Synodal discernment makes us think about the future. When we refer to synodality as a journey, we imply that the Spirit is leading us somewhere.
For LGBTQ+ people (and other populations) who experience exclusion in our Church, thinking about the future causes us anxiety. Due to marginalization and our hopes for inclusion, we are often frustrated when the current state of affairs in the Church does not reflect the ideal vision we hope for. This is why we often ask ourselves, “Why stay?” In fact, when I offer workshops on Catholic LGBTQ+ inclusion, I am often asked that question.
In response, I suggest that we find a way of envisioning the future while also remaining grounded in the practical present. Here, I introduce Erin McKenna, who offers some useful tools in her book, The Task of Utopia.
McKenna proposes three types of utopias. End-state utopia points to a perfect version of the future toward which we are all moving; anarchist utopia believes that human liberation can only happen if we dismantle oppressive structures; and process utopia is not so much a destination but rather a set of relational and communal habits we live out in daily life. While McKenna prefers the process model (since end-state and anarchist can become overly rigid or destructive, respectively), I argue that a synodal Church needs elements of all three.
First, the end-state utopia relates to theological hope. We pray “Thy Kingdom come” because we believe history gradually moves toward the flourishing of all creation. This future vision reminds us that our current world is not how God intends it to be.
Queer theory can help here. In his book Cruising Utopia, José Esteban Muñoz famously described queerness as futurity. Queerness is not just an identity but also a project that refuses to accept that this world is all there is—it insists that another world is possible. More importantly, our bodies (and our desires) point to that world. In Catholic terms, the future is “incarnated” in our bodies.
Second, journeying toward this ideal future requires some dismantling of existing unjust structures that prevent us from reaching it. McKenna’s anarchist utopia helps with that.
Queer thought—including queer theology—can help us here as well. As I have written before, queerness can destabilize certain forms of knowledge that support oppressive norms. In a synodal Church, queerness challenges Catholic institutions toward humility by helping them acknowledge that they do not possess all the answers. Dismantling this false sense of certainty also dismantles stubborn Catholic attitudes that refuse to live up to God’s Kingdom.
Eradicating clericalism, patriarchy, hetero/cisnormativity, racism, and other abuses of authority in a synodal Church requires some elements of anarchy and queerness. Crucially, I argue that we would not want to completely eradicate all traditions and structures—just the ones that hinder human flourishing for all.
Third, both end-state and anarchist utopias may take lifetimes to enact. So instead of exclusively focusing on the future, we must balance our visioning with a pragmatic approach. The question becomes: What is the best Church and world we can build right now?
Here, McKenna’s process utopia comes in. Rather than spiritually and mentally despairing about our present because it will likely not resemble the ideal future in our lifetime, we have the option of cultivating a just relational culture that we can implement today. By doing so, we would be asking “what is the next step?” rather than “what is the last step?”
A prime example of process utopia is seen in the work of Synod Study Group 9, which proposed a way for the Church to grapple with controversial issues. Instead of applying “universal” doctrines to “resolve” contemporary questions, the study group proposed a synodal vision of dialogue and communal discernment. This means we need to listen to and allow ourselves to be transformed by the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit through the sensus fidelium.
Communal discernment promotes right relationship with one another as we brave the uncertainty of the world. To make this a reality, we need to create the necessary ecclesial structures that would foster such relationships, as informed by our local contexts. This process utopia would help local churches take the next step along the synodal journey without expecting perfection (end-state) or total dismantling (anarchy).
Personally, this process utopia allows LGBTQ+ people, for example, to rejoice in the small instances of inclusion in local settings, while still acknowledging that more work needs to be done in the universal Church. While we do need to keep the future visions in mind so we don’t become complacent, this acknowledgement of “more needs to be done” does not prevent us from finding joy and rest in our local experiences of Church.
In sum, as we journey along the synodal way, we need end-state utopia to keep our eyes fixed on the ideal Kingdom of God, anarchist utopia to remind us that sometimes we have to dismantle structures, and process utopia to teach us that the Kingdom is already taking shape whenever God’s people listen, discern, and walk together.
Synodality is not only about imagining the Kingdom of God, but also about taking the next realistic step toward it.
Ish Ruiz is the assistant professor of Latinx & queer decolonial theology at Pacific School of Religion.