The Church in Poland remains profoundly unprepared for the challenges that bring the synodal process. The Episcopal Conference changed all delegates this year to a convention in Rome, which created apparent difficulties. We besides endure from the artificial smoothing of reality, which creaks and squeaks at all turn.
On Tuesday 27 October a press conference of Polish delegates for the synod was held at the church of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Rome. They took part in it: card. Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop Józef Górzyński, Bishop Sławomir Oder, Bishop Jacek Grzybowski and prof. Aleksander Banka. Card was besides an crucial Pole on the synod. Konrad Krajewski, but cancelled his participation in the meeting. Among the 3 bishops listed – Górzyński, Oder and Grzybowski – were from the formal delegates of the Polish Episcopal Conference. Cardinal Rysia was personally appointed by the Pope as a synod, and Prof. Banek was a secular delegate of Europe.
Before I compose a fewer words about the conference itself, I will draw attention to the first, absolutely fundamental problem. Regardless of the intention or competence of Polish delegates for the synod, this year there was a complete exchange of compositions. In 2023, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski and Archbishop Adrian Galbas were delegates of the KEP in the Roman Synod. For little transparent reasons, the Polish Episcopal Conference decided to exchange the full delegation, for which no another country in the planet has decided. The effect was obvious. At this year's synod session, most delegates already knew each another and had their paths crossed. Poles – no; they had to work out everything from the beginning. This was accompanied in general by a tiny interest in Polish church media and wider Catholic organizations. In the Hall of Stampa, where press conferences were held, I kept proceeding German. Many activists came to the synod from Germany, who held round-the-clock meetings with convention participants. Representatives of Germany, Austria and Switzerland were eager to attend various theological meetings as speakers and listeners. Unfortunately, on the Polish side, no specified effort was made.
At the press conference, the cardinal, bishops and prof. first presented their overall assessment of synod works. Everyone spoke about the good course of the trial and demonstrated the fundamental satisfaction of the direction in which synodity is going. It's rather surprising., due to the fact that erstwhile we look at the results of the vote on the final document, we will see that in very many points the negative rating had more than 10% of voters, and in 1 – as much as 20 percent. This is due to the simple fact: the synod debated very delicate issues specified as the function of bishops, the competence of episcopal conferences, the appointment of synod continental bodies, the anticipation of a different – depending on the "local context" – presentation of religion and morality, the function of secular, and especially women in the Church, including in liturgy. However, representatives of Poland presented the thing so, as if there were no peculiar controversy or insignificant.
Meanwhile, controversy exists – and this occurred indirectly even during the press conference. I asked her participants about a plan to change the liturgy that took the synod. Archbishop Józef Górzyński, who deals with liturgical issues at the Polish Episcopal Conference, replied by pointing to the anticipation of developing various services in the Church, which should now be thoroughly thought out from the theological side and could be incorporated into the practice. He pointed out that there were no major liturgical changes. Meanwhile, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś – how could you read in another information on PCh24.pl – He made a extremist thesisAccording to the fact that there has not yet been a liturgical improvement in the Church, specified a improvement must be carried out in order to express the actual “spirit” of the changes which were to be implemented after Vaticanum II. This shows the fundamental contradiction of the optics of both clergymen.
I besides asked the participants of the conference about the issue of the doctrinal atomization of the Church, that is to say, perpetuating the situation in which in 1 country – for example – Holy Communion is given to divorcees and blessing LGBT couples, and in the another 1 it is not done. The synodical document, without specifying precisely what it is, even writes about the Church's "different paces", can be said "different speeds", so that, depending on the "cultural context", various things happen at different times. Cardinal Ryś stated that in his opinion this could only apply to polygamy in Africa. As we know, on this continent bishops have with polygamy an authentic pastoral problem and must go any peculiar own pastoral way, due to the fact that these difficulties are unknown elsewhere. Problem is, The church of “various speeds” already exists, for example in relation to the above points. Whether synodality will lead to strengthening intra-ecclesiastical divisions, no of the bishops would say. Bishop Jacek Grzybowski pointed out the experience of a large diversity of cultures in the Catholic Church, which is very upbuilding; it is true, but the very fact of experience of specified diversity does not tell us anything about the problem of disappearing unity, even in Europe itself.
Meanwhile, synodity will come to our country soon. The final paper of the synod speaks about the establishment of various types of synodic bodies at all possible stages of church life, from parish to diocese to episcopal. The text suggests many another detailed changes that I have written about, even in this TEXT. In the meantime, The Church in Poland remains profoundly unprepared to face the challengeThe “synodic pressure” of the Vatican will carry with it soon, most likely getting stronger. All the more so, as we know, the synodal process is to continue; specialist committees are working today, which will make a concrete and formal framework for reforms. If we proceed to show specified a deficiency of interest in this issue in Poland, change delegates, satisfy ourselves with mostly sounding slogans about community and synodic joy – then we will be in a situation not of the subject, but of the subject, being forced to implement changes that will be alien to us and yet only destructive.
Paweł Chmielewski
