Three hypotheses of the events in Rome

Gary MacEoin in Rome writes of the positive atmosphere prevailing at the Synod, and sheds light on the hypotheses which have been put forward so far.
OVERWHELMING approval of the impact of' the second Vatican Council on the life of the Church characterised the reports from bishops' conferences round the world.
A synthesis of these reports by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop of Brussels, was the highlight of the Synod's opening , session. The same positive tone was evident in most of the interventions made by the Synod Fathers. Indeed, the need was frequently expressed to move further and faster in implementing the Council, in order to make the Church relevant to the concerns of young people.
Euphoric mood
Such an euphoric atmosphere contrasts sharply with the anticipations of the world press, both Catholic and secular. Ever since Pope John Paul II called this Extraordinary Synod, it has been generally assumed the Pope would use the Synod to downgrade further the Council — a process in which he has been seen engaged in since his election seven years ago. The publication of a book urging a "restoration" by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Head of the Congregation of the Faith, was seen as a confirmation of this purpose.
Given this change of tone and atmosphere, the 600 journalists and the hundreds of other observers present at the Synod are asking the recognised Vaticanologists here whether the Pope's project has misfired, or, alternatively, whether it had been misread from the outset.
Three hypotheses have been advanced. Some claim that John Paul II always wanted to promote the further implementation of the Council in the direction it had taken under his predecessors. This is definitely a minority-held view. It is difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile it with a long line of papal actions in the past seven years, from banning girls as Mass servers to slowing, almost to a halt, the laicisation requests by priests.
A second hypothesis would explain Pope John Paul's decision to hold a Synod as a public relations gesture, taking advantage of an anniversary to arrange a get-together that — like his visits to all parts of the world -would serve to stress the unity of the faithful under papal leadership.
Restoration
The third hypothesis is that the purpose of the Synod was in fact what Ratzinger proposed in his book to "restore" the Church to its pre-conciliar condition and style.
In his opening talk to the Synod, the Pope did nothing to clarify what were and are his real intentions. He had, however, some days earlier, distanced himself from the views expressed by Cardinal Ratzinger in his book. He had stressed that the Cardinal's outlook represents his personal opinions, rather than those of the Congregation he heads. That statement, nevertheless, was not in any sense a repudiation of Ratzinger's stand.
No conclusions
Assuming the correctness of either the second or the third hypothesis, the response of the bishops as expressed in the reports synthesised by Cardinal Danneels would seem to suggest that things are not working out the way the Pope had hoped. It would be however premature to conclude that the message that will ultimately emerge as the concensus of the Synod Fathers will be as positive as the signals provided at the opening sessions.
One of the problems of the Synod is that it lacks a clear structure and the ability to reach definite conclusions. limeets for only a short time (on this occasion for just two weeks). The interventions of the individual Fathers constitute a series of monologues without an opportunity for challenge or exchange, and the statement is left to the curial officials.
Instead of a clear affirmation of the desire expressed in the preparatory documents for a continuation of the implementation of the Council along the line established from the time it ended, we may end up with a general expression of approval of Pope John Paul II's leadership. The effect would be to reinsert the Curia between the Pope and the bishops, a backward step for collegiality and also for ecumenism.
Even if this pessimistic evaluation proves accurate, one must recognise that many of the advances achieved by the. Council and by the Church in the 20 years since it ended arc irreversible.
Under a spotlight
Today, as never before, the Church is under the spotlight of world opinion. One measure of this is the extraordinary assembly of journalists in Rome this week, more than even in the tensest days of Vatican II. Nor is that presence simply out of curiosity.
There is an awareness, as never before, that what the Catholic Church decides has meaning for all nations and races. We have a dialogue that can only continue and expand for the benefit of the world and the Church.