Marking the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate, Cardinal Mario Grech says that one of the gifts he has given to the Church in these ten years is his call for the whole Church to become synodal.
By Cardinal Mario Grech – Secretary General of the Secretariat for the Synod
I think that one of the gifts that Pope Francis has given to the Church in these 10 years is his call for the whole Church to become synodal.
Synodality is at the core of his heart because he is a pastor, and I firmly believe there is that there is no flock without a pastor, as there is no pastor without a flock.
And I can see this in the personality, in the ministry, and in the teaching of Pope Francis, from day one of his pontificate.
A benefit and a grace
Hopefully, in the years to come, the Universal Church will not only understand the benefits, the pastoral benefits and the graces that the Lord is bestowing upon his Church through this call that Pope Francis is making to us all to get engaged in this synodal process, but the more the Church becomes synodal, the more it becomes aware of the innumerable gifts that really enrich the people of God.
And once we really find out the potentiality that enriches the people of God, then I think we will be in a better position to evangelise, to help humanity encounter the Risen Lord today.
A message to society
When Pope Francis is inviting the church to retrieve its synodal dimension, at the same time, he is sending a very strong message to society.
If I’m right to recall, in his Message for the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops in 2015, he says that the Church has this mission.
She is the bearer of synodality to society at large so that humanity will be more conscious of the fact that nobody can be saved alone, that we need to walk together in all walks of life.
A message for politicians
And this is a strong message to humanity at large, even to politicians, for example, so that we can really listen to everybody, especially to those who do not have a voice.
I’m referring to the poor, to the excluded, to those who are suffering injustice, to those who are struggling to preserve their human dignity.
A message for the good of humanity
Yes, he is sending a message to all, so that together, we can try to find a solution and implement it, and take decisions that will be for the good of humanity.
This cannot be achieved individually, but together.
So synodality is also a sort of solution that the Holy Father, that the Church is proposing to society today, a society that unfortunately is going through so many hardships, so many conflicts.
