Pope Francis: Synods are not for 'deal-making'

VATICAN CITY -- Before a synod, bishops must learn what their people want and think and need, not so they can change church teaching, but so they can preach the Gospel more effectively, Pope Francis told the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Forty-seven bishops from Ukrainian dioceses in Ukraine and 10 other nations, including the United States, Canada and Australia, met the pope Sept. 2 during their synod in Rome.

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, told Pope Francis that "every bishop and representative of our local communities has made his journey to Rome carrying with him the sufferings and hopes of the people of God entrusted to our pastoral care."

The bishops, he said, want to be synodal -- walking together with their people -- "not only during our sessions but also when we return to our communities. Because, in fact, one cannot walk while seated!"

Speaking to the bishops, Pope Francis focused on Archbishop Shevchuk's remarks and on how the Eastern Catholic churches, like the Orthodox churches, have a longer and uninterrupted history of decisions flowing from bishops' synods.

"There is a danger," the pope said, which is "thinking today that making a synodal journey or having an attitude of 'synodality' means investigating opinions -- what does this one and that one think -- and then having a meeting to make an agreement. No! The synod is not a parliament!"

While synod members must discuss matters and offer their opinions, he said, the purpose is not "to come to an agreement like in politics: 'I'll give you this, you give me that.'"

Bishops must know what their lay faithful, priests and religious think, the pope said, but it's not a survey or a vote on what should change.

"If the Holy Spirit is not present, there is no synod," he said. "If the Holy Spirit is not present, there is no synodality. In fact, there is no church."

The vocation of the church is to evangelize, he said, and the Holy Spirit should help bishops gathered in a synod to do that better.

"Pray to the Holy Spirit," the pope told the bishops. "Argue among yourselves" like early church leaders did at Ephesus but listen to the Holy Spirit.

"We don't want to become a congregationalist church, but a synodal church," he said. "Keep moving forward on this path."