All over Scotland
the Synod was speaking

All 8 dioceses in Scotland have now published their reports on the Synodal process, which involved meetings and conversations all over the country about the future of the Church.

BY IAN DUNN

It was clearly a herculean task to pull together these thousands of conversations into coherent reports. There are so many perspectives and so much worth hearing that discerning key themes offers a great challenge. It also shows the great variety of the Church in Scotland and the brief reports below offer a sense of the issues raised in each diocese. However, there were three key themes that do seem very nearly universal.

Firstly the role of women in the Church, that they were not appreciated enough, valued enough or offered the chance to lead. Secondly the lack of young Catholics was a sorrow felt everywhere.

Finally there is a hunger for a better and deeper understanding of the Faith, for all Catholics so they then might communicate it out to the world. The Bishops’ conference will now draw all these reports into a single one that will be Scotland’s contribution to the global synod.

Archdiocese of Glasgow
The Archdiocese of Glasgow’s synod report calls for ‘discussing the possibilities of further married clergy’ and more participation for women in the Church.

“The principles which the process of synodality particularly promote and encourage are those of co-responsibility, inclusion and open-mindedness,” the document states.

Suggestions for how the Church could be more active include: emphasising inclusivity; more interaction with other religions and denominations; more opportunities for lay contributions; and addressing the decline in church attendance and the rising average age of priests.

Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh
The report on the synodal process in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh suggests that there is a cultural divide between older Catholics who are more liberal and younger Catholics who are more conservative. The report also suggested that ‘those who expressed disagreement or reservations about some of the Church's teachings very often were not engaging with the Church’s actual teaching,’ instead engaging with ‘negative stereotypes or even caricatures of the Church’s teaching.’

Diocese of Aberdeen
A key theme here was the difficulty of living Christianity in a secular culture. “It is a common experience for Catholics - old and young, clergy and laity - to meet with hostility in schools, workplaces, and elsewhere, or to be ridiculed for practising their Faith,” the report states.

In addition increased emphasis on safeguarding following clergy abuse scandals was ‘a move in the right direction, but more must be done to support those who have been abused and to purge this grave evil from the Church’.

Diocese of Motherwell
The Diocese of Motherwell’s synod report calls for a Church where ‘everyone has an equal place irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, or age.’

The report’s conclusion states that ‘a certain unity of mind and vision for the Church’ was evident from the responses.

“It is of a welcoming and inclusive Church where everyone has an equal place irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, or age,” it states. The report goes on to say the vision expressed in the synodal process in Motherwell is of a Church where ‘clericalism will gradually wither as authority and decision-making are seen to belong to the whole People of God’.

Diocese of Galloway
The report says that ‘overwhelmingly, the opportunity to participate in the Synod was seen as positive’. It says there was a great hunger for Churches to be a place where all are ‘safe to speak out without fear of judgement, which they felt would enable them to speak out more confidently and courageously’. It also noted that many in the ‘older generation felt that they have been conditioned to be silent. partly due to having been raised not to speak out and partly due to cultural sectarianism which has created a “keep your head down’ mentality among Catholics’.

Diocese of Dunkeld
One strong theme here was ‘a distinct concern about the lack of young people and families attending Church services’. Parents spoke of real sadness that their children no longer go to Mass and have walked away from the Church. The report states that some were of the opinion that the Church’s attitude to gender equality, and to gay people were examples of how out-of-step it is with the attitudes of young people’.

Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
Argyll and the Isles noted the 'strong bond' of kinship in island communities that goes beyond Faith. Participants praised the community and prayer of those of varying Faiths as a 'powerful sign of walking together.

The language of the synod and the meaning of the word was seen as inaccessible to some participants.

Diocese of Paisley
The Paisley synodal report referenced that child care would enable the parents of young children to participate in religious activities; the re-establishment of UCM for young mothers was suggested, as well as youth clubs.

Lowering the number of Scottish dioceses was suggested as a solution going forward, another was the creation of salaried parish roles.

One submission called on the Church to 'listen to what people actually want' instead of telling people 'what we must do'.

(The full synodal reports can be read on the website of each diocese.)

“The Scottish Catholic” – 22 July 2022