Bishops to Review Landmark Changes : Pope Convenes Synod on Vatican II Reforms

In a colorful ceremony designed to recall the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II on Sunday convened a world assembly of Roman Catholic bishops to reassess the modernizing trends that the council set in motion 23 years ago.

At the Pope’s request, a procession of more than 300 cardinals, bishops and priests--all garbed in white and golden robes and white miters--streamed through St. Peter’s Square to attend a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The rite was reminiscent of the 1962 opening ceremonies of Vatican II, presided over by Pope John XXIII.

John Paul officially inaugurated the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, which will be in session until Dec. 8, during a brief sermon given before a throng of 10,000 delegates, dignitaries and faithful who jammed the flood-lit basilica.

“It is a very significant fact that . . . we begin the synod at this eucharistic celebration with the same openness to what the Holy Spirit may say, the same love for the church, the same gratitude to divine Providence which filled the council fathers 20 years ago,” the pontiff said.

During the homily, however, he did not mention any specific issues facing the church. The extraordinary synod is a consultative meeting and cannot directly set policy for the world’s 800 million Catholics.

No Agenda Details

Details of the synod agenda were not made public Sunday, nor was it known whether a formal document would be issued at its conclusion.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro said that the Pope’s opening remarks to the bishops were general because he “did not want to push them in any way.”

When he announced the synod last January, John Paul said it would have three purposes: to revive the “extraordinary atmosphere of ecclesial (church) communion which characterized” Vatican II; to exchange information on the implementation of the council in various countries, and to “promote the further study and constant incorporation of Vatican II into the life of the church, in light of new exigencies as well.”

This last phrase about new conditions has given rise to widespread speculation that the synod might drastically roll back what church liberals view as a spirit of freedom and openness that has characterized much of post-Vatican II Catholicism.

But the pontiff appeared to lay to rest the persistent rumors that the synod would be the vehicle for reversing fundamental Vatican II teachings.

Spiritual Climate

During the next two weeks, John Paul said, synod participants “will set out together with the (Second Vatican) Council in order to relive the spiritual climate of that great ecclesial event . . . and to promote, in the light of the fundamental documents that were then issued and in the light of the experience which has matured in the course of the subsequent 20 years, the full blossoming of the seeds of new life sown by the Holy Spirit in that worldwide assembly.”

Msgr. Corrado Balducci, a Vatican official of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Faith, acknowledged, however, that while “the council gave the church a burst of optimism and a modern image,” it also “created confusion and gave rise to certain exaggerations. So the synod will take another look at those reforms and, if needed, suggest to the Pope a fine tuneup.”

After a general report today, the 220 delegates and official observers will break into small groups for a week of discussions before returning to plenary sessions.

In addition, many of the 102 presidents of national bishops’ conferences have submitted commentaries on the progress of Vatican II reforms.

“Ordinary” synods, which involve about 200 bishops from around the world, have been held in 1967, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980 and 1983. They have dealt with such subjects as social justice, evangelization, marriage and family life, and reconciliation and penance. The next will be in 1987 and will consider the role of laity in the church.

The only previous “extraordinary” synod, held in 1969, considered questions pertaining to “collegiality,” the way the Pope and the bishops share responsibility and authority for worldwide church governance.

The current extraordinary synod is crucial not only because it will give further consideration to collegiality, but also because it is the first official Vatican forum for the world’s bishops to discuss their perceptions of--and make recommendations about--the changes wrought by Vatican II.