The biggest test for the Plenary Council, now less than six months from its first meeting, is to reconnect with the Catholic community. The elongated nature of the lead up and growing apathy have made that difficult, yet it remains essential. It may be asking too much to expect a church-wide buzz of excitement but there should at least be evidence of some increased momentum. There is a danger that the October event may become an isolated and introverted affair.
There has already been extensive community consultation, resulting in 17,500 submissions and the involvement of several hundred thousand Catholics, but that seems long gone now, and unless the community interest is freshly nourished it will wither. There are several possible sources of revitalisation, including the official Plenary Council apparatus, the institutional structures of the church in dioceses, religious institutes and parishes, and the wider Catholic community itself. Successful reinvigoration of the whole process must involve collaboration between the hierarchical church and lay Catholics.
The 280 members of the Plenary Council have been decided and their official training sessions take place in June-July. Only the experts and observers remain to be named. The working document, Continuing the Journey, which in time will become the agenda, has been issued. The PC Facilitation Team continues to distribute reading material and reflections for consumption, but the talents of the PC members outside an inner circle are being neglected. They are being trained to participate in an event rather than asked for their own views about the shape and dynamics of that event. They have not, for example, been asked for their opinion about anything, including obvious matters such as the working document or the structure of the agenda. An opportunity has been lost by those at the top to energise these PC members and to make them co-responsible for the success of the whole venture.
The selected members, once known as delegates, were given the impression fifteen months ago that they should prepare themselves to be an active bridge to the wider Catholic community on PC matters. But the basic communication links have not been put in place to enable that to happen. Some members have become more widely known through diocesan commissioning ceremonies but even these have been far from universal. Despite persistent requests the PC Facilitation Team has failed to take the obvious step of issuing the email addresses and other contact details of PC members.
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