Pope Francis opens the second session of the “Synod on Synodality” with an opening Mass on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (Photo grabbed from America Magazine)

POPE Francis opened the second session of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican with a reminder for delegates to open their hearts in dialogue as the synod concludes its three-year work.

“These have been years of work – sharing and discussion – carried out with a constant effort to purify our minds and hearts,” the Pontiff said in his homily during opening Mass on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at St. Peter’s Square. 

“With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must listen to and understand these voices – that is, the ideas, the expectations, the proposals – so as to discern together the voice of God speaking to the Church.”

Nearly 400 delegates will vote on a set of recommendations that will be provided to Francis for his approval or rejection, involving some of the most contentious issues facing the Catholic Church.

The Vatican has already excluded the subject of ordaining female deacons from the agenda. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, told synod members that the issue needed more dialogues to avoid rushing to a final answer.

The Synod on Synodality is remarkable for the inclusion of non-bishops as synod members. More than 50 women are eligible to vote on proposals in the meeting.

Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), leads the Filipino delegation. Joining him are Pasig Bishop and CBCP Vice President Mylo Hubert Vergara, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula, and theologian Estela Padilla.

Malta Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, said during his visit to UST in January that the synod turned out to be “liberating” for laypeople because of the consultative approach employed during the three-year project.

“Many laypeople in the course of this particular synod have spoken about how important it has been for them to experience being listened to in and by their Church. For many, it is the first time they have experienced this,” he said in his keynote address of the Philippine Center for New Evangelization (PCNE) delivered at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Jan. 19.

Conflicts, however, are inevitable, Grech admitted, as evidenced by how some synod members aired their views on controversial Church issues discussed at the first session last year, including outreach to members of the gay community and admission of married men into the priesthood.

“Tensions can really be generative of something new,” the Maltese cardinal said at a press conference at the sidelines of PCNE on Jan. 20.

At the opening Mass, the Pope urged synod members to demonstrate child-like humility in engaging in dialogues.

“The greatest in the Church is the one who bends down the lowest,” Francis said.

“I hope each of us will offer our contribution as a gift to be shared, ready even to sacrifice our own point of view in order to give life to something new, all according to God’s plan,” he added.

Francis underscored the relevance of this year’s synod as the Middle East inches closer to a regional conflict following heavy airstrikes carried out by Israel at the south of Beirut, Lebanon, that resulted in the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. 

Iran, which over the years nurtured a trio of frontline militant groups including the Hezbollah, which is determined to crush Israel, retaliated by firing 180 missiles around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The attack was thwarted by the US and Israel.

“We begin anew our synodal path with an eye toward the world since the Christian community is always at the service of humanity in order to announce the joy of the Gospel,” the Pope said. 

“In such a dramatic time in our history, when the winds of war and the flames of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations, there is a need for this message.”

The second session will end on Oct. 27. Reya Vincent P. Misa

 

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