FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION, MISSION

Snippet from the Final Document: Part III - Ecclesial Discernment for Mission Transparency, Accountability and Evaluation

102. It seems necessary to ensure, at the very least, the establishment everywhere of the following in forms appropriate to different contexts:

a) effective functioning of finance councils;

b) effective involvement of the People of God, in particular of the more competent members, in pastoral and financial planning;

c) preparation and publication (appropriate to the local context and in an accessible form) of an annual financial report, insofar as possible externally audited, demonstrating the transparency of how the temporal goods and financial resources of the Church and its institutions are being managed;

d) the preparation and publication of an annual report on the carrying out of the local Church’s mission, including also safeguarding initiatives (the protection of minors and vulnerable adults), and progress made in promoting the laity’s access to positions of authority and to decision-making processes, specifying the proportion of men and women;

e) periodic evaluations of all the ministries and roles within the Church. We need to realise that this is not a bureaucratic task for its own sake. It is rather a communication effort that proves to be a powerful educational tool for bringing about a change in culture. It also enables us to give greater visibility to many valuable initiatives of the Church and its institutions, which too often remain hidden.