Maria Teresa Morgan
The concluding vision of Dante’s Purgatorio draws a magnificent pageant of the Church, a mystagogy of her mystery. Canto XXIX abounds with ecclesial allegories, allusions and images: Seven Candelabra that reflect Seven Rainbows in the heavens, Twenty Four Elders embodying the Books of the Old Testament, Four Beasts depicting the Tetramorph of the Four Gospels that in turn guard the Chariot, which is the Church, led by the Griffon, Christ.¹ To the right of the Chariot three maidens representing the Theological Virtues lead the dance, to the left, four nymphs portray the Four Cardinal Virtues, followed by the Two Elders representing Luke and Paul and Four Elders standing for James, Peter, John and Jude and lastly, an Elder, John, indicating the Book of Revelation.² Apostolicity, Holiness, Catholicity (shown in diversity) all walk as One, with Christ, in Dante’s great image of the Church. As the procession halts before Dante, the reader, like the Poet, is drawn to enter into the vision and to linger in an ecclesiological contemplation, praying in and with Mother Church for in the words of Cyprian of Carthage “of her womb we are born, of her milk we are fed, of her Spirit our souls draw their life breath.”³
Like any work of art, much of Canto XXIX of Purgatorio (besides it being a feast for the imagination!) is open to manifold and ever-new interpretations on the part of the reader. For me, in the present historical moment of the Church and in light of the Synod on Synodality, the perspective of Dante’s magnificent depiction leads to a meditation on elements found therein and in the Synthesis of the Synod on Synodality; for in both there are aspects signaling the marks of the Church professed in the Nicene Creed: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, marks that have particular importance today for in the midst of the confusion arising from criticism of the Synod and of Francis, they stand as the measure of an authentic ecclesiology.⁴ In this reflection I propose to offer a brief outline of these marks as they appear in the Synthesis of the Synod on Synodality.⁵
But first I must point out for the sake of correlation and in light of our present circumstances that Dante’s aforementioned triumphant vision of the Church develops into one of struggle. In Canto XXXII, the pageant returns to heaven and the Chariot – the Church- lies broken, “in need of being repaired” as Francis reminds us the Church often does.⁶ An apt conclusion on the part of Dante, for any student of Church History knows that the reality of the militant Church throughout the centuries takes place amidst conflict, brokenness and struggle as She (the Church) waits in hope for the fullness of Christ’s coming. Today we experience that the promise of renewal arising from the synodal process is increasingly being attacked with surprising acrimony, leading some of us to lament with Dante: “And from the sky, as if a heart let slip/all of its grief in one sound, a voice cried:/ ‘Oh what a load you bear, my little ship.” ⁷
The counterpoints of triumph and defeat, of hope and dismay and most importantly, the presence of a struggle that purifies, presented in Dante’s vision, led me to read the Synthesis of the Synod on Synodality through the lens of the lessons learned from the Poet: to find beauty in the Church, to discover hope and clarity in the midst of the struggle and to discern in the document, as I did in Canto XXIX, the marks of the Church. Francis called for a Synod not to change doctrine or morals (a Synod cannot change either and Francis has changed neither) but to invite us to a new way of being in the Church: walking together with Christ, praying, engaging in respectful listening and dialogue. While it is beyond the scope of this reflection to offer a detailed study on each of these marks, I would like to engage the reader with different sections that embody some of their aspects.
I begin with the most obvious for it is the one specifically mentioned in the Synthesis: The Oneness of the Church. One cannot but be struck by the succinct exactitude of Cyprian’s words, quoted in Lumen Gentium 4 and included in the Synthesis: “the Church is ‘a people brought together by virtue of the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’”⁸ Cyprian’s words locate the Oneness of the Church in the very mystery of the Trinity. These are words that not only inspire but also give us a sure footing in the midst of the cacophonous and drab ecclesiological controversies and reprovals that fracture the unity of the Church and drive her into an increased polarization.
I follow with the sign of Catholicity. If we understand Catholicity as universality, as the gathering of the diverse People of God with their manifold gifts and charisms into the One Church, then this mark is the most prevalent throughout the Synthesis. The Introduction points to “The experience of Churches of every people and culture” weaving throughout the “diversity of charisms, vocations and ministries.”⁹ The section points, once again, to the “contemplation of the Trinity” as the source of its Catholicity” affirming that the gathering of the People of God with the multiplicity of gifts “unfolds” this mystery “by articulating unity and variety in the Church.”¹⁰ Two entire sections are given to inclusion and diversity in unity, one is found in: “A Church out of every tongue, tribe, people and nation”¹¹ the other refers to Women in the Life and Mission of the Church.¹² Throughout the Synthesis, the numerous mentions of diversity and inclusion attest to the Catholicity of the Church.
Proceeding then to the mark of Holiness, the Introduction to the Synthesis reaffirms the universal call to holiness found in Lumen Gentium, chapter 5 by stating: “the People of God are called to Holiness.”¹³ In my reading of the document, there are two ways in which the Holiness of the Church is considered. One is the approximately 80 mentions of the life-giving Spirit, the One that initiates and brings to completion the work of our sanctification in us, the Spirit who distributes the variety of gifts found in the Church, the One who inspires and carries out the ever present need for renewal. The other consists of a Christocentric praxis indicated repeatedly in the sections on the work of formation¹⁴ summarized in the statement: “The Holy People of God is not only the object but is first and foremost the co responsible subject of formation.” The Synthesis emphasizes the Trinitarian aspect of this formation in holiness by stating that Christian initiation begins a journey into “Trinitarian and ecclesial communion.”¹⁵ Paramount in this process of formation is the centrality of Christ, for Christ is the way of formation in holiness: “the way in which Jesus formed the disciples constitutes the model we need to follow.”¹⁶ The document exhorts us to follow a way of authentic discipleship, “Placing Jesus at the center of our lives” a task that requires “self emptying” presenting listening as a kenotic “ascetical exercise” in the journey towards holiness.¹⁷ The document contextualizes the path of holiness within “the daily experience of God’s Holy People”¹⁸ and emphasizes discipleship and imitation of Christ as the way to holiness, exhorting us to “nurture… the mind of Jesus” as Paul did to the Philippians (2:5).¹⁹
The mark of Apostolicity encompasses “the entire journey” of the Synod, a journey that is “rooted the Tradition of the Church.²⁰ The word “mission” is the second most numerous in the document, appearing 111 times.²¹ Once again, the missionary identity of the Church is located in the very mystery of the Trinity who “gathers... sends and involves” the People of God in the very dynamism of the Immanent Trinity.²² The subtitle of the Synod: A Synodal Church in Mission indicates its apostolic character, as well as the theme of the Synod: “For a Synodal Church. Communion, Participation, Mission.” As a first step, the Synthesis seeks to allay the fear that through the Synod, the teaching of the Church will lose the Apostolic faith stressing that synodality is an “expression … of the living Tradition.”²³ It reiterates that questions will be approached “in the light of the word of God and Church teaching”²⁴ The section on All Disciples, All Missionaries, deals extensively with the theme of mission (being sent) stating that “Church is Mission.” The Synthesis proposes an integration of the missionary dimension of the Church within our digital age.²⁵ Apostolicity is also considered, of course, in the sections of the bishops and the bishop of Rome.²⁶
Conclusion
In this reflection my intent has been to point out how the synodal Church exemplifies the four marks of the Church: unity, catholicity, holiness and apostolicity.²⁷ Throughout the document, each one of these marks was presented as proceeding from the Trinitarian nature of the Church. As the Synthesis reminds us in manifold ways, the Church while rooted in Christ, the Word of God and Tradition manifests these marks within a historical context, among different cultures and languages, in the midst of struggle and contradiction. And to my great delight, among the varied loci of the Church’s manifestation, poetry has a place.²⁸
Dr. Maria Teresa Morgan
Assistant Professor of Theology at St John Vianney College Seminary where she also coordinates the Humanities Program. Her interests lie in Theological Aesthetics and Carmelite Spirituality. She has been a presenter at national conventions and her writings have been published in the annual volume of the College Theology Society. She is a member of the Editorial Board and a resident columnist of El Ignaciano.