Beazley is also Vicar for Maori in the Auckland Diocese.

"As Maori, synodality is nothing new to us. In a sense it's part of our DNA as Maori people" Beazely (pictured) says. Both synodality and hui emphasise collective decision-making and inclusivity.

Maori come together to hui and to wananga, to gather and to reflect on the big issues facing the community Beazlet explains. "Through the combined wisdom of the community we come out the other end of it with something new to take us forward."

Beazely says he finds the similarity between the synodal and hui approaches "quite reassuring".

It's something that we are already familiar with here in Aotearoa and the Pacific, and among the many indigenous people through the Pacific who practise synodality in some shape or form, he says.

Coming together, sharing wisdom and then moving forward together will mean we will be a Church that journeys together, Beazely observes.

"If we are to say that we are a Church for all then we should be a Church for all. A Church where everyone is welcomed, a Church where everyone can belong and be accepted.

"For me that would be the ultimate sign of the Church that we are a place where all people can find a home."

Community collaboration shapes the Church of the future, he says.

When in Rome

This month's synod in Rome is the second time Beazley will represent Aotearoa New Zealand during the Synod on Synodality process.

Getting there with a sense of everyone's views has been hard work. He's read the Instrumentum Laboris. And spoken to countless people.

He's sought to maximise everyone's participation "so that we can journey together on this road towards synodality through listening and dialogue and also forming a co-responsible church" he says.

When Beazely was at the Synod last year, a key outcome was contacting like-minded ministers and joining them as if they were another family. He said they continue to keep in touch using modern media.

Since then, Beazely says he has thrown himself deeply into parishes and communities, spreading the word about synodality and helping parishes and communities form their synodal structures.

"I think that's key to how we are to go forward, the more we can speak about synodality as not being something new but reaching back into the great treasure of our Catholic history and bringing all of that into the future.

"It's really just about sitting down, talking with people, sharing ...their hopes, their aspirations for the church and also their frustrations at some of the things that they see happening in their local church" he says.

"And just hearing the depth and the breadth of all of that Catholic experience - that's what I hope to take to the synod ... to be able to share with the global church all of those things that affect people from outside the world."

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These involve listening combined with an understanding that the Church is not some form of majority democracy.

Martin offered the comments during the first of two online Zoom meetings on Tuesday evening.

The online meetings are part of the feedback from New Zealand's representatives.

Martin is also highlighting the role of prayer in the Synod's proceedings.

During the Zoom meeting he said that prayer made a tangible difference during the sessions. Three three to four minutes of prayer after every four or five interventions or speeches was significant at all levels, he said.

"Stopping and praying or trying to recollect yourself is a powerful way of drawing the Spirit into the conversation.

"Prayer also took a lot of the politics out of it," he added.

Synodality a work in progress

Admitting that the Church seems to be in a synodal phase where Synodality seems to mean whatever we want it to mean, Martin says he is looking forward to the second phase in October this year.

He disclosed that it is not yet clear how the second session will operate, indicating a form of constructionist learning at work.

"We are learning; it's evolving and ongoing. We'll get some right and some wrong.

"That's what trusting the Spirit is at work means" he said.

Martin clarified for the Zoom meeting that being half way through a two-stage process it is impossible to implement big changes..

A realist, he observed that the Synod happened in October - they arrived back in November; during December and January, the country is focused on celebrating Christmas and summer holidays.

Kiwi informality

One of the other ‘takeaways' that struck Martin is that the New Zealand Church is much more casual and informal.

"While there are exceptions hierarchically-wise, we are not in the same place as some of our sisters and brothers in other countries" he commented.

He admitted that while there is a lot more work to be done to empower all the baptised, each with their own place, he also thought the New Zealand Church had made considerable efforts over a long time in this area.

Speaking as Archbishop of Wellington he said "I want to see these developments grow.

"Ultimately, it's going to depend on each one of us to listen to each other more and see how we can join it together."

Divergent discussion

Martin observed the Synod conversations were not always ‘plain sailing'.

One area where there was significant divergence was the Church's relationship with LGBTQ+ people.

He said the significant issues around the LGBTQ+ community caused quite a bit of conversation, which was publicly reflected in the clear difference between the draft and the final Synodal document.

Acknowledging the divergence of LGBTQ+ views between the sisters and brothers of different parts of the world, he added that the discussion was processed respectfully.

He says he is looking forward to meeting up again with the same people to continue the range of conversations.

Relational focus

Mr Manuel Beazley, the Vicar for Maori in the Diocese of Auckland, also attended the Synod.

For Beazley, the experience seemed more personal and relational than structural for the Church in New Zealand.

While he said he could not talk for the whole diocese of Auckland, he is involved in a couple of areas to progress the work of the Synod.

Commenting that perhaps Maori are more synodal in terms of his own work and area of responsibility, Beazley says he found the process helpful.

For him, one of the key outcomes of the Synod was contacting other like-minded ministers and joining them as if they were another family. He said they continue to keep in touch using modern media.

A highlight for him was that if Pope Francis were in the gathering and not otherwise engaged, people were permitted to approach him. He was pleased to have spoken with Francis several times.

New Zealand's other representative, Fr Dennis Nacorda, apologised for being unable to attend the meeting. Nacorda is the Parish Priest in the Wairarapa.

The second of two Synod feedback Zoom meetings was held last evening.

While Synodality will not happen overnight, indeed there is a part two of the Synod in October 2024, CathNews spoke with some ‘synod watching' Catholics about tasking the Church with this responsibility.

"It's a huge responsibility for the New Zealand delegates; they're going to need a good process," said Julian, one of those questioned.

"Francis' request goes far beyond merely changing the words of the Mass. It's about transforming an ingrained culture."

While the popular view of Synodality is interpreted as 'power to the people' or akin to a political party changing its policy on a matter, the details of what Synodality means remain unclear.

The methods for implementing these changes are arguably more critical and unclear.

Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, Lithuania says that changing our personal habits and routines is one thing, but trying to change an entire diocese is Herculean.

"With yourself, you can do it. When you try to bring a whole diocese or a whole nation or a whole continent with you, it takes a lot more work," said the archbishop, who is also president of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences.

Synodality vs closed doors

Julian says that while he understands the need for closed doors at the Synod, closed doors actually create a synodal problem.

"Closed doors make it difficult for those on the outside to understand what actually happened on the Synod floor, how it operates and what we need to emulate and how we go about it" he said.

"The paradox is striking. Synodality, a process designed to encourage involvement, often excludes people.

"I admire Pope Francis, but sometimes his Jesuit background dominates a little too much.

"For synodality to work, someone needs to translate 'Jesuitical' into plain English."

Mr Manuel Bazley - Auckland diocese Vicar for Maori, Fr Dennis Nacorda - Parish Priest of Levin, Archdiocese of Wellington, Archbishop Paul Martin - Archbishop of Wellington

Pressure on New Zealand delegates

The responsibility for implementing these changes weighs heavily on the shoulders of New Zealand's synod delegates.

These synod delegates are now tasked with modelling a synodal response in a New Zealand context.

Through no fault of their own, New Zealand's synod delegates are two clerics from the Archdiocese and one Maori layman.

They were selected offshore from a group of New Zealand men and women.

Some argue their responsibility to model a synodal response doesn't start with a synodal look since all three delegates are male.

Archbishop Paul Martin and Fr James Martin SJ in their Synod group.

Listening a key change

"I support the idea of change", said Abbey, another of those spoken to by CathNews.

"I'm right behind our making a change, but perhaps if he, the person who selected New Zealand's delegates, listened to New Zealand culture, I think there might have been room for a woman in the mix."

She pointed out that listening is a key challenge.

"It's our Church and our faith but the priests make it feel like theirs.

"Our bishop has been unresponsive to discussions about reconfiguring our parish and, as a result, our people are voting with their wallets."

"I'm hanging in, but it's very easy to feel disenfranchised" she said.

Laity infallible

Abbey said that to her, Pope Francis' comment to the Synod hit home.

"One of the characteristics of this faithful people is its infallibility — yes, it is infallible in 'credendo' - in belief, as the Second Vatican Council taught.

"I explain it this way: When you want to know 'what' Holy Mother Church believes, go to the magisterium because it is in charge of teaching it to you, but when you want to know 'how' the Church believes, go to the faithful people."

However Mary, another questioned by CathNews, has some concerns.

"It sounds good, but it's blimmin' scary; handing everything over to the community is a cool idea in theory" she told CathNews.

"We've had 'devolution' of social responsibility in NZ since the late 80s, and the results are sad because nobody really knows what to do or feels like giving up their time to do it."

A Parish perspective

Fr Joe Grayland, a Parish Priest in the Diocese of Palmerston North says some parishes have tried synodal processes and encountered limitations.

Grayland, currently lecturing at the University of Tübingen, says people and some clergy resist change.

He told CathNews that Synodality has an added complexity when multiple nationalities have different expressions of faith.

"The New Zealand Catholic Church is not just one culture, one expression of faith" he said.

Highlighting the role of the parish priest, Grayland says that parish leadership and the role of the parish priest probably needs clarification.

He suggests there may be cause for priests to be retrained in a synodal leadership style.

"Change is difficult when it is not effectively led.

"There is an implicit challenge in synodality that the Church has ordained men into a hierarchical model with different ideas about leadership."

Manuel Bazley and Pope Francis greet each other.

Reality bites

When asked about her involvement in parish synodality, Trish, a very involved parishioner, replied, "Good grief."

"I'm fairly involved in the life of the parish, but they met for a month and nothing seems to have happened!

"Is the Church creating a professional synodal class of Catholics?

"I go to church, I pray, I'm involved in my community, I give my adult family a break and look after my grandchildren. It's all part of the mission of the Church.

"I'm a full-time Catholic as it is."

Synodality is possible

Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner who runs a synodal diocese in Manaus, Brazil believes in the power of community-led change.

"Synodality is beneficial because it allows the communities to guide us in being a Church rather than a bishop dictating terms" he told CNS.

Archbishop Faustino Armendáriz of Durango, Mexico has seen synodality work and acknowledges there are difficulties. But he remains optimistic.

"Achieving synodality is not easy, especially when people come from diverse backgrounds and hold different ideas.

"However, I've seen firsthand that consensus can be reached. It's challenging, but it is possible."

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