„Dem Osten zuhören“

Mit dem „Synodalen Prozess“ der Katholischen Kirche, den Papst Franziskus im Oktober 2021 eröffnet hat, ist das Thema Synodalität ins Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit gerückt. PRO ORIENTE bringt sich mit Blick auf die synodalen Traditionen der orthodoxen und alten orientalischen Kirchen in diesen Prozess ein. In Kooperation mit dem Institut für Ökumenische Studien der Päpstlichen Universität St. Thomas von Aquin („Angelicum“) werden im November 2022 in Rom drei große internationale Konferenzen durgeführt, in denen diese Traditionen präsentiert werden.

Welche Entscheidungen werden synodal von der Gemeinschaft der Bischöfe oder den Mitgliedern einzelner Synoden getroffen und binden auch den jeweiligen Patriarchen? Wie sind auch Nichtkleriker, Frauen und Männer, an Entscheidungsprozessen beteiligt? Welche Perspektiven bringen junge Menschen in solche Prozesse ein? International anerkannte Theologinnen und Theologen sowie Jugendliche aus den orthodoxen und alten orientalischen Kirchen werden sich zu diesen Fragen äußern und ihre Erfahrungen mit synodaler Theologie, kirchlicher Praxis und der Spiritualität der Synodalität für die aktuelle weltweite Synode der katholischen Kirche fruchtbar machen. Gleichzeitig wird so auch ein ökumenischer Austausch zu diesen Themen gefördert.

Zwei Vorbereitungsgruppen wurden mit den konkreten Planungen betraut, die aus Mitgliedern der entsprechenden PRO ORIENTE-Kommissionen zusammengesetzt sind. Die Konferenzen zur Synodalität in den orthodoxen Kirchen wurden vorbereitet von Mitgliedern der Kommission für orthodox-katholischen Dialog, die Konferenz zur Synodalität in den syrischen und orientalischen Kirchen von Mitgliedern des Forum Syriacum und der Kommission für den orientalisch-katholischen Dialog („CEE“).

An allen drei Konferenzen nahmen etwa 80 Bischöfe, Theologen und andere Interessierte teil, hauptsächlich aus den orthodoxen und altorientalischen Kirchen. Sie standen unter der gemeinsamen Schirmherrschaft von zwei vatikanischen Einrichtungen: dem Dikasterium zur Förderung der Einheit der Christen und dem Generalsekretariat der Synode. So ist eine gute Einbettung in den Synodalen Prozess und in die Vorbereitung der römischen Bischofssynode im Oktober 2023 gewährleistet. Die Ergebnisse werden in die Synode (synodaler Prozess) einfließen, die bis 2024 läuft.

Berichterstattung

Eine Nachlese zur Konferenz ist im PRO ORIENTE Informationsdienst verfügbar:

• "Listening to the East"- Zwei hochkarätige PRO ORIENTE-Konferenzen starten in Rom
• Assyrischer Patriarch begrüßt katholischen Nachdenkprozess über Papstamt
• Rom: Wertvolle synodale Erfahrungen der Kirchen der syrischen Traditionen
• Kloss: "Der große Reichtum der christlichen Vielfalt ist in Rom sichtbar geworden"
• PRO ORIENTE-Tagung in Rom: "Synodalität fordert heraus und verlangt nach Kreativität"

Ein ausführlicher Bericht in englischer Sprache ist weiter unten verfügbar.

Aufnahmen der Präsentation

Die Präsentationen der Konferenzen sind auf den YouTube-Kanälen von PRO ORIENTE und dem Angelicum verfügbar.

Dokumentationsfilm

Ein 40-minütiger Dokumentarfilm gibt Einblicke in zentrale Themen der Konferenzen, darunter zum Beispiel die Stellung der Frauen in den Kirchen und die Art und Weise, wie Kirchenführer in den Ostkirchen gewählt werden.

Der Film ist in mehrere Sprachen übersetzt worden. Der Trailer ist auf dem YouTube-Kanal von PRO ORIENTE verfügbar.

Publikation der Konferenzbeiträge

Die Protokolle der Konferenzen wurden kürzlich veröffentlicht (siehe hier).

Neues Material für die Bildungsarbeit

Broschüre

PRO ORIENTE möchte die Kirchen des Ostens einem breiten Publikum näherbringen. Parallel zum gleichnamigen Dokumentarfilm wurde ein Heft für Bildungszwecke an Universitäten und Schulen erstellt, die beide bei Fortbildungen und in Gemeinden eingesetzt werden können.

Die Broschüre kann bei der Stiftung PRO ORIENTE bestellt werden (office@pro-oriente.at).

Die knapp 80 Seiten starke Broschüre bietet eine Einführung in die Geschichte der Kirchen des Ostens sowie einen Einblick in ökumenische Aspekte des von Papst Franziskus initiierten Synodalen Prozesses in der katholischen Kirche. Dazu werden die zentralen Akzente ostkirchlicher Synodalität, wie sie bei mehreren PRO ORIENTE-Konferenzen im Herbst 2022 in Rom deutlich wurden, präsentiert und kommentiert.

PRO ORIENTE-Präsident Alfons M. Kloss hält in seinem Vorwort fest, dass die Christinnen und Christen aus Ost und West aufgerufen seien, sich "auf der Grundlage des uns verbindenden Evangeliums gemeinsam für das Gemeinwohl in unseren Gesellschaften einzusetzen. Wir sind aufgerufen, in einer polarisierten Welt Zeugnis für Frieden, für Dialog und für Versöhnung abzulegen." Diesem Auftrag fühle sich auch die Stiftung PRO ORIENTE seit ihrer Gründung vor 60 Jahren verpflichtet.

Johannes Oeldemann, Direktor am Johann-Adam-Möhler-Institut für Ökumenik (Paderborn), stellt im ersten Teil der Broschüre die verschiedenen Kirchen und Kirchenfamilien des Ostens vor. Damit soll ein besseres Verständnis für die diversen Kirchen und ihre Traditionen erreicht werden, die inzwischen auch in Europa mit zahlreichen Gemeinden beheimatet sind, die zu großen Teilen aus zugewanderten Menschen bestehen.

Sr. Nathalie Becquart, leitende Mitarbeiterin im Generalsekretariat der vatikanischen Synode, gibt im zweiten Teil der Broschüre einen Einblick in den Synodalen Prozess, zu dem Papst Franziskus eingeladen hat. Sie beleuchtet, welche Bedeutung den ökumenischen Impulsen im Synodalen Prozess zukommt.

Schließlich werden von der Wiener Theologin Christina Dietl auf Basis der Ergebnisse der Tagungen in Rom wesentliche Aspekte des orthodoxen Verständnisses von Synodalität und die Erfahrungen dieser Kirchen mit Synodalität zusammengefasst.

Dokumentarfilm

Zur Begleitung des geschriebenen Wortes findet sich in der Broschüre ein QR-Code, der auf die Plattform Vimeo zum Dokumentarfilm "Dem Osten zuhören" führt. Dabei handelt es sich um eine Kurzversion einer ausführlicheren Fassung des gleichnamigen PRO ORIENTE-Dokumentarfilms, der im Rahmen der römischen Tagungen entstanden ist.

Als Filmdirektor konnte der renommierte österreichische Filmemacher Robert Neumüller gewonnen werden. Mehr als 150 Expertinnen und Experten aus den orthodoxen und orientalischen Kirchen präsentierten bei den Tagungen in Rom synodale Theologien, praktische Erfahrungen mit Synodalität und unterschiedliche Ausdrücke synodaler Spiritualität in den verschiedenen Kirchen. Die Ergebnisse der Tagungen wurden anschließend in den von Papst Franziskus initiierten Synodalen Prozess der katholischen Kirche eingearbeitet.

Im Rahmen des Films kommen Konferenz-Teilnehmende zu Wort, außerdem besuchte Regisseur Neumüller in Rom orthodoxe und orientalische Diaspora-Gemeinden und tauchte dabei mit der Kamera in die östlichen Liturgien und das Gemeindeleben vor Ort ein. Der Film, von dem Fassungen in mehreren Sprachen existieren, wurde bereits von zahlreichen internationalen TV-Anstalten übernommen.

First Conference

Orthodox speakers appreciate the Catholic Church’s approach of listening to them

The first conference on “Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Eastern Orthodox Church” took place from Nov. 2-5. On Monday, Nov. 7, PRO ORIENTE President Alfons M. Kloss gave an extremely positive summary of the conference, both in terms of the "spirit" and the content of the meeting: "The Orthodox conference participants discussed their understandings and practices of synodality in a very impressive and open way." Thus, as intended, they made a valuable contribution to the global synod of the Catholic Church. The Catholic participants received these important impulses with care and attention, Kloss said.

At the same time, during these days of listening, discussing, and praying together, it also became clear, "how many current challenges in today's fragile world the Orthodox Church shares with our Catholic Church". This, Kloss said, was "a further impetus for Christians worldwide to engage in greater unity in the spirit of the Good News."

The Director of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies of the Angelicum, Fr. Hyacinthe Destivelle OP, underlined: "This conference, unique also in terms of its methodology, has been planned by its academic committee as a 'synodal experience' itself, involving Orthodox bishops, clergy and laity, monks and religious, men and women, youth, from different Churches and continents." He further stated that concerning the main goal of the symposium, to offer an ecumenical contribution to the current synodal process of the Catholic Church, the organizers' expectations were not deceived. "Not only the contributions were of high academic quality, but also the discussions were insightful and opened very important perspectives", the IES Director said.

Ecumenism and synodality require one another

It had already been stated in the opening session of the conference that the exchange of ideas and experiences can inspire not only the Catholic Church, but also Orthodoxy. After all, we are "on the way together," as Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Vatican Synod, put it in his greeting.

Grech was deeply moved by the willingness of so many Orthodox bishops, priests, and theologians to share their experiences of synodality with their Catholic brothers and sisters. He said he was very grateful for this "gift" of Orthodoxy and stressed how important it was for the Catholic Church in its synodal process to learn more about the synodal theology and practice of the Orthodox Churches, because, Grech said, "being ecumenical requires to be synodal, and to be synodal postulates to be ecumenical".

The importance of the conference for the Synodal Process of the Catholic Church was also emphasized, among others, by the active participation of Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the Synod, Prof. Myriam Wijlens, member of the Synod Steering Committee, and Prof. Peter Szabo, member of the Synod Theological Commission.

In his greeting, Angelicum Rector Fr. Thomas Joseph White highlighted his institution's long ecumenical tradition. PRO ORIENTE President Alfons M. Kloss delivered a greeting from Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PRO ORIENTE. In it, the Cardinal emphasized the importance of the conference, which falls precisely within the mission of PRO ORIENTE. Cardinal Schönborn was unable to attend the conference in Rome because he was in Bahrain participating in the papal visit and the "Bahrain Dialogue Forum".

President Kloss, for his part, added that it was a necessity for PRO ORIENTE to be involved in the synodal process. This, he said, applied not only to this and further two conferences at the end of November with the Churches of the Syrian and other Oriental traditions, but also, for example, to numerous youth workshops that PRO ORIENTE has organized in the Middle East in recent months. Some of the young participants in these workshops were also present in Rome. "We want to make the richness of Christianity visible on the common path to unity", Kloss said.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, emphasized in his greeting, among other things, the importance of the conference for the official Catholic-Orthodox dialogue, in which the international commission has been working for years on the relationship between primacy and synodality. He hoped that the conference would provide valuable impulses for this dialogue, as well as for the 1.700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first synodal assembly at the level of the universal Church, in 2025.

Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, Orthodox co-chair of the International Commission for Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue, acknowledged in his remarks that while synodality in Orthodoxy does function at the level of autocephalous churches, the same cannot be said for either the local level below or the universal level above. On the local diocesan level, it often depends far too much on the respective bishop and his closest collaborators; on the universal level, one cannot speak of a worldwide synodal Church, the Metropolitan said. This was proven not only by recent intra-Orthodox tensions, but also already by the genesis and implementation of the "Holy and Great Council" in Crete in 2016, in which not all autocephalous Churches participated.

In a similar vein to Metropolitan Job, Serbian Orthodox Bishop Maxim (Vasiljevic) also expressed his views. He delivered the opening lecture on Wednesday evening on the theme "The Orthodox Church is a Synodal Church". Bishop Maxim acknowledged numerous current challenges that have led to many local Churches existing as independent or even isolated – depending on how one looks at it. The bishop advocated a partial revision of traditional forms of synodality. New schemes must be found to better express the global and existential character of the Church, he said. Bishop Maxim pleaded for more pan-Orthodox and ecumenical cooperation. Such a revitalized synodality could serve to preserve the Church's mystery of salvation, the bishop said.

Eucharistic dimension of synodality

The first conference day focused on the aspect of communion as an expression of synodality. In his keynote lecture, the Romanian Orthodox theologian Prof. Sorin Selaru explained, among other things, the Eucharistic dimension of synodality. The gathering of the faithful to celebrate the Eucharist is the first and original manifestation of synodality. The Church is eucharistic by its very nature, he said.

Other lectures and discussions on Thursday focused, for example, on the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and the pan-Orthodox Council of Crete in 2016, while workshops concentrated, for example, on Orthodox monastic traditions or regional manifestations of synodality in history and the present.

Laity and women in Orthodoxy

The American Orthodox theologian Teva Regule gave the introductory keynote lecture on the second day of the conference, which was devoted to the aspect of participation of all believers in the synodal life of the Church. Among other things, she shed light on the participation of lay people in synodal processes in Orthodoxy. Historically, lay people have always participated in the decision-making process of the Church, she said. Although the early ecumenical councils were primarily episcopal assemblies, it was lay people - though in these specific cases the Byzantine emperors - who had convened the councils. And finally, it was also the faithful people - the laity - who had to accept the decisions of the councils, Regule said. Thus, after the Council of Nicea in 325, the condemnation of Arianism had only been able to prevail through the acceptance of the people.

A counter-example: the Orthodox faithful rejected the decisions of the Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438/39), so they never came into effect. Today, especially in the Orthodox diaspora, clergy and laity, men and women, are active in the Church in a variety of ways, Regule said. Lay people are represented not only in advisory but also in decisive bodies at the local parish and sometimes diocesan level. In some dioceses, lay people also have a say in the election of bishops, for example in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). This is not a universal principle, Regule acknowledged.

In many places, however, independent groups have already formed in the Orthodox Church to deal with questions of lay participation. Regule referred to the Orthodox Christian Laity organization in the United States.

The theologian also explained the current state of women's diaconate in Orthodoxy. Women, she said, have always participated in the diaconal ministry of the Church, including as ordained deacons in the early Church. For about 150 years, she said, there have been voices calling for the reintroduction of the diaconate of women.

In 1988, on the initiative of the then Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios, a conference was held in Rhodes devoted to this subject. The result of the deliberations was that, while not in favour of women's priesthood, it was stated that the office of deaconesses should be revived. This, she said, was a positive response to the many needs and demands of today's world. Since then, several conferences have addressed this issue.

In 2000, for example, numerous theologians - especially from the diaspora - addressed a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew to this effect, pointing out that there was nothing that would speak ecclesiastically against women deacons. Ground-breaking steps have since been taken at synods of the Orthodox Church in Greece as well as the Patriarchate of Alexandria, Regule said. Unfortunately, the decisions of these synods were only partially received by the faithful as well. The theologian, however, expressed her conviction that the efforts within Orthodoxy continue. Regule is president of the Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA) and serves on the board of the St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess.

Plea for more inner-Orthodox synodality

Orthodox Kenyan clergyman and theologian John Njoroge, in his keynote lecture on synodality and mission on Saturday, came to speak, among other things, about the 2016 Council of Crete. Despite all the difficulties in preparation and implementation, he said he wanted to call it an "indicator of the possibilities of having future councils". Internal Church conflict topics such as the situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine or in Africa, or the general structure of Orthodoxy in the diaspora need just as much synodality as do global challenges facing society as a whole. This applies to the topics of justice and peace as well as to the climate crisis. Lack of synodality or conciliarity among Orthodox Churches would affect the future life and mission of the Church in the world, Njoroge warned.

The world, which according to Njoroge is increasingly losing the right perspective, needs the witness of a united church. In this context, he also pleaded urgently for a stronger connection between the synods of the local or national churches and the patriarchal synods. The relevance of synodality for a missionary Orthodox Church, he said, is to "create a space where believers, parishes, dioceses as well as mission-oriented organizations get inspired or motivated to engage in active mission and evangelistic activities in their home countries and abroad".

Other presentations and discussions on Friday and Saturday dealt, for example, with the ground-breaking Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917/18, Orthodox lay movements, the participation of lay people in the election of bishops and primates, Orthodox youth movements, Orthodox involvement in the World Council of Churches, and the topic of "Women and Synodality".

Second Conference: Assyrian Patriarch welcomes Catholic Reflection Process on Papacy

A second conference took place at the Angelicum on Nov. 23/24, dealing with “Synodality in the Syriac Orthodox and Church of the East Traditions". Afterwards, the Academic Chairman of the PRO ORIENTE “Forum Syriacum”, Prof. Dietmar Winkler (University of Salzburg, Austria), drew a positive conclusion. The meeting in Rome was dedicated to the synodal traditions of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Church of the East.

In his summary, Prof. Winkler pointed out, among other things, that the different geographical contexts also influenced synodality within a church. He illustrated this with the example of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Malankara in southern India, which has an autonomous status within the Syriac Orthodox Church. In India, lay people and women are more involved in church structures than in other countries.

It has also become clear that the question of better participation of women in church life and in church decision-making processes is coming up in all churches: "How can theologically highly educated women, such as there are more and more, especially in the West, be integrated into such decision-making processes?" Winkler asked, adding that this is a question that is increasingly being posed.

About 80 experts and interested people, including numerous bishops as well as theologians from the various Oriental churches, attended the conference. Prof. Winkler, the academic director of the conference, emphasized that not only the Catholic Church could learn from the experiences of the Syrian churches, but also the churches could benefit from each other's experiences. Above all, he said, the diaspora is also a motor for change and further development.

The Assyrian Catholicos Patriarch Mar Awa III had already explained the theology of synodality in the Church of the East in his opening lecture on Wednesday evening. Bishop Mar Paulus Benjamin on Thursday presented the understanding and experience of synodality in the practical life of the Church of the East.

Mar Awa III had explained in his lecture that he could exercise his primacy only in communion with the Holy Synod - the assembly of bishops. In the Holy Synod, he said, only the bishops were represented, but they would consult with their local clergy before the sessions and agree on what issues or positions they should bring forward. The lower clergy and the laity would usually bring their concerns to the Holy Synod through their diocesan bishops, but in serious matters they would also address the patriarch or the synod secretariat directly.

He welcomes the Synodal Process in the Catholic Church initiated by Pope Francis, which has also launched a reflection process on a renewed understanding of the papal office, Mar Awa said. He is very encouraged by Pope Francis' sincere search to better understand the Petrine primacy "in the greater light of a more synodal Church," the Patriarch said. This search is greatly appreciated by the other churches, the patriarch stressed. He also recalled that already in 1995, in his encyclical "Ut Unum Sint," Pope John Paul II had asked for help, especially from the non-Catholic Eastern Churches, to arrive at a new understanding of the universal primacy and the Petrine ministry.

Undoubtedly, he said, this path will still be a long one, requiring much theological and ecclesial work, because this path - in the context of a Church "that is truly and fully synodal in its life" - ultimately means, in fact, a redefinition of the understanding of the universal role of the bishop of Rome as it is known today.

He is convinced, Patriarch Mar Awa said, that the Eastern non-Catholic churches have an indispensable role to play in this redefinition. Their shared ecclesial experience, he said, could help "reshape the ecclesiology of the Western Church into one that is truly synodal for the Church of the third millennium." And the patriarch expressed his conviction that in the course of increased ecumenical efforts and relations, "all our churches will experience a new dawn in the third millennium that is now beginning."

Bishop Mar Paulus Benjamin explained that in each diocese of the Church of the East there is a separate Diocesan Council, which includes all the parish priests and two lay representatives from each parish. The diocesan bishop presides over the council. The parishes also have their own parish councils, to which the lay representatives elected by the parish belong. According to the church constitution, this body, which is elected every two years, has an advisory character.

As U.S. deacon Peter Azzo explained in the workshop on experiences of synodality with regard to the laity in church life, it was only under Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV in the 1970s that women were also admitted as members of parish councils. In this way, the synod fathers wanted to ensure that women were also included in decision-making processes at the local level. Azzo added that the vast majority of lay people involved in the Church of the East are women, and now in the highest leadership positions possible for lay people.

Salaam Somi of the Syriac Orthodox Church and Nisha M. Thomas of the Assyrian Church of the East, in the workshop on experiences of synodality with regard to women, shed light, among other things, on the ecclesiastical tradition of ordaining female deacons, which had been established in both churches and is attested as early as the 3rd century. In the course of time, however, this ecclesiastical office disappeared again, whereby different, sometimes dramatic historical developments as well as the respective cultural and political contexts played a role. However, the office was never formally abolished, and in both churches there are today deaconesses again, since some years, but still very few.

Prof. Winkler explained with regard to both churches that they had almost been wiped out during the First World War in the genocide on Christians in the Ottoman Empire. Especially in the case of the Church of the East, which was particularly affected by this genocide, it took decades before it was able to consolidate itself in terms of personnel and institutions. It was not until the time of Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV (1976-2015) that this was finally achieved, and a "catching-up process" was started - also with regard to the participation of women in church life.

Syriac Orthodox Synodal Structures

The synodal structures of the Syriac Orthodox Church were described by Mor Polycarpus Aydin, Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of the Netherlands. The Holy Synod, presided over by the Patriarch, is the church's highest decision-making body in all religious, spiritual, and also legislative and administrative matters, he said. Decisions of the synod must be made either by majority or unanimously, depending on the subject matter.

In the Syriac Orthodox Church, each diocese also has its own diocesan council, composed of clergy and laity, and presided over by the respective bishop. The members of the council are elected by the parishes. In turn, there are also parish assemblies in the parishes, in which the laity are very strongly represented. These institutions gained importance in the 20th century, Bishop Polycarpus said.

Only the bishops are represented in the Holy Synod, he said, but they consult with their diocesan councils before the assembly. The final decision on the agendas on which the synod deliberates rests with the Patriarch or his general secretariat, he said.

In other workshops on Thursday, conference participants also explored experiences of synodality, especially with regard to youth and monastic life/clergy.

Prof. Souraya Bechealany, theologian and former general secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, and Ruth Mathen of the Christian Conference of Asia spoke about synodality in regional ecumenical networks. Mathen explained how synodality is lived in the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), which was founded in 1959. The CCA unites 98 member churches that work together on a national level in 17 ecumenical councils of churches representing a total of more than 45 million Christians, especially from the churches that emerged from the Reformation and the Oriental churches.

Territorially, the member churches are scattered over an area stretching from Iran in the west to Japan in the east, from Nepal in the north to New Zealand in the south. Ruth Mathen impressed the audience with her presentation, including video statements by young program participants and CCA staff about the synodality experienced and practically lived there, as well as a presentation of Asian-contextual Christian artwork and communal singing experienced in the CCA, which she performed live.

In her presentation, Prof. Bechealany presented the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) as a lived experience of togetherness and synodality. In it, she said, churches from four different branches called "families" are represented: Churches that emerged from the Reformation, Catholic Churches (including several Eastern Catholic Churches), Orthodox Churches, and Oriental Orthodox Churches. Of the churches represented in the Middle East region, only the Church of the East is not a member, she said. In addition to presenting the MECC as an institutional expression of lived synodality, Bechealany also presented three regional initiatives as lived experiences of synodality in the Middle East, including the 1996 Catholic-Orthodox Pastoral Agreement, the 2021 We Choose Abundant Life initiative, and the Maronite Church's Special Synod on the Role of Women in the Church, which began in 2020 and will continue through 2023.

Third conference: Great richness of Christian diversity

"The great richness of Christian diversity has become visible in Rome." - With these words PRO ORIENTE President Alfons M. Kloss summed up the conference "Listening to the East - Synodality in Oriental Orthodox Church Traditions" in his closing remarks. The conference was dedicated to the synodal experiences of the Oriental Orthodox Churches and took place on Nov. 25/26 in Rome. The Oriental Orthodox Churches is a communion of Churches, to which the Coptic Orthodox, the Armenian Apostolic, the Syriac Orthodox, the Malankara Orthodox, the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Eritrean Orthodox Churches belong. They have in common the recognition of the first three ecumenical councils (Nicea 325, Constantinople 381 and Ephesus 431).

Kloss expressed gratitude for the willingness of the bishops as well as the theologians and representatives of the youth, laity, women and monasticism of the sister churches to share their experiences with the Catholic Church. Two aspects became clear to him at this and also the two previous meetings, Kloss said: "We share the same faith and we currently share the same problems and challenges."

The opening lecture was given by Armenian Apostolic Archbishop Khajag Barsamian. In his remarks, he introduced the synodal foundations of all six Oriental Orthodox churches. The Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox and Indian Malankara Orthodox Churches are in full church communion, the bishop said, while maintaining complete autonomy (autocephaly). The leadership of the churches is in the hands of the respective synods, he said, and the heads of the churches - be they called "patriarch," "catholicos" or "pope" - represent the highest executive authority, especially in all administrative and disciplinary matters.

Barsamian recalled that representatives of the churches first met in Addis Ababa in 1965 after centuries of mutual isolation. At that historic meeting, the churches recognized each other as fully equal sibling churches in their own right. At the conference, decisions were also made with regard to the fields of work of education and theology as well as ecumenical cooperation.

The Oriental churches see the "church" less as an "institution from outside" than as an expression of a strong identification with the respective people. This was also the genuine expression of the early understanding of the church, the Armenian bishop said. An ecclesiology, as it was and is developed in the western church or theology, is actually foreign to the oriental churches. One could even go further and say that the Orthodox tradition knows no formal definition of church in the Western sense. "The Church is not understood as something that exists separately from God, humanity or the world," the bishop clarified.

Rather, he said, the Church is defined as an assembly of people called by God to live in unity with God and with one another. Therefore, this social nature of the Church could best be expressed in the image of the "body of Christ" or the "mystical body of Christ." All the baptized belonged equally to this body of Christ. Together they are the people of God and a liturgical community. All clergy, from deacons to patriarchs, are also part of this "household of God" and are not above the other faithful.

The bishop recalled the Pentecost event in Jerusalem and the Council of the Apostles a few years later, imbued with the Holy Spirit. This first Christian synod became the central model for the synodal structure of the Church. Barsamian: "The principle of synodality is the work of the Holy Spirit in the communion of the Body of Christ."

The experiences of the Coptic Orthodox Church were brought to the conference by Bishop Anba Kyrillos, and Fr. Daniel Seifemichael Feleke reported from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Other presentations were given by Bishop Theophilose Kuriakose of the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic theologian Ani Ghazaryan Drissi, Armenian Apostolic Bishop Armash Nalbandian, and theologian Fr. Prof. Baby Varghese of the Malankara Orthodox Syriac Church. Workshops on experiences of synodality with regard to youth, women, laity and monastic life rounded out the two-day program.

Koch praises the conference

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, had emphasized the outstanding importance of the conference in a greeting delivered to the participants. While the ecclesiology of (Byzantine) Orthodoxy is well known, the same cannot be said of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. This conference is the first of its kind on synodality in the Oriental Orthodox traditions, Koch stressed. And he acknowledged that relatively little is known in the Catholic Church about synodality in these churches, and even less about synodal interactions among the churches.

Synodality, he said, is nothing new; on the contrary, the experience of the Oriental churches shows that synodality has always been at the heart of the ecclesial life of those churches and has been preserved through difficult times. It could be argued, said Cardinal Koch, that it was precisely synodality that also contributed to the fact that these churches were able to exist.

Impressive strength of faith

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PRO ORIENTE Foundation, was impressed by the strength of faith of the Oriental Orthodox Christians in his greeting, which was read out by President Kloss. Since the earliest times, they had witnessed and spread the Christian faith; from Africa to the Caucasus, from the Mediterranean to distant parts of Asia. In the past and in the present, the faithful of these churches have lived their faith under sometimes adverse circumstances. At the same time, they are in full communion with one another. In this context, the six Oriental Orthodox churches also lived and practiced synodality in more diverse ways than is widely known, Schönborn said.

"Synodality challenges and demands creativity"

Msgr. Juan Usma-Gomez, deputy director of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies of the Angelicum and head of department at the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, also gave a positive summary at the conclusion of the meeting. "Synodality challenges", Usma-Gomez said in his closing remarks. On the one hand, loyalty to tradition is needed and, at the same time, a constant renewal of the church from within.

At the same time, he said, synodality cries out for creativity when it comes to the church's constant engagement with the needs and challenges of the times. And finally, realism and serenity are always needed, because synodality is an element of the pilgrim church on earth and not of the perfected church in heaven, said the Vatican employee and theologian.

The academic director of the conference was Prof. Dietmar Winkler, an expert on the Eastern Churches from Salzburg. In his summary to the PRO ORIENTE information service, he emphasized, among other things, that the participation of women and young people in church decision-making processes enriched the churches enormously. In order that the bishops or clergy do not only revolve around themselves, there is a need for appropriate participatory structures that enable the participation of the whole people of God. The synodal experiences of the Oriental Orthodox Churches have shown where this works well, but also where there is still room for improvement.

A team of theologians from Salzburg, together with Prof. Winkler – who is also chairman of the Salzburg PRO ORIENTE section – and the Lebanese theologian and former Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Prof. Souraya Bechealany, as well as the ecumenical pioneer and long-time member of various official dialogue commissions of the Holy See as well as of the World Council of Churches, Fr. Frans Bouwen, will compile a summary of the conference. The paper will also incorporate the key findings of another PRO ORIENTE meeting that highlighted the experiences of the churches of the Syriac traditions at the Angelicum on November 23-24. The synopsis with the most important impulses of the Oriental Churches for the synodal process in the Catholic Church will be handed over to the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity and from there to the General Secretariat of the Synod, as Prof. Winkler announced. After all, he said, that was precisely one of the central goals of the conferences.

Bishops and laity elect the Catholicos

Armenian Apostolic Bishop Armash Nalbandian explained the conciliar system of his church at the conference. Administrative, doctrinal, liturgical, and canonical norms are established through a conciliar, collective, and participatory decision-making process and implemented after the approval of the Catholicos as head of the church, said Nalbandian. Lay participation is probably most evident in the election of a new church leader. The highest church body, the National Church Assembly, is formed jointly by clergy and laity, the latter being in the majority by far, the bishop explained. The Assembly elects the Catholicos.

Indian Church Constitution

In his remarks, Prof. Fr. Baby Varghese explained some structures of the Malankara Orthodox Church in India. Thus, in addition to the Synod of Bishops, there is the institution of the "Malankara Syrian Christian Association" (MSCA). In this, each parish is represented by a priest and one or more lay people, who are in turn elected by the parish assemblies. The MSCA elects the bishops and also the head of the church, the Catholicos. In this process, candidates have to receive at least 50 percent of the votes of both clergy and laity to be considered elected, Varghese explained.

The MSCA also elects the Managing Committee, which performs churchwide functions, and also includes clergy and laity. Finally, the Catholicos is also assisted in financial matters by two trustees, one priest and one layman, Varghese mentioned.

Although the Synod of Bishops also has the sole authority by statute to decide on matters of faith and church, as a rule the Managing Committee is involved in the consultation process, Varghese said.

The Indian theologian acknowledged that until recently women had no official role in church administration. For more than ten years, however, this has been different, he said, and they are equal members of at least the individual committees at the parish level. Varghese expressed confidence that the church constitution could soon be amended to allow women access to mandates at the diocesan and all-church levels also.

In her presentation on experiences of synodality with regard to women in the Malankara Orthodox Church, Indian theologian Mercy John criticized that the church does not properly utilize the intellectual abilities and practical wisdom of women and sometimes sidelines them. "Although we are full members of the church, we are not allowed to participate in all aspects of its life and witness", John said. On the other hand, "we have an access or acceptance in this area that is concrete and firm", the theologian said. The Holy Trinity, she said, is a prime example of mutuality, reciprocity, and dynamic action, which is referred to by the theological term perichoresis. At the same time, she said, each member of the Body of Christ is essential to the smooth functioning of the Church. "We are all called to continue the ministry and mission of Christ on earth," John said. Therefore, the concept of perichoresis "can be a dynamic metaphor for our journey together", the theologian said.

Conciliarity in the Coptic Church

Coptic Orthodox Bishop Anba Kyrillos explained that the term "synodality" does not exist in that way in the Coptic Church. The determining ecclesiastical principles can best be summarized by the two concepts of conciliarity and liturgy. With regard to the principle of conciliarity, the Pope-Patriarch, as head of the church, does not have the sole authority to make decisions or decrees that affect the whole church without the approval of the Holy Synod. Each member of the Synod has an equal voice and expresses the "Holy Apostolic Tradition as a mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit", the bishop said. As with the Council of the Apostles in Jerusalem, the purpose of each council is to clarify, preserve and defend that tradition, he said.

In relation to the liturgy, synodality could be understood through harmony and interdependence. The harmony of the People of God depended on their union with Christ, not only sacramentally, but also through the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the faithful. Just as the bishop is the shepherd of the flock appointed by Christ, he is also a member of that flock. Moreover, a bishop or priest could not celebrate the Eucharistic liturgy without the presence of a deacon, since the Eucharist is communion. The faithful also participate to a significant degree in the selection and confirmation of bishops as well as the Pope-Patriarch, Anba Kyrillos added.