There has been one noteworthy development so far in the Synod on Synodality — and it’s not the resurfacing of “women’s ordination” and other hot-button issues that were presumably not on the agenda for this month’s assembly.
Instead, it was an intervention on Oct. 7 by a bishop from the People’s Republic of China: Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of the Diocese of Hangzhou. This is significant because it marks the first time a Chinese bishop has taken the floor to speak to his fellow synod delegates.
Yang, who participated in last year’s assembly as well but departed before the session’s conclusion, is one of two mainland China bishop delegates appointed to the synod by Pope Francis, having been the protagonist, last June, of the first “transfer” of dioceses under the Sino-Vatican agreement, according to a Catholic News Agency report/
Yang read a short speech in Chinese with a simultaneous translation. Synod sources told EWTN News that his remarks, which were not broadcast, focused on three main points: the history of Chinese Catholicism, China’s agreement with the Vatican on the appointment of bishops, and cultural exchange.
According to a source from the Vatican Secretariat of State, a Vatican delegation was in Beijing in the last week of September for talks on renewing the controversial agreement, possibly for three or four years this time.
Yang, who is expected to remain for the full assembly this year, spoke positively about the provisional agreement, saying it will deepen relations between the Holy See and his country. He also extended an invitation to synod participants to visit China, and he stressed the importance of “Sinicization,” the terms used to refer to efforts to ensure the Church in China has a distinctively Chinese character aligned with the goals of China’s communist government.
Meanwhile, Bishop Norbert Pu of Chiayi, Taiwan, told EWTN News that he is in dialogue with the Chinese bishops at the synod.
All this underscores how the Synod on Synodality can be a place to build bridges across different places and cultures. Will any of the “hot button” issues find their way into the synod’s final document? That remains to be seen. But it’s clear the debate rages on.
