Is the Synod Becoming an Ecclesial Filibuster?

ROME—In the United States Senate, a practice known as the “filibuster” requires that two-thirds of the 100-person body agree to end debate before a given piece of legislation can be voted on. This practice comes to mind during the Synod’s General Assembly this month.

This synodal journey is not a legislative one—a point Pope Francis reiterates emphatically—so any comparison will fall short. But I do worry there are troubling parallels.

The first half of the Synod on Synodality—its local, national, regional, and continental stages from late 2021 to early 2023—was full of momentum. Though not universal, many areas of the church responded with enthusiasm to Pope Francis’ invitation to walk together. This enthusiasm was sustained as spiritual conversations were held, reports were written, more conversations were held, more responses were written, and so on.

That period felt similar to the early stages of producing legislation: energy builds around an issue, stakeholders come together with their ideas, frameworks are developed, and some drafters begin drawing up a text. In both circumstances, there is sustained participation and often hope, even where sometimes sharp disagreement remains. But things move forward.

Now, in the Synod on Synodality’s second half, the ecclesial momentum appears to have stalled—or, in legislative terms, devolving into a filibuster. Last October’s General Assembly ended in disappointment. For the faithful who hoped their voices would be heard in Rome’s halls, leading to actions that expand participation, inclusion, and justice in the church, there was very little in the final report. Halfway through this year’s General Assembly, the trajectory appears similarly troubled.

The legislative parallel is when lawmaking hits a dead end, negotiations peter out, and a chorus of “thoughts and prayers” is instead offered when the problem legislators tried to address instead just persists. Sometimes, this dead end is truly because the gulf between differing views is too wide. But, U.S. history reveals that other times, a minority wields the filibuster to kill progress—like Southern senators’ days-long filibuster to stop civil rights legislation. And today, it is common for many senators to abandon legislation before it is even crafted or debated because “the votes aren’t there.”

The filibusters’ champions claim this practice ensures vigorous, even exhaustive debate. Its critics believe it to be an archaic rule that prevents nearly any meaningful action on pressing current matters, and I count myself in this latter camp. So, why does the Synod make me think of the filibuster?

First, some proponents of the filibuster and some perspectives on synodality are really talking about consensus decision-making by another name, where an issue is talked about until everyone feels comfortable, though not necessarily agrees—as long as that takes. The problem is that neither the U.S. Senate or the Roman Catholic Church are governed by the egalitarianism vital to consensus processes. I am not arguing they should be—papal primacy has its merits, as does representative democracy. But if a synodal church is one in which everything is discussed until everyone agrees, that is not a Catholic church and, more practically, it would not be a workable one. At some point, decisions need to made and actions taken.

Second, a corollary concern with both the filibuster and the Synod is that minority voices become over-emphasized and can stop progress. In 2023, despite a powerful desire by Catholics worldwide to better include LGBTQ+ people in the church, a small bloc of African and Eastern European delegates suppressed the issue entirely in the General Assembly’s final report. In 2024, it seems this could happen again, and possibly rupture the present assembly. Though some delegates reportedly make interventions about gender and sexuality, but at least formally, we are being told over and over again by church officials the interventions are not what the Synod is about.

Third, the real danger of the filibuster—and my concern for the church—is that  people become disengaged. U.S. politics have devolved so sharply, in part, because people lost trust that legislators can actually make changes and improve people’s lives. Could a similar dynamic emerge in the church?

The filibuster does have one advantage to the Synod assembly. It is public. If I want to watch Senator Ted Cruz read Green Eggs and Ham during his 2013 filibuster, I can dig up the video and enjoy. But the Synod assembly remains closed off, open to the press and the people of God only at scripted moments. The daily press conferences reveal very little about the substance of what is actually going on in the synod hall.

Such a limited view makes it hard to figure out if the Synod assembly is really making advances or rather becoming an ecclesial filibuster. A number of the other journalists here have complained that press conference speakers offer very few details of what is happening in the synod hall. If more substantial information were provided, perhaps my view would be more optimistic.  When information is not forthcoming, it only feeds the notion that nothing is actually happening.  More transparency would be a big help to assess if the synod assembly is making any progress.

If indeed the assembly is becoming a filibuster, that imperils the entire project of a synodal church. While participants at the Synod assembly may find this experience wonderful, spiritually-nourishing, and hopeful, as many indicate in press briefings and private conversations, outside so many Catholics are looking at the end of four years’ work and asking whether it was worth it. If this October is perceived to end in a flop, merited or not, there may sadly be far fewer Catholics on the synodal journey by November.

Live from Rome! A Mid-Synod Conversation: Join New Ways Ministry next Monday, October 14, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern U.S. Time for a virtual conversation at the Synod assembly’s halfway point to learn about and reflect on what is happening at 2024 Synod assembly this month—and to discern where we go from here. Associate Director Robert Shine, who will be in Rome all month, will be joined by Brian Flanagan, New Ways Ministry’s Senior Fellow and an expert on synodality. For more information or to register, click here.

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, October 10, 2024