Asian leaders end synod preparations discussing ‘gaps’

Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

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 Feb. 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 Feb 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.

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