Synod of Bishops 2021 – 2023: Called to make a contribution

The 2021-2023 Synod entitled “For a synodal Church: communion, participation, mission” is underway. In this first phase, in addition to the involvement of everyone in their own parish or diocesan community, we are also invited to make a contribution as the Focolare Movement.

The reason for our participation
In a letter addressed to Margaret Karram in May 2021, calling the Focolare Movement to live the path towards the 2023 Synod of Bishops with the whole Church, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, said, “Considering that the Associations of the faithful are ‘workshops of synodality ‘(…) they are unique partners in this phase of consultation. Therefore, at the beginning of this ecclesial adventure I would like be close to all of you, to encourage and support you on this journey together with the people of God ”,

In response to this invitation from the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, the President of Focolare appointed an international team to prepare the first step that is the listening phase. As a Movement, we are therefore invited to seek opportunities to discuss the theme of synodality from the perspective of the charism of unity.

Synodal Church
In 2015, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis recalled that “the path of synodality is the path which God expects of the Church of the third millennium. (…) A Synodal church is a Church which listens, which realizes that listening “is more than simply hearing.”

On 18^th September 2021, in his address to the faithful of the diocese of Rome (Italy), the Pope issued a strong encouragement to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit who knows no boundaries, to listen to everyone who belongs to the one people of God, including those who live on the margins of the community. “Are the poor, the beggars, young drug addicts, all those people that society discards, part of the Synod too? Yes, dear friends (…) Synodality is an expression of the Church’s nature, her form, style and mission” .

Three stages:
This very rich vision offers us an important key for getting into the reality of the synodal process, which opened on 10^th  October 2021 in the Vatican and in local Churches on Sunday 17^th  October 2021.

It is a three-year process, divided into three phases, characterized by listening, discernment and consultation. It is an absolute novelty both in method and implementation.

It will take place not only in the Vatican, but in every Church of all five continents. It is the first time in the history of this institution, that a Synod has been held in a decentralized way.

The first stage (October 2021 – April 2022) concerns the individual diocesan Churches where the synodal journey will try to answer various questions about the life and mission of the Church, in particular, as the Vademecum published by the General Secretariat of the Synod reminds us, one basic question: “How does this “journeying together,” which takes place today on different levels (from local to universal), allow the Church to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the mission entrusted to Her; and what steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church?”

After the consultation with the dioceses, the Bishops’ Conferences will prepare a summary which will be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod along with the contributions from the dioceses. Then the General Secretariat will draft the first Instrumentum laboris by September 2022.

The purpose of the next phase, the continental one (September 2022 – March 2023), is to dialogue on the text of the first Instrumentum laboris in seven continental meetings: Africa, Oceania, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America.

These seven international meetings will in turn produce seven Final documents which will be the basis for the second Instrumentum laboris, which will be used in the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023.

The last stage of the synodal journey is that of the universal Church (October 2023). A fundamental stage of this process is the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in October 2023, which will be followed by the implementation phase, which will again involve the local Churches.

The charism of unity for a synodal spirituality
With what attitude should we approach the synodal process?
During the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, Pope Francis invited the participants to prioritize synodality: “With regard to your effort within the Movement, I urge you to increasingly promote synodality, so that all members, as depositaries of the same charism, may be co-responsible for and participants in the life of the Work of Mary and its specific goals.”

Reflecting on the experience which is at the heart the Movement, the President, Margaret Karram recalled the points of reference in the spirituality of the Focolare that can help in the implementation of a synodal process. The Pact of mutual love, renewed and placed at the basis of every process of discernment, represents the commitment to be ready to love one another. Mutual and continuous charity requires learning the Gospel Art of loving: listening, putting yourself in a position to learn,  speaking with respect, sincerity and clarity. Everything can be shared with parrhesia, putting yourself in front of God and keeping alive the reality of the new commandment.

Liliane Mugombozi (Yaoundé, Cameroon),

International team for the synodal journey of the Focolare Movement.

To facilitate the journey of reflection, sharing and listening, the team began the “synodal journey” in July 2021. In addition to a video of interviews, published on the YouTube channel of the Focolare Movement, a study aid was created to help members of the Movement experience the synodal process, collect and elaborate contributions to offer to the Synod secretariat.

 Link to the vademecum in English

Link to the video in English: