Pope: The Synod Document is a gift to the People of God

By Linda Bordoni

Addressing the Synodal Assembly on Saturday evening, Pope Francis stressed that the Final Document, drawn up during the 2nd session of the Synod on Sinodality which began on October 2 after a process of listening and dialogue, is the fruit of more than three years of work. listening to the People of God. This reveals, he noted, a common path toward a “synodal Church” that embodies the Gospel not only through words but through every act and interaction.

This XVI Ordinary Assembly of the Synod will officially end on Sunday October 27 with the celebration of Holy Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Pope Francis.

A triple donation

Pope Francis described the Document as a gift with multiple dimensions, serving both as a guide for the Church and a symbol of unity and shared mission.

First, he emphasized his confidence in the bishops, emphasizing the value of the presence of each bishop in the development of the synodal path.

“For me, as Bishop of Rome, in summoning the Church of God to the Synod, I was aware that I needed all of you: bishops and witnesses of the synodal path. Thank you!” he exclaimed.

Recognizing his role as listener, he reminded himself — and every bishop — that “the bishop of Rome… must also practice listening, to be able to respond to the Word which says to him every day: ‘Affirm your brothers and sisters…Feed my sheep.'”

This act of listening, he said, is essential to cultivating harmony within the Church, a harmony envisioned by St. Basil and the Second Vatican Council.

Maintain harmony, dispel rigidity

Pope Francis has emphasized the need for the Church to embody the harmony described in the Second Vatican Council, which speaks of the Church as “like a sacrament.” He explained, “She is a sign and instrument of our waiting God, who has already prepared the table and is now waiting.”

God’s grace, he said, “whispers words of love into the heart of every person.” It is up to the Church “to amplify the voice of this murmur, without hindering it; by opening doors instead of putting up walls.”

“We must not behave like “distributors of grace” who appropriate the treasure by tying the hands of our merciful God,” warned Pope Francis, calling for openness and humility.

And quoting a poem by Madeleine Delbrêl, a mystic from the peripheries who encouraged her readers never to be “rigid”, the Pope read some of her lines, calling them a “prayer” and inviting the Church to live her mission. with openness, joy and trust in the mercy of God:

“Cause I think maybe you’ve had enough
people who always talk about serving you with the eyes of a leader,
to meet you with the air of a teacher,
to approach you with sporting regulations,
to love you as one loves in an old marriage.”

Thus, calling for a faith that is “a dance in the arms of grace,” Pope Francis invited the Church to live its mission with openness, joy and trust in the mercy of God.

Witnesses to peace in a broken world

Highlighting the role of the Church as a peacemaker in a broken world, the Pope said: “In our time marked by wars, we must be witnesses to peace, even while learning to live our differences in conviviality.

Recognizing the diverse experiences of bishops from regions marked by violence, poverty and suffering, he encouraged all to actively build peace through listening and reconciliation.

The Pope announced that he had chosen not to draft an apostolic exhortation after the Synod, but he said the synodal document would be immediately available to all.

“There are already very concrete indications in the Document which can serve as a guide for the mission of the Churches, in their continents and specific contexts,” he explained, expressing confidence that this shared experience would inspire “concrete actions in the service of the people of God.

A Church in which the Spirit breathes

The Spirit, he reminded the assembly, is the unifying force of the Church across all cultures, challenges and hopes, and thanking the assembly for their participation, Pope Francis encouraged all participants at the Synod to bring the gifts of the Spirit into the world as a Church that listens, prays and acts with humility.

“The Holy Spirit calls us and supports us in this learning, which we must understand as a process of conversion,” he said, adding that the synodal path is “not an end point but a continuous process of conversion”.

In conclusion, the Holy Father again cited the words of Delbrêl: “There are places where the Spirit breathes, but there is only one Spirit who breathes everywhere.”