Last month, the newest bishops from across the globe convened in Rome to discuss what it means to be a Catholic bishop.
Three U.S. bishops who attended the week’s talks told CNA that synodality emerged as a significant theme despite the presentations covering a wide variety of themes.
The COVID-19 epidemic forced the Vatican to postpone its yearly development program, sometimes known as “baby bishop school,” for two years, making the 2022 iteration the biggest ever with over 330 participating bishops split over two sessions.
People tend to think of infant bishop school as being more practical and teaching them “how to be a bishop.” At the conclusion of the seminar, Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, informed CNA that it was not at all like that.
“It’s sort of conveying it to the bishops that are coming on board,” he added, “whatever the Church is talking about at that moment.” As new bishops, “the thoughts centered on the synodal process, which has been… a characteristic of debate over the previous few years.”
Bishops consecrated in 2019 and 2020 predominated the seminar’s first session, while those who entered the ranks in 2021 and the first half of 2022 predominated the second session.
Over the course of the two weeks, 39 U.S. bishops and auxiliary bishops participated.
The most recent American bishop to join was Pohlmeier. Just two days after turning 51 and seven weeks before travelling in Rome for the course from Sept. 12 to 19, he was anointed a bishop on July 22.
As a new bishop, there are many things you do not know, but that is where one’s brother bishops come in, according to Pohlmeier, who was speaking to CNA in Rome on September 19.
He said, referring to the bishop of the diocese where they had been priests, “Every bishop knows other bishops. And they’re generally useful, I mean to a person.
In order to foster camaraderie and provide a support system, Bishop Gregory Gordon, the first auxiliary bishop of Las Vegas, Nevada, told CNA on September 19 that the U.S. bishops’ conference also arranges gatherings for bishops who belong to the same ordination year, or “class.”
Pohlmeier, Gordon, and Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, said that although synodality was this year’s official seminar subject, the unofficial focus of the week was synodality.
What they discussed
Tylka, who attended the seminar from September 1 to 8, told CNA over the phone from his diocese, “We’re in the middle of the synod.” Therefore, he said, the seminar concentrated on issues like: “What does it mean to be a synodal Church? What does it have to do with the bishop’s ministry?
The conference also heavily emphasized consideration for one’s neighbor and the environment, two topics central to Pope Francis’ papacy, according to Tylka.
The talks this week also touched on the sexual abuse epidemic and child safety.
That’s one of those things that, in my opinion, we will remember and vow not to overlook, Gordon added.
Pohlmeier noticed that several lectures dealt specifically with synodality and what that entails. Those that were more applicable, like canon law for bishops, “would always contain some remark on the synodal method,” in contrast.
The St. Augustine bishop remarked, “Depending on who you talk to, you’re going to get various articulations of what it means, but generally speaking, my sense is that it is more of a listening posture.
Bishop Gordon said that during their encounter with him on the last day of formation, Pope Francis himself served as an example of this attentiveness.
He said that the pope spent the most of the roughly two-hour meeting responding to the bishops’ inquiries. “So, the pope remarked, you completed the course. You’ve already heard a lot… I’d want to hear from you right now.
The Holy Father’s remarks to us when he responded to our own questions, you know, challenging us to practice that episcopal closeness, were Gordon’s main takeaway from the week.
Throughout the week, there was also time set aside for group prayer, Mass, adoration, and confession.
“A huge part of synodality is the desire and openness to make space for individuals to tell their stories, to share their own encounters with Christ, to share their own experiences of how life is going,” according to Bishop Tylka of Peoria.
Therefore, he continued, “I believe the bishop’s responsibility is definitely to exemplify that openness and that desire to participate in discussion.”
What to dress—or not wear
But as Pohlmeier demonstrated with a funny scenario from the week’s conclusion, there is also a lighter side to being a rookie bishop.
We received directions on what to dress to see the pope since here we are, fresh new, Pohlmeier remarked.
He described the two primary variations of the cassock, a full-length gown used by bishops in the Latin Church. It was advised that the new bishops meet the pope. They should dress in a purple fascia, a purple zucchetto, and a black cassock with crimson trim. In addition, a purple cassock with scarlet accent is available for special liturgical occasions.
Observing the bishops getting ready for Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and the subsequent meeting with Pope Francis, according to Pohlmeier, was amusing.
Many of them were assisting one another in figuring out how to put on the intricate clothing, including the towering headgear, known as a mitre, that bishops wear to signify their position.
In reference to a clerical supply business near to St. Peter’s Square, Pohlmeier remarked, “Guys are physically opening up bags that haven’t been opened with miters from right there, from Euroclero.”
He grinned, “You could see everyone who purchased one this morning because they all matched. There were multiple folks who were physically opening it up, removing it from the packaging, and attempting to put it on straight and connect everything properly while unsure of where certain clips should go.
Pohlmeier said, “Those types of things are humorous, but no one simply tells you, OK, purchase this gear, here’s what you need.