You said ... SYNODALITY ?
It was in his mind for a long time, we read about it, talked about it, discussed about it… Now Pope Francis declared the process active. But are we clear about what is that Synod on Synodality ? Here is a selection of three videos, quite enlightening on the topic. The first one is proposed by the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar and AMECEA. Parts of it are in English, parts in French. The second one, dating back to 2018, is a documentary of the French Catholic channel KTO, which discusses very clearly the concept of Synodality. It is obviously in French. The third video is made by a famous British Catholic journalist and author, who presents also very clearly the mind of Pope Francis on the process of Synodality. And obviously, that video is in English.
Pope Francis has inaugurated the path towards the Synod on #Synodality. “It is a process that involves the local Churches, in different phases and from the bottom up, in an exciting and engaging effort that can create a style of communion and participation directed to mission.” – Pope Francis To enrich our “journeying together” as the pilgrim and missionary People of God, the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) is partnering with the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) to provide resources that will enable the local churches, in the region and the entire Africa, to engage fruitfully and constructively in this synodal process. In this edition, we asked some African religious and youth what Synodality means for them.
“La Foi prise au mot” proposes to evoke a theme that we would not have spoken of a few years ago and which is becoming more and more important in the Church: synodality. This is a traditional form of government in the Church, called for by the Second Vatican Council, and widely promoted by Pope Francis, with increasingly strong demands from the faithful, those who are sometimes called “grassroots Christians”. This is the theme that the Church’s theologians are currently discussing, while dioceses and their bishops are trying to put it into practice. So what is synodality? Why is it a topical issue? How does it correspond to the mission of the Church? To talk about this subject, Régis Burnet will welcome Arnaud Join-Lambert, theologian and professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, and Isabelle Morel, lecturer at the Catholic Institute of Paris and deputy director of the Institut supérieur de pastorale catéchétique. (“La Foi prise au Mot” of 18/11/2018.)
Austen Ivereigh is a UK-based Roman Catholic journalist, author, commentator and biographer on Pope Francis. In this very good video, he explains and comments on Pope Francis’ vision for a synodal Church. (24 June 2021)