Written By Andres Duran
A two-day conference on the topic of “Synodality” was held on March 27-28th, 2024, by the HEI. On day one, His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston attended the event, which he opened with prayer. Father John Chryssavgis read a special message from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to participants of the conference. His Eminence Metropolitan Job of Pisidia delivered the keynote address. He spoke on synodality in an Orthodox Christian context. He underlined that synodality is expressed on a local, regional, and universal level. A bishop heads the local church, and a group of churches makes up the regional level. A synod involves all bishops of the region according to Apostolic Canon 34. One bishop presides over the region. Metropolitan Job beautifully pointed out that synodality is intimately connected to the very nature of the Church and ensures unity. After his keynote, there followed a discussion and reception.
Day two of the conference consisted of three sessions, which touched upon three areas of synodality: Global Community, Local Community, and the Role of Laity. The distinguished speakers brought commentary to the subject matter, touching on strengths, areas needing improvement, and challenges. Dr. Marcus Plested’s talk seems to have captured the Orthodox understanding of synodality. Therefore, in this reflection, I will focus on his presentation.
Dr. Plested addressed synodality and the role of the laity, not only discussing the mechanics of synodality but also its theological significance. He emphasized synodality as an expression of the unity of the Body of Christ. He noted that The Church is composed of clergy and laity. Bishops don’t speak on their behalf but on behalf of the whole Church. They alone are vested with teaching responsibility. Synodality is also to be understood as expressing the catholicity of the Church. The Eucharist can be celebrated with those within the Council. It is important to remember that bishops are the voice of the people, rather than only of the episcopate. They act as servants of the servants of God. Yet, lay involvement is not excluded. Lay people are especially involved through their reception of the councils. During the Holy and Great Council of Crete, visible lay participation was witnessed. There was, for instance, participation from lay professors. However, it is important to note that a particular emphasis that is given to the episcopate. To convene successfully, councils should not imitate any secular model. Dr. Plested concluded his remarks with a simple reminder, stating that, in the end, we should leave councils to the bishops!
The conference ended with a summary presented by Rev. Dr. Nicolas Kazarian. He drew together the points from all the speakers and sessions, highlighting the key ideas throughout the conference. Father Nicolas added that synodality is based on the culture of dialogue. Lastly, His Eminence Metropolitan Job offered some concluding remarks, reiterating that bishops do not participate as individuals. They participate in councils as members of their local church and in the name of their local church. Synodality implies listening to each other. A bishop is called to listen to the problems, expectations, and needs of the faithful. The people are also called to listen. This is because the Church does not function on a single person alone. Rather, the entire Body together carries the Church forward with Christ as its head.
About the author
Andres Duran holds an Associate Degree in Film, Television, & Electronic Media and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. Creativity has always been an area of interest to him. He is currently a seminarian in graduate school at Hellenic College Holy Cross pursuing an MDiv. Along with this, he participates in the Church’s ministries in various ways, such as currently being a Youth & Young Adult Director.