Cardinal Zen on Synodality
In an interview with Aurelio Porfiri, published by the site OnePeterFive Cardinal Zen makes some coments on the present situation of the Church and on the Synod on Synodality. We reproduce three answers from the Cardinal which are of utmost importance for the formation of Catholics who want to be faithful to the Church teachings.
Question : In the Church this seems like a delicate moment, a moment in which there are divisions and unrest in some countries, such as Germany. What has been your experience facing these things?
Answer : I am concerned. What is happening in Germany seems to me to be similar to what happened in Holland, where the faith experienced a devastating crisis. I am concerned that some, under the pretext of synodality, may wish to advance a very personal agenda which involves the introduction of ideas which are in direct conflict with the doctrine of the Church, a doctrine which the Church has the duty to cherish and which cannot change. Today we are experiencing great confusion and I believe that it is appropriate to point out that openness to the new does not mean distorting the foundations of our faith. The dear Pontiff Benedict XVI, whom I remember with so much affection, warned us of the danger of these doctrinal “landslides”. How much is this still listened to? It seems to me that today his legacy is not respected and it is a shame, because he was a great intellectual for the Church. Yet I seem to see signs of great discontinuity between what happens today and previous pontificates. To Jesus we entrust his barque, his Church, during the storm on the lake, because only He can lead it to safety.
Question : The Synod on Synodality has just concluded, what do you think?
Answer :Here too I couldn’t help but express my concern. The Synod, as Saint Paul VI wanted it, is a consultative body for the Bishops in union with the Pope. It might seem like making non-Bishops vote would be a good thing but in reality it is not for the simple fact that it distorts what a Synod should be. In this way the very structure of the Church is affected. On 15 September 1965 Paul VI erected the Synod as an emanation of the Council and specified: “with Our apostolic authority we erect and constitute in this noble City a permanent council of Bishops for the universal Church, subject directly and immediately to Our power and which we name the Synod of Bishops.” Synod of Bishops! Of course, a little further on the Pope said that this Synod could be perfected but not in the sense of being distorted. I did not hide my dismay at some of the initiatives that were seen during the days of the Synod and I felt a certain discouragement, this I must confess.
Question : You seem very worried about this Synod. You, with other Cardinals, also signed the dubia addressed to the Holy Father, who this time responded. Are you not happy?
Answer : Here it is not a question of being happy. The Pope (or someone on his behalf) drafted a response, unusually quickly, to our dubia, but unfortunately the response does not really clarify the issues we had submitted to him. It seems to be the usual method used in the Church in recent decades, in which one does not answer “sì sì no no,” but gives answers that apparently close the front door on some issues, leaving the back door wide open. The people of God need clarity, they need to have firm references in matters of doctrine and morality, not these slippery answers. We are already living in times of great uncertainty, the Church must offer safe doctrine, not fluid matter. A Carthusian motto reads: stat crux dum volvitur orbis, the cross is still while the world turns. Here, we must try to recover this strong sense of our faith. We must reach those who are far away but to bring them back to the fold, not to have them take us out of our home! We remember that Saint John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate asked us not to be afraid and to open the doors to Christ, but from what I observe it seems to me that many in the Church are worried about pleasing the world, rather than pleasing Him.
