New Hall of the Synod, Thursday, June 13, 2024
I participated in the Annual Meeting of Moderators of Associations of Pontifical Right focused on the Challenges of Synodality for Mission, organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.
More than 200 people participated, leaders of different movements, communities and associations of pontifical right. We had excellent speeches by Pope Francis, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Elisa Lisiero and Rafael Luciani.
I also participated in other opportunities in these meetings, in general, all of them seemed to me very good because we share and learn from so many experiences of such a diverse world, where the Church is present. It is remarkable how God makes a charism emerge in a corner of the world, which sometimes we do not know where it is, and this can be useful to my local Church.
But undoubtedly, this edition is the one that seemed to me the most fruitful.
I share with you the elaboration of my notes:
- Pope Francis (who was very animated and took the time to greet one by one the participants) opened the meeting with a message pastorally close, theologically adequate to the signs of the times and very concrete for the reality of the communities and their apostolates.
- The Prefect, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, gave a courageous and realistic vision of the current situation of the Church and the special role that the laity and their movements and associations have at this time. He encouraged us to get out of our comfort zones and take on missionary challenges.
- It was a collective construction, more than 50% of the total time was occupied by the contributions that the participants made spontaneously throughout the day.
- The aggiornamento and reflection on our structures is a vital work that we must carry out.
- We must avoid enclosure in our own movement and be open to diversity, considering it as an opportunity and not as a threat.
- Not to block ourselves for fear of losing our own belonging or identity.
- It is a priority to review our relationship with the world today. It is possible that we are trying to relate our mission or charism with a non-existent idea of the world. Evangelization is not possible if there is no contact. It is necessary, once again, to follow the advice of the Second Vatican Council on inculturation.
- May synodality remain a permanent mode of action of the Church (desire expressed by Francis).
My impression: there was a positive tension in the atmosphere. I saw in this meeting a certain almost synchronous preparation of all the participants. In my opinion, it is the maturation that the various synods were taking place at the local level, which awakened us and allowed us to see, in this real “road”, brothers, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and above all to reaffirm the sense of being the Church of Christ.
Pino Scafuro
CHARIS Moderator
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Photo: Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
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Photo: Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
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Photo: Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
