SPECIAL REPORT • RENEWAL

Walking together, listening to the Spirit

The author of this article, member of the Commission on Methodology of the Synod of Bishops, inaugurated its sessions last October at the Vatican with a meditation on the call to all baptised members of the Church to exercise synodality. She believes that the Synod on Synodality is an opportunity for the Church to renew herself through the action of the Holy Spirit and to become a home open to all with the Gospel at her centre

BY Cristina Inogés-Sanz | lay theologian, Valladolid, Spain

WE ARE on Synod, not in a Synod. The difference is fundamental because, for the first time in the history of the Church, it is the whole people of God who are called to make its voice heard.

Preliminary considerations

Three realities must be considered
primarily:

1. It is a process prompted and guided by the Spirit, convened by Pope Francis in which, whatever we achieve will not be by our own strength.
2. We have come to this Synod because the Church needs to listen to herself. At Vatican II, the question was: “Church, what do you say about yourself?” Now the question is: “Church, what are you willing to listen about yourself?”
3. The Church has done, does, and will continue to do a lot of good, but we must recognise that she has also done things wrongly, made mistakes and committed crimes. This should not make us lose hope; on the contrary, we have before us a time of personal and communal conversion; a time to reflect, to listen to ourselves and to those whom we believed had nothing to say to us, a time to correct each other, and between us all, to learn to be a Church in another way.

Self-absorption

One of the gifts that Pope Francis has brought is to teach us to speak clearly and name things which happen to us in the Church, particularly mentioning the problem of self-referenciality or navel-gazing.

For centuries self-referenciality has been an evil in our Church; living it as something normal, we have turned the Church into a goal, instead of what it should always be: the way. This has caused the Church/us to look inward and, if when looking outward, to do it with suspicion, and feeling attacked at the slightest opportunity. Thus, the Church has ended up being for herself the most of the most.

We are a Church immersed in the astonishment of not knowing how she has arrived at the situation we live in because everything done and still does “has always been done this way”, without realising that she is no longer in that world, where society and situation made her practically indispensable and unquestionable.

We are a Church that still believes today that she has much to say, much to teach and nothing to learn, whereas, in reality, we all need to learn from each other. We are beginning the journey towards a synodal Church which does not fail to show us the way of shared leadership.

Back to the Gospel

Our Church has distanced herself from Jesus´ message more than what is explicable, and also, by closing the door to the future, has distanced herself from today’s world. The last three generations, in some parts of the world, have migrated to other mental territory, even if they Went to religious schools. These are obvious facts.

Learning to be Church in a different way is only possible if there is a free, full participation by all

Walking together may seem very simple as we walk down a street together with people whom we do not know, but this Synod is called to make us learn to walk together in a deeper sense than what we can think of. It is not just about physical exercise, going from one place to another, but much further, something that, in the Church, we do not know how to do. 

Listening to the margins

What is it that we don’t know how to do? Surprisingly enough, we don’t know how to listen to each other. We have never done that in the Church. Everything came to us from above and, at best, all we could do was to say “amen”. That was not listening. That was just nodding.

For the first time, a Pope, Francis, has changed the whole structure of a Synod to allow our participation; that means that the voice will not come from above, but from below. The voice of all, not just of those we consider to be God’s people.

This Synod has been raised up by the Spirit, and it is in listening to the Spirit that we must act. That Spirit—who in the history of the Church and the Bible has often spoken through those discarded and cast aside by others—can speak now through those who are on the margins, and even beyond, of the Church. Do we know who are on those margins and beyond them? Are we able to name them?

Welcoming home for all

Tomáš Halik, Czech theologian, says very clearly that the Church is for everyone, that she can and must offer, whoever approaches her, accompaniment without proselytising or paternalism, without positioning herself as the only one capable of teaching, but willing to let herself to be taught and to learn from others. Learning to be Church in a different way, as a synodal Church, is only possible if there is a free, full participation by all.

Some people want change, they are very hurt that this doesn’t happen and they try to make it happen

We cannot fall into rigorism, so contrary to the way Jesus of Nazareth acted and lived, and think that we are his faithful and loving followers, leaving out those in the margins, which, defined by us are, the divorced and remarried; the LGTBIQ+ communities; women (do not forget that we are on the margins of the Church); secularised priests; those who live their Christian commitment outside the official channels; intellectuals who find—often not wrongly—the way the message is presented, superficial and childish; those who break in some way with the rigour of rituals, in which the perfection in their execution becomes more important than the love put into them. This does not shake the structures but rigorism does, without the slightest doubt.

Change

As the multifaceted Maya Angelou said, “what you are supposed to do when you don’t like something is to change it”. Some people want change, they are very hurt that this doesn’t happen and they try to make it happen. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution. What shall we do? It is good to recognise that we are not at our best moment, but not to believe that we don’t have any solution—we do. That is why we are in this synodal process which, let us remember, is a spiritual process.

Walking presupposes that, at every step, the world changes in some way and also, something changes in us. I like what Susanna Tamaro writes: “When you want to judge someone, first walk three moons in their shoes”. Walk, walk and walk again, side by side, exchanging shoes, in someone else’s shoes; walking alongside fragility, in nakedness, without robes or raised index fingers. We must walk to build a world whose basis is no longer prejudice and judgement, but humility and understanding.

Humanizing journey

A human being’s true home is not a house, but a road. Life is a journey to be made on foot. Walking with a barefoot soul and open eyes and ears not only broadens the mind: it shapes the mentality called to be changed through this Synod; after a personal and communal process of conversion. We aim at changing both the way we relate to each other in the Church and some of her no longer feasible structures too. Walking is a virtue, it humanises one. If one walks the right path, it is not one who follows it, but the path that walks in one.

The church to which Pope Francis invites us is undoubtedly the Church of Jesus of Nazareth

Reaching out helps to think of others and ourselves. Walking the road is learning about life. Walking we learn a lot. Do we look at people’s eyes because they are full of words? Each passer-by is a world of his/her own and guessing what he or she carries inside is humanising and fraternal. So many stories, hopes and dreams, so much kindness, love, suffering, indifference and loneliness in the midst of people, so much hearing without listening, so many broken dreams! There is all these. Walking together makes us visible. If we look at each other and listen to each other, we exist!

Walking together, talking to each other with our hearts and from our hearts, listening to each other and to those we have always thought had nothing to say to us. As Church, we cannot only take care of ourselves inside. Mission calls us to go out. Stove-piped communities are a danger. We cannot feed only on ourselves.

Dynamism

The Church is bottom up, a living experience, not to be explained; words are insufficient for certain explanations. The Church to which Pope Francis invites us is undoubtedly the Church of Jesus of Nazareth. What a boldness to put the Gospel at the centre of the Church!

In the 19th century, the British Cardinal Newman wrote: “It may be otherwise in a higher world, but here below, to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed many times”. Change is the only immutable thing, the strongest law of nature. It is not only necessary in life: it is life itself. The clock will not turn to the left. We are made to move forward.

When we open the first page of Genesis we are surprised to find such a pedagogical account which tells us about creation in a period of seven days, narrated according to the Jewish culture in which the day begins at sunset.

Community in evolution

It is also striking that a text written so long ago expresses so clearly the steps of evolution indicated in an order in which the light, the sky, the water, the earth, the plants, the animals, the stars that separate day from night… appear.

In this magnificent story is contained and expressed the logic of the evolution desired by God in creation. If the cosmos, the world and human beings have evolved and are evolving, why shouldn’t the Church evolve?

Ultimately, it is a question of continuing to change, not of creating another Church, but of learning together, to be Church in another way. That is why it is more than necessary to know how to listen to each other. The fact of gradually transforming ourselves into a synodal structure will not make us a Church of perfect members, but of the baptised, where the ordained ministers are called to feel, to be and to act like any other member of the Church; to live their vocation as the rest of the baptised are called to live theirs.

In conclusion, I would like to pose some questions that may help us to reflect, since this synodal process, a spiritual process, concerns us both in the ecclesial sphere and the world at large: can we improve the world without improving the Church? Isn’t building up a better Catholic Church part of pursuing the common good? Why exclude the Church from the dream of a better world? Why work only for short-term results? Is it because it is more rewarding and gives more security?
May we be able to talk and listen to each other, to others and keep ever changing!

MISSION IS FUN

A Merciful Trap on the Road

BY Francesco Rinaldi Ceroni MCCJ

I WENT to celebrate Mass in the chapel of Nyele, Duru (north of Democratic Republic of Congo), where the Garamba National Park begins. After the Mass I took, through woods and savannahs, my way back to the parish; bicycle, portable altar on the luggage rack and the Eucharist for the sick around my neck. Suddenly, it began to rain heavily. I looked for a shelter. I saw a hut nearby, but after riding a few metres through the small path full of grass, I felt the ground disappear under my feet, or rather, under my bike and I fell into a deep hole. I tried to straighten the bike, and by climbing on it, to get out, but the wheels slipped in the mud and the bike fell back. It was almost evening. I stood on the luggage rack of the bike and looked out towards the larger path to see if anyone was passing. Fortunately, I saw the catechist coming home. I shouted: “Prospero, come here, help me!” He approached me and, not believing his eyes, exclaimed: “What are you doing down there?” He cut a branch from a bush and held it to pull me out together with the bike and the little altar. Once out, I went to the hut to clean and warm myself by the fire.

Shortly afterwards the owner of the hut and of the hole, Matthias, appeared. He hastened to apologise: “I’m sorry, Father, but you should know that I didn’t put any spears in it!” Ironically, I replied: “We needed those too!” The next day, the village chief put Matthias in prison for digging a trap in the road. I took pity on him and wrote to the chief: “It is true that Matthias has broken the law but, thank God, he has not caused me any harm. Besides, he has five small children to support, so please, release him”. The chief accepted my request. Full of joy and gratitude, Matthias came to the mission with a dozen eggs. From his words of apology, I realised that I had been lucky twice: not only had he not placed spears in the hole, but if he had placed them, he would have poisoned the tips first, to kill the prey quicker!

THE LAST WORD

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14: 6)

BY Fr Silvano Fausti SJ | Biblist and writer

“I AM”, an expression dear to the evangelist John when referring to Jesus in his Gospel, is applied here to three substantives, the way, the truth and the life.

Jesus, as the beloved Son who loves the Father and His brothers and sisters, is for us the Way of salvation, because He reveals to us the Truth of God and of man; and He is for us the Life, because He gives us His love, which is the very life of God. For in Him the life of all that exists resides (Jn 1: 4), and He possesses and communicates Life like the Father does (Jn 5: 26).

The way is not a road, but a person to be followed; the truth is not a concept, but a man to be encountered; the life is not a biological fact, but love to be experienced.

The way is always in reference to the Father’s house, from which or towards which the believer walks. The way of God is traditionally the law. Now, the doctrine of Jesus (Acts 9: 2; 24: 22), is the new law, which brings us home.

The ‘truth of God’ is the flesh of Jesus, the Son who makes us see the Father. The ‘life of God’ is the same love between the Father and the Son which Jesus witnessed by His life and has given to us through His death. Other paths lead astray, other truths are fallacious, other proposals for life are deadly.

Jesus, as the Way, leads us back to our identity, where we come from; as the Truth, He makes us see our own reality as children and that of God as Father and as Life, He is the love of God himself, beginning and end of everything.

Jesus is the way because He is the truth of love, which gives life. Thomas will find this way by entering into His wounds; in them he will touch the truth of an extreme love that knows how to give life. It is not so much a way to go, like the law; it is rather a way that leads us, because it gives us the grace and truth of the Son (Jn 1: 17).

No one comes to the Father except through me. One would expect to hear: No one ‘goes’ to the Father… but Jesus says ‘comes,’ because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him (Jn 14: 10). His very going away to prepare a place for us is a coming to us (Jn 14: 3); the love that He reveals to us on the Cross draws us and unites us to Him, making us capable of loving as He loves us.

Jesus, the Son, is the only way to return to the Father; through Him we know and love God, we know and love our brothers and sisters. This does not mean that whoever does not know Him is lost. In fact, the Son, the eternal Word of the Father, has always been at work, in infinite ways, to enlighten every person and make them know the truth of love (Jn 1: 9, 14). In fact, “whoever loves is begotten by God and knows God” (1 Jn 4: 7b), “for God is love” (1 Jn 4: 8b).

YOUTH VOICES • SYNODAL TOOLS

Reflecting on the Journey

The author of this article shares her understanding of listening, dialogue, prayer
and discernment as essential elements in the synodal process the Church has embarked on

BY Jill Williams | Candidate Landscape Architect, Pretoria

OUR DIOCESE recently underwent its Second Archdiocesan Synod. Most of us had no idea what a synod was or what it entailed, and it took a great deal of time and explaining to grasp. However, we fastened our belts and put on our sandals to go on this journey, learning more about the history of our Church, our faith and about each other. Through the various sharing sessions, I learnt that the reason for this whole exercise stems from the heart of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). Br Casey Cole, OFM (Habit 2018) states that renewal and a better understanding of how we are to live our faith was brought about through the meeting of Bishops that occurred at the Ecumenical Council of Vatican II. However, he also describes Vatican II to be fairly new, in terms of the history of the Church, and thus still requires some unveiling. The next phase in understanding Vatican II and how these have aided or hindered communal life is happening in the Synod during the period 2021–2023. The call was made by Pope Francis and reverberated through the Church to parishes globally, so that every person, clergy and layman, plays an active part in the process of listening, dialogue, prayer and discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit. This article will discuss some lessons I’ve learnt in the synodic journey and some of the experiences that have helped me understand this exercise more.

Listening

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:22

It amazes me how often God spoke to the Israelites through Moses, who revealed to the people miracles, signs and wonders—all showing his power and presence—and yet they still reached a point of turning their back on Him and worshipping Baal (Ex 32). God commanded the Israelites not to ascend the mountain as Moses did, but to wait for him to come to them with instructions from Him. God did, however, also say “I am going to come to you [Moses] in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you,” (Ex 19: 9). Although Moses stayed on the mountain for a long time, God allowed the people to hear the conversation on the mountain. The question is, were they listening? Moses had to relay God’s message to them—despite God making a way for them to hear Him speak. This is a testament to all of us that our flesh is constantly at war with our spirit, fighting to have our time and attention. The initial awe and wonder of this meeting died down as the activities of everyday life began to take precedence.

Most of us had no idea what a synod was or what it entailed, and it took a great deal of time and explaining to grasp

This often happens in the Church and even in Mass. The Liturgy, though beautiful and sacred, becomes another activity in the list of activities of the day. We can hear God speak, but our daily experiences muffle the voice of the Spirit. A major difference in the experience of Moses and the Israelites in this instance is not that he was able to ascend the mountain and the people not, but rather that he kept his Spiritual eyes on the Lord by fasting on the mountain, while the people did not.

Fasting is ultimately the cleaning and unclogging of your spiritual eyes and ears, so that you can see and hear the Spirit more clearly. In the case of Moses, he saw God in the cloud and was so enveloped in God’s presence that his physical appearance became more likened to the Glory of God. However, the Israelites saw death in the cloud, and in their blindness resorted to focus their energy on what they could see: the pleasure that gold, food and drunkenness would offer them. They couldn’t hear God because of their intense focus on ‘self.’

Synodality is facing the reality that there is more to you than you. There is a world to be explored and mountains to climb. By taking the journey and letting go of desires of the flesh, through the process of fasting, one begins to hear the beautiful lessons of the Spirit more clearly. During Lent, I stood in an arcade, waiting for a family member, when I saw a little girl walking past me with her mother not far behind her. The girl stood right in front of me, gave me a huge, warm smile and waved at me, and then continued walking on with her patient mother. I was greatly impacted by her warmth. She gave me the courage to continue on in that same joy. “For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” Jesus said (Mt 19: 14). This, to me, is a true expression of synodality—the faithful journeying together, on a common journey or shared path, which is the meaning of synod from the Greek language, (The Vatican 2021) and adding zest to the zestless in the everyday banalities of life. In this way, we will become salt of the earth and precious oil, poured out as a living sacrifice for our King. Fasting helped me to see the Holy Spirit’s action in this event, so that its significance did not pass me by, but rather perform the work it was ordained to do.

Dialogue

When one journeys with another, a conversation is bound to ensue. At times it may be pleasant and light-hearted, bringing a sense of mutual respect and love. At other times, disagreements may break out, harsh words may be used and a disconnection may happen in the rhythm of the journey; yet Pope Francis encourages us that these “…arguments [clash of differing visions and expectations] are a sign of docility and openness to the Spirit” (The Vatican 2021).

I realised that we do not embrace this in church life. When disagreements happen, then cracks begin to develop in parish communities that often remain untreated and sometimes grow into deep fissures. Furthermore, I’ve learnt that every parish community has its own politics (and this applies to Churches in the broader Christian community as well); with member x having a history with member y, and being the reason why certain things can or cannot happen in a parish.

Fasting helped me to see the Holy Spirit’s action in this event, so that its significance did not pass me by, but rather perform the work it was ordained to do

Another crack that forms in communities is when the clergy or laymen get so caught up in the business of communal life that they fail to invest in their health and in taking time to rest. Once-active-parishioners who were involved in various committees and sodalities, at times reach a breaking point—disappearing off the church radar—by moving to another parish, city or country and possibly converting to another faith or believing that faith in God is nonsense. I believe that in many cases these people have experienced ‘Church hurt’, have had their ego bruised, experienced burnout, a prolonged period of loneliness and bitterness, or even had unresolved anger towards the communities they spent years serving.

The synodal discussions emphasise the importance of journeying together. One cannot run for the sake of the Church or the Gospel and not walk in communion with others. We need each other and we must be willing to help each other. The Pope reminds us that as we work together, we should not to act like ‘deputy Jesus’ as one meme put it.

“Still, it is always tempting to do things on our own, in an “ecclesiology of substitution”, which can take many forms. As if, once ascended to heaven, the Lord had left a void needing to be filled, and we ourselves have to fill it. No, the Lord has left us the Spirit!” (The Vatican 2021).

The eternal presence of the Paraclete is what makes dialogue possible. Without His prompting, leading and even restraint at times, walking together would become a very cumbersome experience that will result in separation and isolation instead of unity and dialogue. These are matters that require intentional and continual dialogue—with one’s self and with one’s fellow parishioners—always with the Holy Spirit guiding the process to ensure that reconnection happens. Somewhere in the faith journey disconnect will happen. This must be worked out in order to grow as a person and as a Body, in order to actively live the lives Jesus died for us to have.

Prayer and discernment

“History teaches us that it is not good for the Church to stand still (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 23). Movement is the fruit of docility to the Holy Spirit, who directs this history, in which all have a part to play, in which all are restless, never standing still.” (The Vatican 2021).

In our journeying, it is important to never remain stagnant in despair and pain, or even in joys and victory

In our journeying, it is important to never remain stagnant in despair and pain, or even in joys and victory. There must always be activity, as the Spirit Himself has been moving from the beginning of time (Gen 1: 1). This constant motion requires us to be honest with ourselves and others and to realise that we will not always be able to ‘move’ in the same way. Age, disability, financial and social factors affect us in various ways and sometimes cause us to stumble. We need to help each other. One preacher said something I will never forget. The simplest prayer you can pray consists of one word: ‘Help!’ Human beings can sense when someone is in pain by their posture, how much more does the Creator see the aching and groaning of a heart filled with sorrow. This is something we often forget in our personal journeys of faith. We think that we have grown and overcome challenges and that we can handle things better and possibly do not need any more help, only to end up falling and failing, possibly in an area we once experienced growth and victory.

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit is always speaking to us, making things clear for us, even when we are stubbornly going our own way; “He made [his mission] very clear to [the disciples]” (Mk 8: 32). How much more then, will He clear our path for us, teaching us what we should do and say on the journey and even who we should journey with? God promised He is always with us, “to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28: 20).

FRONTIERS • SUDAN

Indomitable Women of the Gospel

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of their foundation (1872–2022), the Comboni sisters wish to recall the heroic testimony of faith by some of their members who endured great suffering and persecution during the Mahdi’s revolution soon after the death of the founder St Daniel Comboni

BY Paola Moggi | Comboni Sister, Verona, italy

FROM 1881 TO 1898, the Egyptian Sudan was overwhelmed by an Islamist religious insurrection known as Mahdia named after its spiritual and political leader, Muhammad Ahmad, who called himself the Mahdi (which means well guided by God). His declared aim was to restore the purity of Islam, corrupted by prolonged contact with Europeans. However, the socio-political reasons for the uprising were others: to enact the widespread discontent with the Egyptian misrule and to restore slavery, an important economic resource in the region.

The Mahdi’s uprising

The Mahdi’s advance towards the central region of Kordofan took place while the staff of the Catholic missions—mourning for the sudden death of Daniel Comboni (10 October 1881)—paid little attention to it.

The Egyptian government, which was wagering on its twenty regular battalions, underestimated the insurrection. The Mahdi militias, supported by powerful slave traders and fed by numerous defections of government officials and soldiers, quickly conquered Kordofan.

In May 1882, the fighting reached the Nuba Mountains and Delen (or Dilling), the seat of a Catholic Mission. In August, the capital of Kordofan, El Obeid, was besieged and it surrendered due to starvation on 18 January 1883. Those who had not professed the Islamic faith had to embrace it under threat of death, so that missionaries became sought-after prey of the Mahdi to further fuel his mythical aura.

We answered that we were Christians and intended to die as Christians

In an attempt to crush the insurrection and free the prisoners, the government decided to intervene with a mighty army, led by British General William Hicks. On 9 September 1883, 10 000 men, including infantrymen and cavalrymen, and 6 000 camels to transport ammunition and provisions, rifles and cannons, left Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, but “that great mass of Muslims led by a cosmopolitan Christian general of staff” (Gozzi 2010) had the seeds of defeat in it. Hicks did not know the region and relied on two fake deserters from the Mahdi, who led his army into an ambush. After two days of fighting, only a few hundred men survived. Charles Gordon, an anti-slavery British officer who had been governor of the Equatoria region from 1873 to 1876, was appointed governor of Sudan. Supported by Martin Ludwig Hansal, the Austro-Hungarian consul in Khartoum, he tried to negotiate with the Mahdi for peace and the release of his prisoners.

The capital falls

In April 1884 the Mahdi’s troops left El Obeid, concentrated in Rahad and began to march towards Khartoum. The British government was slow to send reinforcements and the Sudanese capital fell on 25 January 1885. Gordon and Hansal were slaughtered along with another 2 000 people. In a few years, the Mahdia controlled almost all of Sudan, but on 22 June 1885, Muhammad Ahmad died of typhus. He was succeeded by Caliph Abdullahi ibn-Muhammad. In this context, the conditions of those in captivity became dramatic, especially for the nuns, whose state of life was not contemplated in Islam. The difficulties became worse in 1889 due to a terrible famine that decimated the population of the entire Mahdist state, mainly due to years of war that deprived agriculture of its workforce.

“And this is the story, or almost the story, of all of them: how many lashes! The formula was taken when we were almost exhausted and out of our senses from the anguish, beatings and hunger, and half-dead. We shivered at the thought that the Mahdi would divide us among his leaders,” “And this is the story, or almost the story, of all of them: how many lashes! The formula was taken when we were almost exhausted and out of our senses from the anguish, beatings and hunger, and half-dead. We shivered at the thought that the Mahdi would divide us among his leaders,” (Teresa Gregolini in Maccari 1988)

The uneasiness among the population aggravated the tensions that had already emerged in the Mahdi’s succession and weakened the Islamic State, which in 1896 began to crumble in the face of General Herbert Kitchener’s military advance. On 7 April 1898 the Anglo-Egyptian army defeated a Mahdist army on the Atbara River and on 2 September 1898, conquered Khartoum.

The account of the witnesses

When the insurrection led by Muhammad Ahmad reached Kordofan, the Catholic missions became an important target: the staff, besides being Christian and of European origin, openly opposed slavery and gave shelter to those who fled from it. “Being a ‘woman, white, Christian’, and moreover unmarried, was a great challenge for every sister (Archive Madri Nigrizia 2011).

Those who remained in captivity suffered more repression because of the escape of the others, but those who returned to the community after years of unimaginable suffering also suffered

“The experience they were forced to live throughout their captivity was deeply traumatising, not only because they were foreigners and Christians, but above all because they were women, and consecrated women”, stresses Sr Maria Vidale (Archive Madri Nigrizia 2011).

From joy to tears

Easter Sunday on 9 April 1882, was a day of celebration in El Obeid; the Nubian, Fortunata Quascè, a former slave educated in Verona at Mazza Institute, became the first African Pious Mother of Nigrizia (Comboni Sister). A few months later, the city was destroyed by the Mahdi’s troops.

Teresa Grigolini, in charge of the sisters in Sudan, was worried; no news came from the mission in Delen and the Mahdi troops were marching towards El Obeid. It was urgent to leave: “We are in an unspeakable turmoil, we have packed our trunks to return to Khartoum, but the government is denying us the soldiers to accompany us,” she writes from that mission. With no reliable communication, the course of confusing news became an agony. She tried to convince Fr Giovanni Losi—acting superior while waiting for Daniel Comboni’s successor—to leave, but he delayed. He hoped that the staff from Delen would arrive, but they had already been made prisoners; so when Fr Losi decided to leave it was too late.

Siege and starvation

In August 1882 the population of El Obeid was invited to take refuge in the fortress. The nuns were hosted by a former slave girl, Marietta Maragase, and the male staff by Syrians. On 8 September, the first attack was repulsed by the garrison, equipped with cannons and rifles. If the Egyptian battalion would have exited the fortress to persecute the Mahdist troops during their withdrawal, perhaps these would have been defeated; but this did not happen and El Obeid fell, due to starvation after five months of siege. Teresa Grigolini recalls: “The poor, very numerous, were the first to die. The quarters were all cluttered with mats and rags, the little ones dying of hunger; skeletons stretched out their hands to ask for charity and died in that position.” In the meantime, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was approaching and the sisters were ready to renew their vows, but Fr Losi did not allow them to do so and suggested to them to renew their “private vows” daily or every 15 days. Scurvy raged and Fr Losi himself died from it.

On 16 January, the Mahdi demanded the surrender of the fortress, still full of ammunition. The governor would have preferred to blow it up with the powder keg, but the officers refused to obey him to preserve their families, and on 19 January, the Mahdi conquered El Obeid with its weapons. Elisabetta Venturini recalled: “As soon as they went inside, like so many raging beasts, they took the (African) boys and girls we had with us. Then they went to Fr Rossignoli and Brother Locatelli; they threatened them that if they did not become Muslims they would have their heads cut off. They were immediately intimidated and abjured without the slightest resistance.” The nuns, despite slaps and beatings, refused: “we were left alone: we were Teresa Grigolini, the superior, Concetta Corsi, Caterina Chincarini, Fortunata Quascè and Elisabetta Venturini.”

In the Mahdi camp

Threatened and beaten, they were dragged before the Mahdi: “After so many flatteries and promises,” continued Elisabetta, “finding us as strong as before, he told us that the Lord would forgive us now and later we would see the truth.” The five sisters were reunited with the survivors of Delen: “Being together again after so many misfortunes, it seemed like a dream. One should see in what state we found them.”

“We stayed like this for about a year,” Teresa recalled, “spending our lives suffering and praying always in great trepidation for the future.”

In fact, attempts to free the missionary personnel continued for months, but were unsuccessful. They hoped for military action entrusted to General Hicks, but this failed tragically. A ransom was offered, which the Mahdi categorically refused, and a plan to escape was contemplated. A Syrian, formerly the mission’s procurator and now Mahdi’s ‘lieutenant’, provided the camels and everything was ready for 29 March 1884. On the eve of that day, the unexpected happened: “The Caliph Abdullahi appeared suddenly with a large retinue in front of our house and summoned Fr Bonomi, myself and Brother Giuseppe Regnotto,” wrote Fr Giuseppe Ohrwalder. “The sun had just disappeared when we saw about 30 satraps coming on horseback, declaring that they had orders to take the nuns away.”

Heroic weakness

It was night. They took the nuns to a hut near the Mahdi’s compound, and the next day began the interrogation repeated insistently until evening: “Do you want to become Muslims?” We answered that we were Christians and intended to die as Christians,” Elisabetta Venturini recalls. In the middle of the night, Caliph Abdullahi arrived with three of his men. Seeing that after so many questions they could get nothing, they took Sr Fortunata aside, tied her to a pole and whipped her until they were tired.” Then they raged on Teresa Grigolini, cutting off her lips. The long-awaited escape turned into a torture that continued for days. “Not being able to kill us, they vented their anger by dividing us up,” which happened on 1 April 1884, before leaving for Rahad. Each one was handed over to the women of the leaders who, amid threats and promises, continued to try to convert them “saying that we were lucky because the Mahdi and the Caliph loved us and would have married us if we had become Muslims. Imagine what happiness!” Don Luigi Bonomi states: “The usual threats and intimidations were renewed, and even more so to the sisters; the example of their heroism was for us the object of the highest admiration.” The Mahdi had in fact given orders to convert all the mission staff to Islam, but not to kill them.

Exhausted and unconscious

From El Obeid to Rahad, the sisters walked almost 60 km barefoot, without food and under a blazing sun. One evening, Sr Concetta, destined for the harem of Caliph Abdullahi, was attacked by two men who tried to rape her. Her cries attracted attention and they fled, but she was exhausted and asked for an audience with the Mahdi. It was 12 April 1884. To be admitted into his presence she had to pronounce the formula of adherence to Islam. The news spread immediately: a nun had succumbed. Teresa Grigolini understood the cause and decided to join her sister: “I was the second one brought before the Mahdi, and there I met Sr Concetta.” After days of threats, Elisabetta also left for Rahad in the retinue of Caliph Ali Dinar. To bend her will, they beat her repeatedly under the feet and dragged her with a rope around her neck during the journey; she did not give in, so they tied her to a tree and beat her for hours until they believed she was dead. The Mahdi then demanded that she should be taken to his house, where there were already four nuns. Maria Caprini, a veteran of the mission in Delen, also arrived. “After 40 days since our separation we are all united again, but what a painful and terrible reunion; in the house of the Mahdi! It seems to people that we have all become Muslims, but it is not true,” Elisabetta Venturini narrated in her memoirs, while for the European press they had all already become Muslims, except for two priests and three nuns.

Marriages to be made

The Mahdi announced to the six nuns that as Muslims they must marry. Teresa manages to let Fr Bonomi—still in prison— know this and at the end of June she is joined by Rudolf Slatin, a former government official and friend of the mission. With him were other ‘converts to Islam’: Isidoro Locatelli and some Greeks led by Dimitri Cocorompas. While waiting for their release, in order to prevent the nuns from being given in marriage to Muslims, Slatin persuaded the men to contract apparent marriages with them, which were officially contracted that same night in front of a Muslim representative. Teresa Grigolini was at Cocorompas’ house; Concetta Corsi, at Isidoro Locatelli’s; Caterina Chincarini, at Trampa’s; Fortunata Quascé was at a certain Andrea’s. Maria Caprini and Elisabetta Venturini were spared because they were already too weak from torture.

Everyone has found his liberation. The nuns in their convent, and all the others in their families and countries; I alone could find neither my convent nor my family, and my slavery would last until my death

In August 1884 the Mahdi, leaving Rahad, marched towards Khartoum but one of his caliphs, with Frs Bonomi and Ohrwalder in his retinue, was sent to El Obeid to govern Kordofan. So the six nuns stayed with their fake husbands and after five months walking they reached the Mahdist troops’ camp in Omdurman. An area was reserved for the ‘renegades’, those who had ‘forcibly’ converted to Islam after being captured; they lived under surveillance and had to provide for themselves. The clear separation between men and women, typical of that culture, facilitated the co-existence of the four sisters with their ‘husbands’, who worked at the market from morning to evening: “They sell some cotton cloth, some jackets that we sew at home and some other things. At midday we prepared lunch for everyone and sent it to Fortunata’s hut and there the men ate alone and we ate alone, according to the custom of the country”, read Teresa Grigolini’s Memoirs.

Waiting for liberation

Monsignor Sogaro, Daniel Comboni’s successor, tried in every way to organise the escape of all missionaries. An Arab reached Omdurman and delivered a message to Teresa Grigolini, but he was arrested as an English spy. Khartoum was under siege and fell on 25 January 1885. The messenger was liberated and, on 3 February, he managed to get Teresa Grigolini’s messages and reached Licurgo Santoni, in Dongola, an Egyptian postal official, in contact with Monsignor Sogaro. Teresa asked that all of them would be able to escape from Omdurman together, and specified that in Kordofan there were Frs Bonomi, Ohrwalder, Rossignoli and Regnotto: “Here in Omdurman there is Isidoro Locatelli, Domenico Polinari with six nuns: Concetta Corsi, Caterina Chincarini, Marietta Caprini, Elisabetta Venturini, Fortunata Quascè and Teresa Grigolini, all in good health. In order to avoid horrendous dangers, we the sisters are divided into three houses under the protection of three Greeks who do the charity of keeping us hidden by sharing the meagre bread with us.”

The letter was leaked to the press and created a great impression. Sogaro replied: “Passing as the wives of some Greeks was an industrious ruse; their behaviour was beyond praise.”

Finally on the run

The first to escape was Fr Bonomi, on 25 June 1885, from El Obeid; followed, on 7 October, by Maria Caprini and Fortunata Quascé from Omdurman. They were all supposed to leave, but the messenger arrived with 16 camels when Concetta, raped by Locatelli, was pregnant and Teresa chose to stay with her and Caterina, who for health reasons could not endure days and days on camelback. Elisabetta, hosted at Cocorempas’ house and threatened by the Caliph to be given in marriage, had tried to escape on her own during those months. In 1886 Fr Ohrwalder arrived in Omdurman and officiated the marriage between Concetta and Isidoro in a Christian ceremony, but Isidoro fled at the beginning of 1887, leaving her with their young son. The other false husbands struggled to continue the charade and asked for money to maintain the nuns and not do violence to them.

She remains alone

From the end of 1888, famine raged in Sudan and, even in the ‘renegade’ neighbourhood, survival became difficult. Desperate, Teresa asked her brothers for help in 1889. The letter reached them in August and aroused indignation towards the Institute, which had abandoned the sisters, and increased the misunderstandings between it and those waiting for help.

To dispel the suspicion of a sham marriage with Cocorempas, Teresa herself was forced to marry in August 1890. On 3rd October 1891, Concetta died of typhus.

On 29 November, however, Elisabetta, Caterina and Fr Ohrwalder were finally released. The flight was strenuous, to the point that an exhausted nun fell off the camel. On 21 December they finally arrived in Cairo. On this occasion, Sogaro wrote to the Vatican: “The former Superior Teresa Grigolini was married to a certain Greek, Dimetri Cocorempas. There are, however, very serious reasons for not having to condemn her conduct; a victim all the more worthy of compassion, in that she was always of blameless innocence and exemplary character.”

The cost of martyrdom

Those who remained in captivity suffered more repression because of the escape of the others, but those who returned to the community after years of unimaginable suffering also suffered. Maria Caprini and Fortunata Quascè remained marginalised for a long time; Caterina Chincarini and Elisabetta Venturini were considered apostates, and Fr Ohrwalder was even asked to make a profession of faith in order to reinstate him as a priest. The most painful situation, however, was experienced by Teresa Grigolini Cocorempas. The mission tried several times to organise her escape, but as she was often pregnant, she could not escape. For her, liberation came on 3 September 1898, after the victory by Kitchener: “For a whole year I mourned my fall, but even more so on the day of liberation. Everyone, I said to myself, has found his liberation. The nuns in their convent, and all the others in the bosom of their families and their countries; I alone could find neither my convent nor my family, and my slavery would last until my death,” she wrote in her Memoirs.

PROFILE • POPE FRANCIS

The Church Searches For New Rhythms

Pope Francis has invited the Church to engage herself in an exercise of mutual listening through a two-year long Synod on synodality—but who is the man behind this bold initiative?

BY Marian Pallister | Chair of Pax Christi Scotland

IN THE same way that we find it difficult to imagine the young lives of our parents and grandparents—did they really have those cool hairstyles, ride pillion on a stranger’s motorbike, bravely take part in that protest? The previous lives led by the incumbents of the Vatican can seem totally disconnected from the men we see in the papal role.

Who knew, for instance, that Pope Francis danced a mean tango back in the day? That shouldn’t come as too great a surprise. An Argentinian who can tango is a man who can reach out to the marginalised, the ‘other’ in society; a man who can not only hear the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth, but a man who feels those cries in his heart of hearts.

Tango

So before we explore the man, we should perhaps delve into the dance. A dance that still has the power to shock, but has a history that is much more than the sexy moves we see on TV dance competitions—South African professional dancer Oti Mabuse has won the UK Strictly Come Dancing glitter ball several times after some spectacular tango performances with celebrities.

The dance was first named—and banned—in Argentina in 1789, when it was danced by slaves and free working class people living in the port areas of Buenos Aires, the word perhaps coming to South America with slaves shipped from Nigeria. By the early 20th century, however, the music and moves of the tango stirred the emotions of thousands of young immigrant men who arrived in Argentina looking for a future denied them in a failing Europe.

Son of migrants

Indeed, Pope Francis’s father, Mario José Bergoglio, was one of those young men—an Italian from Portacomaro in the Province of Asti. He was just 20 years old when his family emigrated from Italy in 1929, not for economic reasons but to escape Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime. There is no evidence that Mario José wooed the young Regina Sivori (an Argentinian of northern Italian background) with emotive tango moves, but he won her heart and together the young accountant and his wife had five children. The eldest was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis.

The journey to the Vatican from Flores, a suburb of Buenos Aires, where he was born on 17 December 1936, was one that saw him sweep floors, work as a bouncer and as a chemical technician—and dance the tango to the traditional Argentinian and Uruguayan music that he still enjoys. On that journey, he has mingled with people from every walk of life. He experienced the joys and sadness that we all feel; the difficulties and successes that come into every life. He fell in love and had to argue with his spiritual self over whether to continue his studies to become a priest. Despite taking vows as a Jesuit, he didn’t see eye-to-eye with them over the trend of the Society of Jesus towards an emphasis on social justice rather than his own stress on religiosity and pastoral work—perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of his younger life when we see the man he has become.

Listening ear

A man with these experiences, however, is a man we can well imagine would want to question how people perceive the Catholic Church today and where they hope it is going. A man who understands that it isn’t only cardinals, bishops, and priests who ‘know’ the Church and have its interests (their own interests?) at heart, but that everyone must be offered this experience of synodality as we walk with our Church through this difficult century—from the migrant washed up on a foreign shore to the Papal Nuncio, from the divorcee alienated from her Church to the members of canonical tribunals, from the parishioner ‘nostalgic’ for a Latin Mass that disappeared before she was born to the liberation theologian seeking a Church that hears those cries of the earth and of the poor.

His life story is well documented—this Jorge Mario Bergoglio who chose to become ‘Francis’ because of his affinity with the saint who gave his life to the poor, who heard their cry and the cry of the earth.

Early age

Young Jorge attended a Salesian-run school, Wilfrid Barón de los Santos Ángeles, in a province of Buenos Aires. He went on to a technical secondary school and graduated with a chemical technician’s diploma. It was during his student days that he worked as a janitor, and as a bouncer in a local bar. Having graduated, he was employed for the next few years in the food section of Hickethier-Bachmann Laboratory.

An Argentinian who can tango is a man who can reach out to the marginalised, the ‘other’ in the society

It wasn’t all plain sailing. At the age of 21, he developed pneumonia and with his young life in the balance, doctors removed part of a lung. Like any young man, once recovered, he was back enjoying movies, football (he has supported San Lorenzo all his days), and yes, dancing the tango.

Then happened that he felt that call to the priesthood and studied at the Archdiocesan seminary, before entering the Society of Jesus as a novice in 1958. His calling was challenged when he was attracted to a young woman, but having worked through that challenge, he went on to study in Chile before taking his vows as a Jesuit in March 1960.

Teacher and psychologist

That same year, he gained a qualification to teach philosophy, and he went on to teach literature and psychology at Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion High School in Santa Fe. In 1966, he went to Buenos Aires to teach the same course at the Colegio del Salvador.

On that journey, he has mingled with people from every walk of life

That he taught psychology comes as no surprise. The way he deals with today’s world—with politicians, migrants, children, with people from every faith, every ethnicity—is daily evidence of someone who has studied the human mind and knows how to respond in so many different situations. Who couldn’t be moved by the social media clip of the little boy interrupting Pope Francis speaking in the Vatican audience hall? Pope Francis told officials to let the child play, and after talking to his mother, told his audience, “That boy cannot speak. He is mute, but he knows how to communicate, how to express himself. He has something that makes me think. He is free.” Adding with a chuckle that evoked laughter from the audience, “Indisciplined-ly free!” He then used the incident to remind the audience that Jesus tells us to be more like children, saying that he asks himself if he is as free with God. Good pastoral response—good psychology all round.

The priest

It was in 1969 that Jorge Bergoglio was ordained and he continued his training at the University of Alcala de Henares in Spain, making his final profession with the Jesuits in 1973. He returned to Argentina, was novice master at Barilari, San Miguel, then professor at the Faculty of Theology of San Miguel, and Rector of the Colegio Maximo of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology. Then from 1973 to 1979 he was Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina. He went back to working in the university in 1980, as well as serving as a parish priest in San Miguel. His superiors clearly saw promise in this man, after he had advanced his theological studies in Germany, he was asked to teach at the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires, then to be spiritual director and confessor at the Jesuit Church in Cordoba. He became Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires in May 1992, and along the way he penned three books—Meditaciones para religiosos (Meditations for Religious, 1982), Reflexiones sobre la vida apostólica (Reflections on the Apostolic Life, 1992), and Reflexiones de esperanza (Reflections of Hope, 1992).

Archbishop and cardinal

By 1998 he was Archbishop, Primate of Argentina, and in 2001, Pope John Paul II created him Cardinal. Here we get a real flavour of the man he was becoming. He had to go to Rome to celebrate this new position, but he asked the faithful in Argentina not to travel with him but instead to donate the cost of an airfare to the poor.

This trajectory of elevation did not change his way of life. That decision not to live in papal splendour in Rome continued a lifetime’s lifestyle.  He had continued to live an ascetic life despite his archbishop’s mitre and cardinal’s red hat, declining various appointments that would perhaps require a different approach. However, he was elected as President of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference in 2005 and again in 2008. Then, in 2013, he was elected Supreme Pontiff.

What we have seen in the years since then seems rooted in his time as Archbishop of the immense diocese of Buenos Aires—a diocese with over three million inhabitants in which the majority of the population has European origins; a sophisticated diocese boasting a city known as the Paris of South America yet capital of a country in which four out of ten people live below the poverty line.

And so, throughout his life, Jorge Bergoglio—son of an immigrant, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician, priest, professor, Archbishop and Cardinal— was exposed to the plight of the migrant, the cry of the poor, the melting pot that his city offered to so many different ethnic and religious backgrounds. A missionary project he initiated during his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, which sought to establish open and brotherly communities, emphasised that we are all brothers and sisters—the origins of Fratelli Tutti? That same project put the laity in a leading role, and the intention was to reach out to every one of those three million inhabitants—genesis of the synodality process we are now experiencing? The solidarity he urges us to adopt now that he is Pope Francis surely is rooted in a campaign he launched to commemorate the bicentenary of Argentina’s independence.

Pope of simplicity and fraternity

Pope Francis continues his simple lifestyle, condemns war (having lived through conflict in 1970s Argentina), understands migration, welcomes refugees. He offers the laity a bigger say in our Church—recognising that we are the Church. He’s the Pope who took a taxi to a Rome record store, caught out by a vigilant photographer at the taxi rank. The record store owners say he likes Beethoven, Mozart and Bach—and tango!

SPECIAL REPORT • LIVING SYNODALITY

A Call To Walk Together

Since Pope Francis inaugurated the Synod in October last year, dioceses around the world followed suit. It is a new experience because this Synod is held in a ‘new way,’ as it is intended to be carried out first at local and continental levels and, finally, in the assembly of bishops

BY Olga Consuelo Vélez | Doctor of Theology, Bogota, Colombia

SYNODALITY MEANS walking together. It is a word that captures what the Church has been looking for since Vatican Council II with the ecclesial aggiornamento (updating), but above all, with the model of the ‘People of God’ that Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic constitution of Vat II, defined for the Church.

Francis is called the pope of the Ecclesial Spring, precisely because of his efforts to revitalize the Council and recover its fundamental lines, including the proposals for this synodal path: communion, participation, mission.
This invitation to synodality refers to the synodal way of ‘being’ and ‘acting’ of the Church. That is why we ask ourselves in this reflection: what are the conditions for the experience of synodality? What does communion, participation, mission, the objectives of this synodal experience, imply? How is meeting, listening and discerning carried out?

Conditions for living synodality

The Synod on Synodality intends to be an experience to be lived and not so much an assembly to prepare a document. Our premise, then, is the urgency of rethinking the fundamental dignity of all Church members and how to situate ministries within that ecclesial body.

The fundamental sacrament in the Church is Baptism. Through it, we all share in the priesthood, prophecy, and kingship of Jesus Christ Himself. However, in the model of the pyramidal Church, which was constituted and persists until today, the sacrament that is considered most important is that of Order. Thus, the Church is structured in the form of a pyramid, where the bishop presides over it, and after him, all the others follow in descending order: priests, deacons, consecrated women and men, laymen and women.

Two fundamental conditions are therefore necessary to live synodality: that the clergy descend from this pyramid and recover their first and fundamental vocation as baptized persons, and that lay people take ownership of the vocation they have received and develop it fully.

Regarding the first aspect, the Pope insisted throughout his pontificate on the need to put an end to the “recalcitrant clericalism.” He even said that “no one has been baptized as a bishop or a priest.” The image of an inverted pyramid where those who considered themselves at the top must place themselves below, to serve others, is a radical image of the understanding of the ordained ministry: its only dignity is that of service.

This also presupposes an awareness of the sensus fidelium (the sense of the faith of the people of God), which Pope Francis explains in his letter to Cardinal Ouellet (2016), on the participation of the laity in public life: “The holy faithful people of God are anointed with the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore, when reflecting, thinking, evaluating and discerning, we must be very attentive to this anointing.”

The experience of synodality presupposes that everyone—clergy, lay people and those in religious life—live the fundamental equality of Baptism, share in the same Spirit and are all responsible for the ecclesial journey—naturally, each one with their specific charisms and ministries, always lived for the service of the common good.

Objectives: communion, participation, mission

The synod intends to be a space of communion, participation, and mission, built on the basis of two questions raised in the preparatory document: how does ‘walking together’ allow the Church to announce the Gospel? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church?

These questions are the starting point for the realization of the synodal objectives, insofar as they are carried out with the depth, breadth, and sincerity they demand. The words of the Spanish theologian Cristina Inogés can help to cultivate the attitude necessary to begin this journey: “The best places in the Church are not those that are exclusive and separate, but those that, through service, lead to forgiveness, reconciliation, and encounter. It is good and healthy to correct mistakes, ask forgiveness for crimes committed, and learn to be humble. We will certainly experience moments of pain, but that pain is part of love. We suffer for the Church because we love her.”

Concerning the first question, we need a sincere answer to recognize what was not done. This does not negate that there are also successful synodal experiences, which should be kept in mind when answering this question—each diocese will be able to name its own. However, it is fair to say that, in general, this has not been the most common practice.

Regarding participation, the synod challenges us to open up to society on a massive scale, especially including those who have not had a voice in ecclesial spaces. Each diocese must exercise its creativity to listen to those who do not participate in the life of the Church and those excluded from society.

The third category, mission, is the horizon towards which we are invited to look at so that the synod can bear fruit for the world. Pope Francis said that we cannot fall into the temptation of formalism, intellectualism, and immobility. We can do many surveys, consultations, questionnaires, meetings (formalism), repeat the doctrine of the Church without descending to life (intellectualism) or conclude that all is well and nothing new will emerge (immobility).

We are called to become experts in the art of encounter and not in organizing events or proposing a theoretical reflection on problems

However, all these temptations can be overcome if we accept Pope Francis’ call to be a Church on the way out, not afraid of being hurt or having an accident: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security” (Evangelii Gaudium n. 49).

Meet, listen, discern

The main objective of the synod is not to prepare a final document, but to carry out an experience of synodality involving the whole Church and listening to “the concerns and hopes of each Church, people and nation, to the world, to the challenges and changes that it puts before us,” as Pope Francis said at the opening Mass of the launching of the Synod. To carry out this process, which will last until mid-October 2023, the Pope has indicated three actions: meet, listen, discern.

–Meet. It requires attention, time, and availability to meet the other, to allow ourselves to be challenged by their concerns, and even to change our lives. We are called to become experts in the art of encounter and not in organizing events or proposing a theoretical reflection on problems. Meeting in the Spirit: a time of prayer, adoration, fixing ourselves on the faces and words of the other, meeting face to face, letting ourselves be touched by the questions of our brothers and sisters.

–Listen. Listen with heart and not just with ears, so that the other feels welcomed, not judged, free to tell one’s own life experience and spiritual path; allow others to express themselves, not be judged or rejected. “Let us not make our hearts soundproof, let us not shield ourselves in our certainties that close us in on ourselves. Let’s listen to each other.”

– Discern. The attitudes referred to above are aimed at discernment, which implies a confrontation with the Word, emptying ourselves of what has always been done and being open to the newness which the Spirit brings, questioning ourselves about what God wants to say to us now and the direction in which He wants to lead us.

New culture in the Church

The great challenge on this synodal path will be to create a culture of ecclesial consensus, capable of manifesting itself in styles, events, and structures that will give rise to a new ecclesial way of proceeding for the Church of the third millennium. The Synod is an opportunity for pastoral conversion in a missionary key. It is the responsibility of all of God’s people not to miss this opportunity for conversion, renewal, and change.

SPECIAL REPORT • COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION AND MISSION

The synodal process for a more credible identity and mission of the Church

In the context of Covid pandemia, when we have realised that we need one another to solve global challenges, the Synod on Synodality  is a moment of renewal for the entire Church, called to be a credible partner in the paths of social dialogue, reconciliation and inclusion

BY Fr Anthony K. Kibira | MCCJ, Kampala, Uganda

PEOPE FRANCIS, through the convocation of the Synod on Synodality (2021–2023), has invited the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission. As Church, we have a common journey to make. By reflecting together on this journey, all members of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, will be able to learn from one another’s experiences and perspectives. We have the opportunity to let ourselves be enlightened by the Word of God and to be united in prayer so as to discern God’s will and pursue the paths God has laid down for us. This discernment journey should lead us to a deeper communion, fuller participation and more generous openness to fulfil our mission in the world.

Followers of the Way

The word synod comes from two Greek words: syn (together) and odos (way). Thus, synod means a journey made together. In the Gospel of John, Jesus the Lord presents Himself as “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14: 6). For this reason, the followers of Jesus (Christians) were called “followers of the Way” (Acts 9: 2; 19: 9). As people of God, we are called to be along a marked-out path, walking together. The vademecum for the Synod on Synodality encourages us to understand synodality as “the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Church, expressing her nature as the People of God journeying together and gathering in assembly, summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel”. As a life-style, synodality ought to be expressed in the Church’s ordinary way of living and working. If embraced with an open heart, we have a chance of clearly manifesting and living our identity as pilgrims and missionary People of God. It is, thus, a moment of grace (kairos), in which all can listen to the Holy Spirit who establishes communion between us.

The Sitz im Leben of the Synod

The Preparatory Document of the synod already invited us to be aware of the context in which this synod process started, namely the Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic has marked the concrete historical circumstances in which the entire human family finds itself. If we are to describe the lesson we have learnt from all this time, we find that togetherness has won more significance. We have come to acknowledge that we can only face the challenges posed by this pandemic together. The global crisis has hit all and has helped us to remember that we are in the same boat. Even if more inequalities have been revealed, we still share a common home where the suffering of some touches all. In the midst of this context, synodality as a journey together, will not only unite us more deeply with one another as the People of God, but it also sends us out to pursue our mission as missionary disciples open to the entire family of humanity, together with our fellow Christian denominations and other faith traditions.

As a life-style, synodality ought to be expressed in the Church’s ordinary way of living and working

Participative and inclusive ecclesial process

The Synod on Synodality offers us an opportune moment to celebrate our Catholicity, thus our nature as a universal Church. “Journeying together”(synod) is meant to take place on different levels (from the local level to the universal one). As mentioned above, synods have been characteristic for the journey that the Church has made through history. Now we are being offered a chance to live a progressive synodal conversion that will create more communion. The phase of listening offers everyone, especially those at the margins, the opportunity to express themselves and to be heard. This attentive listening will help us recognize and appreciate the wealth and the variety of the gifts and charisms that the Spirit has given to individual local Churches for the benefit of the whole Church and the entire human family. Since we are being enlightened by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, our mutual attention will bring to light our prejudices and distorted practices which are not rooted in the Gospel. The synod will, thus, be a moment of renewal for the entire Church. Whereas the Synod of Bishops takes place as a gathering of bishops under the authority of the Pope, the Synod on Synodality brings up a realization that a synodal path is for the entire People of God; it is not only an assembly of bishops, but a journey for all the faithful, of which every local Church forms an integral part.

Contemplating the theme of Synod on Synodality, one can see a realization of what Pope Francis intended to communicate in his encyclicals

The Preparatory Document for the Synod on Synodality envisages its objective: “…the purpose of this Synod is not to produce more documents. Rather, it is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission.” (Preparatory Document, 32). The Synodal Process will not be a series of exercises that start and stop, but rather a journey of growing towards the communion and mission that God calls the Church to live out in our time. It is a journey towards a more fruitful service of the Kingdom of God.

The theme of the synod is its goal

The theme for the Synod is: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.“ The three dimensions are basically interconnected. None should be given precedence over the others but they are to be taken as pillars of a Synodal Church in a dynamic relationship. Communion invites us to re-appreciate the fact that the love of Christ has brought us together (congregavit nos in unum Christi amor). Christ, the Head of the Church continues to form and guide us so that we may be one as He prayed (Jn 17: 11). Communion will best be lived not as a uniformity but as a unity in variety. In that way, we form a beautiful mosaic of Christ’s body. Sharing a common sensus fidei, the laity, consecrated and ordained belong to the People of God. The Participation of all accompanied by a respectful listening will create space for the Holy Spirit to guide our aspirations as Church in the world. The Christian community that is continuously being formed and re-formed (Ecclesia semper reformanda) has a mission to fulfil in the world. We are called to be witnesses to the Gospel on which we ourselves are fed. The synodal process reminds us that as missionary disciples, we are to make common cause especially with all those who live on the “spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries” of our world.

Encompassing Pope Francis encyclicals

Contemplating the theme of the Synod on Synodality, one can see a realization of what Pope Francis intended to communicate in his encyclicals. These are, at the same time, characteristics of the life and mission of the Church: Lumen Fidei (2013) invites us to make use of the Light we get from Christ and spread it in the world where “illusory lights” tend to mislead people; Evangelii Gaudium (2013) encourages us to embrace the joy that is ever new and which is shared in order to heal wounds of the world; Laudato Sì (2015) exhorts us to work for the care of the earth as our common home and to counter the use-and-throw-away-culture that is prevalent in the world; Amoris Laetitia (2016) invites us to appreciate the fact that the joy of love experienced by families is the joy of the Church; the family is the first place for mission where the crisises are addressed and broken relationships are restored; Gaudete et exultate (2018) invites us to take the call to holiness seriously. We should not only look out for canonized saints but also to the saints next door among God’s holy and faithful people; Fratelli Tutti (2020) invites us to nurture friendship without borders and to go against a closed world.

The effectiveness of a missionary Church will be in her being a credible and reliable partner in the paths of social dialogue, healing, reconciliation, inclusion and participation, re-construction of democracy, promotion of fraternity and social friendhip. Together, we make a journey towards a creation of spaces where representatives of other faith communities, social groups, organizations of civil society can come in a life-giving dialogue for the good of the entire human family.

FOCUS • SECOND SYNOD OF ARCHDIOCESE OF PRETORIA

Pretoria Unfolds Her Vision As Church

The Archdiocese of Pretoria has made an exercise of listening and discernment, calling for a Second Synod and inviting her faithful to reflect upon their ecclesial realities

BY Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS | Director of the Synod, Archdiocese of Pretoria

THE SECOND Synod of the Archdiocese of Pretoria was launched by His Grace, Archbishop Dabula Mpako on the 28th February 2021 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pretoria. It is based upon the New Pastoral Plan of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), the theme being Evangelising community, serving God, humanity and all Creation.

This Synod is aimed at applying locally the SACBC Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Pretoria. At its launch, the Archbishop commissioned the Steering Committee to assist him in facilitating and co-ordinating the process. He also mandated the Deans of the Six Deaneries of the Archdiocese to oversee, monitor and ensure that the Synod achieves its purpose in all the parishes.

Synod logo

The logo symbolises the flame of the Holy Spirit given to the community gathered around the Lord. The Archdiocese, listening to the Spirit, intends to empower its faithful to be a true evangelising community, serving God, humanity and all Creation.

Synod workshops

In November 2020, during the preparatory phase, many foundational workshops were conducted for the clergy, religious and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. The Synod received a welcoming response.

In March 2021, Sodalities were invited to workshops in which they were able to respond to some questions regarding their reality. Each Sodality selected a group of facilitators in their respective deaneries to form the co-ordinating teams. These teams facilitated workshops for the rest of their members in the parishes.

Synod parish facilitators

In March 2021, workshops were conducted by the Synod parish facilitators—co-ordinating teams in the parishes who helped the parish priests to run the Synod in their respective parishes. The workshops led to a better understanding of the vision of the new SACBC Pastoral Plan and the purpose of having the Second Synod of the Archdiocese.

Procedure of the Synod at the parish/pastoral districts

opted into the facilitators’ team. A good number of the faithful attended the workshops in the deaneries (see table on the right). Facilitators met with their respective parish priests and PPC members, to share on the feedback of the workshops and to plan the work ahead at parish and pastoral district levels. Each district had to consider its own situation and context. Facilitators were introduced formally by the parish priest and their role was explained to the parishioners. Various methods for meetings were adopted according to the structure of each parish; i.e. either Small Christian Communities (SCCs) or family groups. All meetings followed COVID-19 protocols. When meetings at homes were impossible, SCCs met at the parish on Sundays. Many parishes and districts used the social media platforms (facebook, whatsapp etc) to communicate the Synod questions.

The facilitators and the parish priests collated all the responses from the parishioners and summarised them. The Synod Steering Committee was tasked with co-ordinating all the summaries and drafting the Pastoral Plan.

Focal areas of the Synod

Nine focal areas were determined from the Pastoral Plan (see table on the right). The Synod helped the faithful to understand that the parish is at the centre of the Pastoral Plan. “The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s Word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelisers. It is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach.” (Evangelii Gaudium #28).

Evangelisation

Through the Synod process, many of the faithful understood that their encounter with the Lord is generally facilitated by their participation in the celebration of the Sacraments, sharing of the Word of God, other liturgical activities and personal and communal prayers. The faithful must be given opportunities to cultivate a personal relationship with God, to learn how to pray and discern spiritual matters at a deeper level and to witness their own faith, so as to become a truly evangelising community.

Laity formation and empowerment

The Synod brought to the fore the important role of the laity. Empowered by virtue of their baptism, they participate in the pastoral work of the Church with a sense of belonging and ownership. Laity “are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world” (Lumen Gentium #31). Their role and leadership need to be recognised and valued. The Synod brought to the fore the important role of the laity. Empowered by virtue of their baptism, they participate in the pastoral work of the Church with a sense of belonging and ownership. Laity “are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world” (Lumen Gentium #31). Their role and leadership need to be recognised and valued.

They are called to listen to God, to be led by the Holy Spirit and actively participate in the various activities of the Church. Each parishioner is encouraged to take up roles in the various ministries and to participate in the decision-making and leadership positions in the parish.

Life and ministry of the clergy and religious

The faithful reflected on the life and ministry of the clergy and religious during the Synod. Priests serve the Church by administering the Sacraments, teaching the faith and engaging in the spiritual, human, and social welfare of the people. Deacons serve in the ministries of the Word of God, altar and charity and in other ministries entrusted to them by the archbishop.

Religious are also committed to charitable and social justice activities according to their various charisms. Some are active in the pastoral ministry, while others are engaged in community projects outside the parishes.

Marriage and family life

Marriage and family life stand at the centre of Christian life. The Synod reflected at length on both. The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant of love between a man and a woman for their whole life and, by its nature, it is ordered towards the good of the spouses, procreation and the education of their children.

The Synod reminded the faithful of each one’s responsibility to work for healing and reconciliation

The vocation to Sacramental Marriage is promoted and encouraged in the parishes mainly through homilies, wedding days, anniversaries, and any other special occasions dedicated to marriage and family. They both form part of the catechetical contents given to children and youth, especially during Confirmation preparation and the RCIA (Right for Christian Initiation of Adults) classes.

Married couples are involved in promoting the Sacrament through various programmes and events. The faithful respond positively to them. Some Sodalities also play an important role in promoting marriage and family life by teaching and encouraging the youth. Permanent deacons promote them by virtue of being married. Religious sisters also help the youth to know about married life.

Youth

The Synod also focused on the crucial role that the youth play in the Church. “Youth is a time when genuine and irrepressible questions arise about the meaning of life and the direction our own lives should take. [Therefore, they] need witnesses and teachers who can walk with them, teaching them to love the Gospel and to share it, especially with their peers, and thus to become authentic and credible messengers”
(Africae Munus #61).

Youth realise that they can evangelise. They are active in the life of the parish as altar servers, members of the choir and of youth movements and groups. They participate in liturgical, spiritual and formation programmes, attend catechesis and are involved in social outreach and charity projects.

Justice, peace and non-violence

The Synod dealt with the social action of the Church, focusing mainly on justice, peace and non-violence. Parishioners pray for justice, peace and non-violence, promote unity and strive for forgiveness and reconciliation when differences arise. They promote social cohesion by listening and supporting one another.

“Justice is a virtue which guides the human will, prompting us to give others what is due to them by reason of their existence and their actions. Likewise, peace is not the mere absence of war, or the result of man’s actions to avoid conflict; it is, above all, a gift of God which must be implored with faith, and which has the way to its fulfilment in Jesus” (Pope Benedict XVI, Private Audience, 13 January 2012).

Healing and reconciliation

Due to its past history of oppression and apartheid, South Africa is a country always in need of healing and reconciliation. The Synod reminded the faithful of each one’s responsibility to work for healing and reconciliation.

Healing is a process towards recovery at physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual level. It starts by acknowledging personal wounds at various levels and allowing the light of God to shine on those wounds. Through this process the person reaches a state of wellbeing and is made whole again.

The Synod reflected on various ways that the local Church can take care of Creation

Reconciliation is the coming together of aggrieved parties in mutual understanding, pardoning each other. It culminates in the restoration of peace, rebuilding the relationship with God and with others. Both healing and reconciliation involve elements of faith and prayer and openness to the action of the Holy Spirit.

Care of Creation and the environment

Following the call of Pope Francis, in Laudato Si’, on the care of Creation and the environment, the Synod reflected on various ways that the local Church can take care of Creation. Pope Francis, in Laudato Si’ has highlighted the awareness that everything is inter-connected and he has helped us to appreciate nature more and to see God in Creation and every individual as part of nature. Humans are uniquely created and called to exercise responsible stewardship on behalf of the loving Creator.

Parishes generally promote the care of Creation by maintaining in good condition the churchyard. Some have flowers and vegetable gardens, plant trees, save water and electricity, while some do recycling activities. Some parishes conduct workshops on the care of Creation and the environment.

Sustainability

The Synod also focused on the sustainability of the local church, as self-supportive, self-reliant, self-ministering, self-propagating and financially independent. A sustainable Church invests in her spiritual, pastoral and economical dimensions to ensure her growth, using available resources, initiatives and pastoral programmes to meet the needs of the parish and the Archdiocese.

The parishes sustain themselves through participation and involvement of the laity in pastoral ministries such as Extraordinary Ministry of Holy Communion, Proclaimers of the Word, Choristers and Funeral Ministers. They are also active in Sodalities, groups/movements and in formation programmes as catechists. Some serve as leaders in Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Finance Committees.

WORLD REPORT • Latin America

Towards a More Synodal Church

The Latin American Church is treading the path of synodality. Gathered from all corners of the continent in an ecclesial assembly, the entire People of God participated fully, thus ensuring the synodal way of the Church

BY Ismael Piñon | MCCJ, Mexico

THE FIRST Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean celebrated from 21 to 28 November 2021 in the city of Mexico, brought together more than a hundred people, including bishops, priests, religious orders, lay men and women from all over the continent and about a thousand virtual participants.

It had a preparatory phase called the ‘listening process’, which lasted several months and involved intensive work in which members of the Latin American Church from different spheres of society had the opportunity to express their concerns, hopes and proposals about the Church.

For six days, the participants—40% lay people, 20% bishops, 20% priests and deacons and 20% from religious orders—shared and discussed the great challenges facing the Latin American Church, primarily based on the conclusions of the previous Episcopal Assembly of Latin America (CELAM, in Spanish), held in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007.

Pains and hopes

In the ‘listening phase’, the members of the assembly drew up a list of pains and hopes felt in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“As missionary disciples and citizens of the world, we contemplate the reality, we listen to the various and repeated expressions that cause us pain and indignation,” they said. Then they enumerated the most excruciating pain and injustices on the continent, such as the crisis of democracy in political systems, the injustices caused by unfair economic models, the culture of exclusion, xenophobia, the impact of the pandemic, and the idolatry of money, which particularly affect women, migrants and refugees, the poorest, and Mother Earth.

We recognize the inconsistencies that we live as People of God which show the need for conversion

Among these pains are also those caused by failures within the Church: “We recognize the inconsistencies that we live as People of God which show the need for conversion,” they confessed. They also expressed pain for the fragility of the experience of faith, missionary passivity, lack of social commitment to the poorest, and the ecclesial community’s distance from real problems which require commitment.

“We feel hurt by the lack of a clearer participation of women and lay people in the decision-making spaces of the evangelizing action,” they affirmed. They acknowledged that only 36% of the members of the assembly were women.

Clericalism

What seemed most painful to the members of the assembly was the perceived clericalism within the ecclesial community: “clericalism, as an ecclesiological vision, is an authoritarian style of governing which excludes lay people from the discernment and decision bodies, thus becoming an obstacle to the synodality of the Church. It is also related to cases of abuse of conscience and sexual abuse of Church members and the lack of reparation to the victims.”

The discernment work also allowed them to glimpse the hopes which illumine the path of a Church that wants to be more synodal, participatory and open. This synodality lived in the ecclesial assembly is precisely one of the greatest hopes expressed by the members of the assembly, as it presents itself as “a space for meeting, open for the transformation of ecclesial and social structures that allows us to renew the missionary impulse and the proximity to the poorest and most excluded.”

What seemed most painful to the members of the assembly was the perceived clericalism within the ecclesial community

The participants expressed their hope for a more united and fraternal Church, open to lay people, women, young people, and to a diversity of identities, peoples, and cultures; a “Church on the way out which becomes a neighbour and servant of a wounded humanity.” Among the hopes, they identified, in a particular way, the pontificate and the magisterium of Pope Francis, his spiritual leadership, and his coherence.

Signs of newness

The growth in the role of women, their commitment in society and in the Church, the growing awareness of the necessary care for our Common Home, of integral ecology, and the actions in defence of human rights also give rise to hope.

They also expressed their confidence in the fact that “many young people are organizing themselves and taking on new commitments, responding to the world’s needs, ecological needs, and creatively seeking new ways of evangelization.”

Many young people are organizing themselves and taking on new commitments, responding to the world’s needs, ecological needs, and creatively seeking new ways of evengelization

The alliances and networks created between Afro-descendants and indigenous people are also in the list of hopes, along with the basic ecclesiastical communities and lay missionaries, who “bear witness to fraternity and are often a prophetic voice for the Church and society.”

Challenges

Starting from these pains and hopes, the members of the assembly focused on the main challenges facing the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean and drew up a list of 41 with their corresponding pastoral orientations. From that list they selected twelve as the most important (see sidebar), which do not eliminate the remaining 29, but constitute the main contribution of the Ecclesial Assembly to the synodal work in each region.

In the concluding Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe, the participants consecrated themselves to the Virgin, asking for her maternal protection for the entire continent and for the whole process which seeks a truly synodal Church.

Work continues

As the participants indicated, the assembly was not only a point of arrival, but also of departure. Based on what has been lived and discerned, with the twelve challenges as a reference, the work continues in each country, in each diocese, in each parish and community to fulfil the beautiful task of proclaiming the Gospel and preparing the celebration of the Synod on Synodality, which will take place in Rome in 2023.

In order to put these twelve challenges into practice, CELAM proposed a pastoral itinerary for 2022 which included Lent subsidies which tried to implement the twelve challenges and a ‘seminar on identity and pastoral mission’ to articulate the different processes, aimed at members of CELAM and the assembly.

This itinerary, the so-called ‘regional ecclesial assemblies’, has taken place from February till May, in which each continental region has chosen their pastoral challenges according to their own contexts and realities.

Looking at the future with hope

Once these phases are over, including the celebration of the extraordinary assembly of CELAM with its outline for the responses to the 41 identified challenges, and in particular the twelve considered priorities, the continental phase of the Synod on Synodality—scheduled for October 2022— will follow and will run until March 2023.

The different testimonies that were heard by all the participants—cardinals, bishops, priests, religious or lay men and women, old and young—distilled a feeling of enormous joy and hope for what they were able to experience in those days.

Unlike other assemblies of the Latin American Episcopate, this time there was no attempt to prepare a document, but to exercise community discernment in a synodal manner. It is part of the path which the Latin American Church is taking and opens the doors of hope to a new way of being Church.