This time, Pope Francis has taken a forward-looking approach centered on the World Synod he inaugurated in October. A series of meetings that will take place at the local, national and continental levels before culminating in an assembly in Rome in October 2023, the synod will potentially touch on all aspects of the church, including its governance and teaching.

Addressing the Vatican cardinals and bishops gathered in the Hall of Blessings, the Pope said the synod will require church leaders to humbly listen to the whole church. He said it would mean overcoming “clericalism,” or excessive deference to the hierarchy, which he said was endemic in the Vatican.

“The clericalism which, like a perverse temptation, spreads daily among us, makes us think of a God who speaks only to some, while others should only listen and obey”, he declared.

Pope Francis has often spoken of “synodality,” or greater participation in decision-making by all members of the Church, as a key objective of his pontificate. He also encouraged church leaders to hold meetings with lay Catholics nationally.

A German synod opened last year in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis and is expected to end in 2023. The series of meetings has sparked controversy around the world with proposals to rethink teaching and church practice on a range of issues, including sexual morality, priestly celibacy, the division of power between clergy and laity, and the ordination of women.

In some Christmas speeches, Pope Francis took a highly censored approach, denouncing what he called spiritual Alzheimer’s disease and a cancer of conspiracy and pride in the Vatican.

There were some this year, including a warning against “a spiritual worldliness which, unlike all other temptations, is difficult to unmask, because it is masked by everything that usually reassures us: our role, the liturgy, doctrine, religious devotion. “Among the three books the Pope gave officials as Christmas gifts, there was one on gossip, a practice he often denounced.

But the pope also issued a more positive note, encouraging officials to exemplify the spirit of cooperation that he said would be essential for the synod.

“If the Church follows the path of synodality, we must be the first to convert to another style of work, cooperation and communion. All this is only possible by following the path of humility ”, declared the Pope.

Write to Francis X. Rocca at [email protected]