Asian Church leaders have concluded their continental-level preparations for making the Church more participatory by discussing key questions that have not been sufficiently discussed during lower-level gatherings.
The continental-level gathering that ended on February 26 in Bangkok was the highest preparation level ahead of the Synod of Bishops, more commonly called the Synod on Synodality, which is scheduled to conclude at the Vatican in 2024. “Synodality is a gift, and discernment is the heart of synodality,” Xavierian Sister Nathalie Becquart, under-secretary to the General Secretariat of the Synod, said in a February 25 press statement.
More than 80 delegates from across Asia gathered for the continental-level preparations. They included representatives from 17 national conferences of bishops and two synods of bishops, representing 29 countries, covered by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
The delegates split into groups and discussed the five most urgent priorities for the continent of Asia, which urgently need to be brought to the first session of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican in October, said a press statement.
Press statement
The press statement did not specify the topics which the delegates discussed. However, they deliberated on key questions that have not been “sufficiently discussed” in lower-level gatherings — parish, diocesan and national— and on “gaps” in the draft paper. They also discussed any Asian realities, experiences, or concerns that can be included or improved upon, the press statement said.
The delegates used a three-step method of giving their opinions, ideas, and suggestions on the draft document. The Synod of Bishops at the Vatican will finalise ways of making the Church more participatory, an initiative led by Pope Francis. The Vatican event will have two sessions and is set to conclude next year.
Great parallel
Cardinal Joseph Coutts, former archbishop of Karachi in Pakistan, during the Mass on February 25, asked participants to see the “great parallel” between the synodal journey and the Lenten journey of the Church. Both synodal and Lenten journeys “include a communitarian as well as personal dimension”, Coutts said.
The path of God
The Synod, like the Lenten journey “is a call to walk the path of God, to listen to his voice, and to recognise the God of love and tenderness, mercy and compassion”, he explained. Coutts said Francis, who initiated the worldwide Synod, is “a prophet of our times”. “The synodal path we are called to take is an invitation not to reject or exclude anybody, but to take everyone along. We also need the humility to know that Jesus himself is leading us,” Coutts said.
Article originally published by UCA News.
