theology at The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle.