“At a minimum, synodality must never further divide her faithful at a time of internal confusion and grave external pressures,” he noted.
In his reflections, the American prelate also reminded the delegates that all their work must focus on “fidelity to Jesus Christ, to the Church, and to the Holy Father — in that order of priority.”
“Fidelity to Jesus Christ implies obedience to his witness and Word. Fidelity to the Church implies heartfelt support for her teaching. Fidelity to the Holy Father implies speaking the truth in love to each other and to him (Eph 4:11–16) in all of your synodal discussions,” wrote Chaput, who participated in three synods on previous occasions.
“For the Christian,” he said, “there can be no genuine love ungrounded in the truth of God’s word as recorded in the New Testament and preserved by the Church through time.”
After noting that every synod has “internal pressures toward sometimes unhelpful and predetermined ends,” Chaput told the delegates: “It’s the task of the delegate to remember that the Church belongs to Jesus Christ; she is his Church first” and that the faithful are children of the Church, “not her architects.”
Referring to the theme of the gathering in Rome, “For a synodal church: communion, participation, and mission,” the archbishop emeritus explained that “‘communion’ is not a matter of shared opinion but shared faithfulness to truth received.”
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