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Bishops are conducting regional workshops around the world to prepare for the October 2024 Synod on Synodality in Vatican City.
These workshops are crucial in shaping discussions at the synod, which aims to make the Church more inclusive and participatory. This reflects the themes outlined in the Vatican’s guiding document “Instrumentum Laboris”.
Europe
In Europe, bishops will meet in Austria (August 29-31) to discuss how diversity can strengthen the Church amidst cultural challenges.
Pastoral theologian Klara-Antonia Csiszar said that diversity at all levels within the Catholic Church will be a key focus area of the meeting.
“We have attached importance to how diversity can be perceived in Europe” Csiszar said. “What message does this diversity have for the Church in Europe, what does it mean for our local churches, [and] what voice does the Church in Europe play in the symphony of the universal Church?”
Asia
The workshops in Bangkok (August 5-8) focused on fostering unity among diverse religious traditions in Asia. This is critical in a continent marked by significant religious plurality.
“Asia has nurtured a diversity of cultures and religions and, by embracing harmony, mutual appreciation and respect for differences, we can help the universal Church understand more about the experience of walking together amidst diversity” Cardinal Stephen Chow said.
Latin America
Latin American bishops met in Colombia (August 9-11) to examine the relationship between synodality and the Church’s evangelising mission. They strongly emphasised areas facing social and economic hardships.
Archbishop of Caracas in Venezuela, Monsignor Raúl Biord, stated “Reducing mission to a missionary pastoral care as proposed in many of our diocesan organisational charts is unfocused and impoverishing”.
“The true goal of synodality is the mission to which we are called (by the mandate of the Risen One), in which we are involved (from the Trinitarian dynamic) and committed (by baptism and the sacraments of Christian initiation).”
Africa
Discussions in Africa, at a meeting in Kenya (April 23-26), centred on integrating local cultural values into the Church’s mission. This focus on community and interconnectedness could enrich the Church’s approach to synodality and mission on the continent.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of SECAM and archbishop of Kinshasa, said “There was consensus among delegates that Africa must embrace the experience of Small Christian Communities and the rich philosophical principles of Ubuntu, which highlight the values of family, fraternity and solidarity”.
These regional workshops align with Pope Francis’ vision of a Church that listens and responds to its global community.
The October synod will bring together Church leaders and laypeople to discuss these themes further. Together, they will aim to shape the future direction of the global Church.
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