Thierry Bonaventura is in charge of communications for the Synod of Bishops 2021-2023.
This June, the publication of the Instrumentum laboris for the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place in Rome from October 4 to 29, 2023. A journey begun more than two years ago that has involved many people of the ecclesial reality in different stages, first local and then international.
A mobilization in which communication has played an essential role, since it has allowed the greatest possible number of people, the manifestation of the people of God, to be involved. In this interview with Omnes, Thierry Bonaventura, in charge of communications for the Synod, tells us first-hand what this long synodal journey initiated by Pope Francis has meant at the global level.
In a few months the work of the first session of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod, a journey that began in 2021, will begin. ¿What has it meant for you to manage this whole process communicatively?
-These words come to mind: the process has been a challenge, but above all a gift. I arrived at the General Secretariat of the Synod in August 2021, that is, two months before the official opening of the synodal process. Like most of the faithful, I hardly knew about the Synod or synodality. I had to face a new environment, both large and complex: the Vatican, with its sometimes complicated internal structures and procedures. I set out to make tangible and coherent the invitation of Pope Francis to promote a Church open to listening, close, like the Good Samaritan, to the sufferings of this world, to people who are distant or indifferent to Christ's message of salvation. In some way he had to contribute to give a new image to a Church structure that people perceive as a bit distant.
We assume that he had the support of his superiors?
-I am grateful to have had a general secretary behind some of my ideas, who has always supported me. That made all the difference. Since then, I have never stopped! There have been many meetings, challenges have increased, but also satisfactions, which have then influenced my communication work. Let me give you a concrete example.
The Pope had opened the synodal process on October 10 and had asked all the dioceses of the world to initiate the process, marking the beginning with a diocesan celebration. Given my lack of preparation, I had the intuition to spread a WhatsApp number through a newsletter I had just opened. I received hundreds of messages with photos, short testimonies, homilies or other materials, some of the highest quality, prepared directly by the dioceses. This gave rise to the idea of creating the portal synodresources.orgwhere to gather all this information.
There I realized that my way of communicating could only be participative, not participatory. for but together with colleagues from bishops' conferences, dioceses, parishes, associations, religious congregations...
How to deal with the perplexity of those who are struggling to understand the true meaning of the Synod?
-For a long time, the Synod of Bishops was perceived as a distant reality, the prerogative of the bishops, dealing with issues that were certainly very important, but which were not always experienced by the common people with the same urgency as that of the so-called "insiders". Often, the Synod was reduced to the working document, the celebration of the event and the awaiting of a final document from the Pope, known as a Post-Synodal Exhortation.
Pope Francis wanted to give back to the whole Church this important instrument of discernment. Already with the two special assemblies on the family he invited the faithful to participate by sending a form. In 2018, with the apostolic constitution Episcopalis Communioupdated the way in which the Synod is conducted: from being an event, it has become a process in which it is important to involve all the people of God who form the Church.
This broad participation of the People of God, of which the bishops are also an expression, is in reality nothing more than the natural development of the ecclesiology of the People of God of the Second Vatican Council, which was somewhat muted by an ecclesiology that understood communion in the Church primarily as hierarchical communion. But on the other hand, it should not be forgotten that the far-sighted St. Paul VI had already suggested an evolution of the structure at the very moment of its constitution.
There was no shortage of criticism and misunderstanding throughout the preparations. How did you manage all this?
-With respect, seriousness and charity. Pope Francis has asked that we listen to everyone and we have done so. We have listened to those who actively participate in the life of the Church, but also to those who have distanced themselves for various reasons. We have also listened to the silences of those who have not felt challenged and those who have not wanted to be involved in the synodal process. I believe that people today need an authentic Church, and as the secretariat of the Synod we have tried to be authentic by listening to the criticisms, misunderstandings and fears of individuals and groups.
All these opinions must be taken seriously. They are fundamental for the synodal process. I would be afraid if there were no debate or misunderstandings, because that would not show the face of a living Church. On a communicative level I have never closed a door to a colleague critical of the process, because I believe in dialogue. The important thing is that people who are skeptical or critical of the process really demonstrate a willingness to understand, to walk together. I am completely convinced that, regardless of my arguments or my convictions, the true protagonist of this process is the Holy Spirit. He will be the one who will allow a progressive conversion of the heart of my interlocutor.
For me, this should be the attitude of those who have the task of carrying out the communication of the Church from an institutional point of view: to be true and authentic, to do and give the best of oneself to help first of all fellow journalists to do their job better.
What is the air behind the scenes of a "machine" that has mobilized and will mobilize thousands of people, who represented in fact that true listening to the people of God desired by Pope Francis?
-A lot of enthusiasm, excitement, but also a little restlessness. I believe that in many of the people of the secretariat or of the commissions that work with us we perceive a great enthusiasm accompanied by a feeling of gratitude, because we are aware that we are living something special, historical, in the life of the Church.
Not only the reflection, but also the practice of synodality within the Church is becoming more and more important, as well as the understanding of this Synod, on this topic, so difficult to comprehend for those who do not master ecclesiology. It is clear that organizational questions now occupy much of our time, but that is not all.
In fact, we want to do our best to offer a good welcome to the participants, the many diocesan and parish groups, associations and religious congregations that are asking us how to be an active part of next October's meeting. In short, there is a great desire to put into practice synodality, to listen to one another, to work and to make decisions together for the good of the Church.
Do you see any risk?
-The risk would be to fail to make it understood that the Synod is not about a specific question, but about the Church as a synod and about the steps to be taken to better live communion and share the mission of proclaiming Christ and building the Kingdom of God through the participation of all. Judgment on the event should depend on this and not on the resolution of a specific question.
What are the most immediate steps towards the celebration of the Assembly?
-First and foremost, the publication of the Instrumentum LaborisThis means the delivery to the people of God of the document that will be used for the preparation and discussion of the participants in the Assembly. And then the publication of the list of participants, which will create links between the people of God and the bishops called to represent them.
