Synod Briefing – Day 5: Embracing pain of people suffering from war

By Tiziana Campisi and Giampaolo Mattei

Monday morning’s Synod sessions, with 351 participants, “were preceded by prayer and a moment of sincere participation in the suffering of the peoples of the Middle East due to war, on a dramatically symbolic day, the October 7”.

Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, announced this during a press briefing for journalists. He also noted that Pope Francis had sent a letter to Catholics in the Middle East “on this sad day.”

Additionally, Dr. Ruffini shared that Cardinal Grech reminded Synod participants that Monday was “a day of prayer and fasting,” at the Pope’s request, following Sunday evening’s Rosary for Peace at the Holy Basilica. -Marie Major.

Dr. Ruffini reported that Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal chaplain, announced a fundraising campaign beginning in the afternoon. It will specifically provide support to the only Catholic parish in Gaza and its pastor, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, “whom the Pope calls every day to express his closeness to those who suffer.”

Nine of the 21 new cardinals announced Sunday by the pope will participate in this initiative. They are: Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, Ladislav Nemet, Jaime Spengler, Ignace Bessi Dogbo, Dominique Mathieu, Roberto Repole and Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe.

The work of the Synodal Assembly

The fourth General Congregation is scheduled for Tuesday, announced Sheila Pires, secretary of the Information Commission.

“The assembly plans to elect the members of the drafting committee of the Final Document, in accordance with article 13 of the internal regulations. The reports from the linguistic tables will then be presented,” she said.

Following the model already adopted in the first week, Synod members will vote on the agenda for discussions, and the day will continue with open discussions.

Ms. Pires indicated that the first two pastoral theology forums are planned for Wednesday afternoon on the themes: “The people of God, subject of the mission” and “The role and authority of the bishop in a synodal Church” .

The synodal trip to Asia

The Church must build bridges and be a bridge itself. This means paying attention to diverse cultures and religions, cultivating dialogue and synodality.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, expressed this assertion. He is a member of the ordinary council of the Synod Secretariat, the Council of Cardinals and the working group that Pope Francis created early in his pontificate to help govern the Church.

During Monday’s briefing, the Cardinal stressed that progress in synodality requires interculturality. He added that since the Second Vatican Council, acceptance and respect for others have been widely established concepts.

Cardinal Gracias used the example of the synodal trip to Asia, where an assembly in 2022 addressed topics currently being discussed at the Synod, highlighting the need to renew pastoral practices.

Two key points were working and walking together. The Cardinal explained that it is essential to build the Kingdom of God in countries with diverse local cultures – but without proselytizing – differences must be valued. A synodal approach is necessary to avoid imposing notions or concepts.

Promote fraternity

In Asia, the meetings continued until 2023, when two hundred bishops met to discuss respect for religions, secular movements and the baptismal consecration of each individual.

Cardinal Gracias insisted that collaboration is crucial for relations with other faiths, saying the Church “can no longer call them other religions, but neighboring religions.”

Asian bishops have also recognized the importance of the digital world and see the Synod as a continuation of their work. “I am sure that things will improve,” the Cardinal continued, “and that there will be more fraternity and love for the Church.”

A family

During the briefing, Mgr Gintaras Grušas, President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences and Archbishop of Vilnius, highlighted how the day of prayer and fasting for world peace was highlighted during the synodal assembly Monday morning.

He explained that solidarity with those suffering the effects of war – such as in the Middle East and Ukraine – promotes the experience that “we are all one family praying for peace and unity.”

The Archbishop stressed the need to strengthen ties between Churches, saying: “dialogue is our mission.”

Increasingly attentive listening

Mutual listening is a skill that grows at the Synod, observed Sister Mary Teresa Barron, President of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG).

She believes the ability to listen to one another has also improved, allowing for greater discernment of others’ beliefs. Listening brings people closer to those who are excluded and marginalized.

For its part, the UISG, as a synodal initiative, created an office dedicated to synodality, with an intercultural group focused on prioritizing listening and relationships to build better ones. The objective is above all to help those who find themselves in the peripheries, Sister Barron clarified, focusing particularly on how to continue the synodal path in Syria, Lebanon, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia.

She was asked what place women can have in the Church today and she replied: “There are many possibilities and opportunities for leadership, but they must be explored and evaluated. »

She said the practice differs because in some countries there may be women leaders in the Church and in others not, but the emphasis is not on ordained ministry. And if it is true that there are women who feel called to the priesthood, this area touches on broader themes such as the call of the Holy Spirit to ministries, which is not the theme of this Synod .

However, Cardinal Gracias emphasized that women are the center of attention in the Church, reporting that during the last three cardinal councils, the role of women in the Church was discussed from a theological point of view and pastoral.

Concerning ministries, charisms and vocations, Bishop Grušas emphasized that the roles of lay people and families can be expressed differently depending on places and that, therefore, the roles of men and women must be appropriately valued.

Questions were then raised about the study group regarding the appointment of bishops, and Cardinal Gracias clarified that there are two groups focused on the role of the bishop, one on the role itself and the other on the nomination process.

“The figure of the bishop is fundamental for the Church, and his appointment must be carried out in the best possible way,” affirmed the Cardinal, specifying that the two groups have begun to collaborate in this vital and important area for the Church.