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On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the Boisi Center hosted James Martin, S.J. for a lecture entitled 鈥淲hat Happened at the Synod?鈥� Martin was a delegate at the 2021-2024 Synod of Bishops, and his lecture shared about the purpose, technique, impact, and future of the Synod process. Overall, Martin led a well-attended, informative conversation that gave the audience important insight into the discernment processes of the Catholic Church.

Martin began his lecture by discussing the history and aims of the Synod. Led by Pope Francis, the Synod intends to gather diverse voices in the Church and listen to the Holy Spirit in each individual. Martin explained how the process relies heavily on the Jesuit idea of discernment. He then discussed how the delegates were chosen, noting that dioceses selected the majority of bishops and lay people to attend. Pope Francis also selected 70 delegates; Martin was one of his selectees. Ultimately, the Synod included 350 delegates, 75% of whom were bishops. This Synod was revolutionary insofar as it included lay people and women for the first time, with over 50 women attending and having full voting rights. It was also revolutionary for the scale of its collaboration. The Synod produced a working document that represents the largest consultative gathering in history, meaning that the number of people consulted worldwide for the creation of the document represents the greatest of any writing in history.

After providing an overview of the Synod (complete with many illustrative photos from the event), Martin spent most of the evening engaging with commonly asked questions and questions from audience members. He shared how the delegates communicated at the Synod, explaining that they received a different topic to discuss each week and worked in small groups that were organized alphabetically, while also ensuring at least one woman was present in each group. He also shared that Pope Francis was available to converse with the delegates throughout the entirety of the Synod. Martin expressed his excitement for the diverse conversations that would shape the future of the Church, marveling at the fact that the Synod allowed a 22 year-old college student from St. Joe鈥檚 to engage in discourse with a Cardinal from the other side of the world.听

During the Q&A, one audience member asked how we as a church can move forward after the Synod. Martin responded by asking for prayers for the Church and urging everyone to become ambassadors of the Synod and to dispel the many falsehoods about the event. When asked about the lasting effects of the Synod, Martin answered, noting that, 鈥渁ffective collegiality precedes effective collegiality.鈥� In other words, the delegates were able to know one another and become friends, which lays a crucial foundation to deliberate on challenging conversations in the future. At the next meeting in October, Martin believes the discourse will be able to progress, as the delegates are now familiar with one another and have fostered meaningful relationships.听

Martin closed the lecture by offering three words that encapsulated his experience: exciting, exhausting, and intense. Following these three words that concluded the event, Martin stayed to sign copies of his recently published book, Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus鈥檚 Greatest Miracle and to converse with students, professors, and community members.听