AT A HISTORICAL SYNOD | KAIROS GLOBAL | DECEMBER 2023

Author: Mathew Thomas

Intro: At the recently concluded Synod on Synodality in Rome, Mathew Thomas, a lay participant and representative of the Church in the Middle East, took time off to share his synod experiences with Kairos Media. Originally from Kerala, India, Mathew, an active member of the Jesus Youth movement, works in the UAE. Excerpts of the interview. 

As a participant in the Synod on Synodality, which has become a milestone in the history of the Catholic Church, what are your thoughts?

Of course, I’m delighted to have been a participant in this synod since it began. I’ve been able to go through the synodal process right from the parish level having been the parish coordinator in Dubai. Later, I was made part of the vicariate team and got to participate in the continental synod. At that time I never imagined the chance to be a part of this Synod Assembly. And now that I am here, it truly is a great blessing. There is great hope to see bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople attending this synod together with the Pope. This synod will definitely being a new perspective to the Church, and a new awakening.

When we think about a synod, we usually picture bishops and priests. But in this synod, there has been – including yourself – the participation of the laity. What do you think about this participation of laypeople at this synod?

This certainly is a synod with a difference. For the first time, lay people have been represented in a synod of bishops. Though certain selected individuals have been invited to witness synods in the past, there has been no precedent for priests, monks, and lay men and women to be able to participate in the synod and vote on synod deliberations ever before. In that respect, yes, this is a milestone in the history of the Catholic Church. The Church is made up of everyone – priests, religious, bishops, laypeople – and so this synod is a new step, one that will aid in the growth of the Church.

Representatives of the Catholic Church from all over the world were present in the synod – representing the various rites and countries. You yourself represented the Church in the Middle East. Please tell us of your experiences being with them all. 

This scenario is not new to me, our parish in Dubai is an example. There are people from hundred different countries, and of all the various rites. It is a place of great unity and love among everyone. In short, the Church in the UAE is truly Catholic in nature. That is what I experience here too in the synod with representatives of different rites and countries, as well as those from other Christian denominations. 

I met a bishop of the Orthodox Church here, who expressed his happiness at being able to attend the synod. He said, ‘When the Catholic Church is weakened, other Christian churches are weakened too; when the Catholic Church gains strength, so do the other Christian churches.’ His assessment is absolutely right. Even within the Catholic Church, it’s very important for the various sui iuris churches to be together in love and unity. It is also the need of our times, especially when Christians in various parts of the world are being persecuted. Cooperating with each other in every possible area, it is imperative that we stand united. There needs to be love, unity and mutual sharing between the different rites of the Catholic Church. And this synod will surely be a cause for it.  

Are such synods relevant in the future? Will such a synodal process bring a new awakening to the Church in the times to come?

Absolutely. For the Church’s continuance and smooth journey forward, this synodality or journeying together is essential.  In the current scenario with our youth and children growing distant from the Church, to hold them all together, our shepherds and the faithful need to walk together. This momentous step that the Pope has taken will help in that regard. 

When we talk about synodality, there is a lot of misunderstanding: a general lack of discipline, that things may get too democratic, or that only the majority will count… But it is the contrary. Synodality is the state where, heeding the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Church – the shepherds and the faithful – moves forward in unity and togetherness. Here, the greatest example before us is the Holy Trinity: the unity, love, and obedience manifested there. God the Father sent his son, Jesus, who was obedient. This is what can be seen in synodality too. The misunderstood perception that people can say and do as they please does not work in synodality. The Church as a whole listens more attentively to the voice of God’s Spirit. That is what the Church needs, and I hope that will be how the Church moves forward.

The ongoing synod had its beginnings at various local levels initially. So does the synodal process have implications on an individual’s life?

It certainly has had a great impact on me. One of the specialties of the synod is to 'listen to others'. Usually, we have this desire to teach; the Church’s style so far has been by teaching. But this synod listens to others. We need patience to listen. There may be things in what others say that we agree to and disagree with. Sometimes they may be right, sometimes not. What’s important is to have a willingness to patiently listen. That is something we need to develop. Listening thus, many changes take place in the speaker as well as the listener. This becomes cause for healing. There may be misunderstandings, sometimes caused by shortcomings of the Church leadership or some hurtful behaviour from them. When a person who has been through such experiences speaks, a lot of anger will be apparent in his words. When all that pent up anger and sadness finally comes out, we can see the healing that comes to that person. The fact that there is someone who is patiently listening to him itself will be a reason for healing. And for the listener, hearing such intense experiences will cause him to reflect upon his own life and thereby bring change.

Will the synod trickle down to grass root levels? Is it possible for a person living in the most deplorable conditions in a parish to be able to benefit from it?

That is the end towards which we hope. Walking together does not mean only for the bishops and priests. On the contrary, each of us is a part of it. The most important outcome of the synod should be that, for each one of us, a problem faced by a fellow parishioner is my problem too, and that we find a solution for it. And that is what we hope for. In the synod’s logo we see all kinds of people – those in a wheelchair, laypeople, children, youth, priests and religious… We need that kind of walking together among us as well. It is because we now walk alone that we don’t understand another’s pain. When we walk together, this pain will become my own.

Where do you think this first step should start? From whom should this new beginning start from?

Certainly from our families. The father, mother and their children have to walk together. Unfortunately this is not seen in our families today and is the reason for the collapse and destruction of families. There needs to be a synodality in the family. Our families need to change into that which listens, understands and walks together. This is not something that should happen superficially, rather this synodality should take place in the circumstances and places we find ourselves in. When that happens, it will be a great wake-up call for the Church and the family. A new face of the Church – that is our hope. The voice of the Church was once the moral voice of the world. Today, it has dropped a bit. But the Church must still be able to become that moral voice, to love everyone and carry them together. This synod will surely make that possible. 

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