Self-appointing Synodal elite demands equal representation....by themselves

Equitable preparation for the Synodal Assembly in Rome- demands from the Catholic Equality Alliance 

We expect the inclusion of different voices for the preparation of the next stage and the Swiss representation - in the sense of equality. In our opinion, such preparation includes the following steps:

Gathering feedback on the Instrumentum Laboris: As with the Working Document for the Continental Phase, it makes sense to invite Catholic organisations, associations and experts to send in their assessment of the Instrumentum Laboris. Due to the tight deadlines set by the Vatican, it was not possible for some organisations to respond to the Working Document at the end of 2022. This time there is an opportunity to announce the process in advance in order to achieve greater participation.

Jointly drafting and discussing the summary of feedback: This step is also based on the process of the continental stage. The feedback from the organisations will again be used to produce a summary that will serve as a compass for the Swiss representation at the Assembly in autumn.

In order to ensure continuity in the process, we propose the following persons for the preparation of the summary: all delegates to the Synodal Assembly in Prague, members of the Pastoral Commission of the Swiss Bishops' Conference and Diocesan persons responsible for the synodal process.

There are two realistic scenarios for the representation of Switzerland in Rome, which allow for different forms of Synodality:

Scenario "only the President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (SBK) participates": in order for the Swiss representation in Rome to be optimally prepared and to credibly represent the broad concerns of the Catholic Church in Switzerland, a preparatory group is suitable, which together with Bishop Felix works out a strategy and the Swiss requests to speak in advance. Based on the good experience in Prague, we suggest the delegates in Prague and at least one representative from the online delegation for the preparatory group. Ideally, Bishop Felix will travel to Rome with the preparatory group.

Scenario "President of the SBK and another person from Switzerland participate": Even if another Swiss person will participate in the synodal assembly in Rome, the Rome delegation prepares at a minimum with the preparation group from the previous point.

Gender-equitable delegation: Should another participant take part in the synod from Switzerland, it is mandatory that this person be a woman. The Catholic Equality Alliance proposes the following persons to be proposed by the SBK to the Council of European Bishops' Conferences:

Helena Jeppesen: She has been supporting Synodal processes for years and is very well networked in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Her experience as a delegate in Prague will be important for the Assembly in Rome.

Renata Asal-Steger: As President of the Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland (RKZ), she can bring her wealth of experience and knowledge about the dual system in Switzerland to the Synodal Assembly. The Swiss system is an important perspective for the global synodal process.

Tatjana Disteli: In her function as General Secretary of the Aargau Regional Church, she too knows the challenges and advantages of the dual system. She also has the experience and contacts from the Synodal Assembly in Prague.

These preparatory steps were proposed by the Catholic Equality Alliance in a letter to the SBK and the RKZ today.

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