‘We will take the trouble of listening to everyone’
By Neta Nwosu and Constaincia Uruakpa
Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, on Sunday inaugurated the Lagos Archdiocesan phase of the Synod of Synodality with a morning Mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub. This is coming on the heels of Dioceses across the world kicking off their respective Synodal process on Sunday, October 17, 2021 in preparation for the general assembly of Synod of Bishops in October 2023. Flagging off the Diocesan phase of the preparation for the Synods of Bishops in the Archdiocese of Lagos, Archbishop Martins urged all priests, religious, associations of the lay faithful to take active interest in this phase of the Synod of Bishops, walking together, meeting and listening to one another with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Penultimate Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate the universal Church’s two-year-long synodal process that will ultimately culminate in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican in October 2023.
According to Archbishop Martins, Pope Francis opened the synod that will reach its climax, when delegates from all over the world will gather, to discuss input that would have come from local Churches, all over the world. In his homily, the prelate disclosed that the diocesan phase, which will focus on listening to and consulting the people of God, will run through April 2022. This will be followed by a continental phase from September 2022 to March 23, and finally a “universal Church phase,” which will culminate in the traditional assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican in October 2023. “The phase of the synod that we begin today will go on for the next six months, it will go on till April 2022, when by the grace of God delegates from all over the Archdiocese shall gather together as a people of God to reflect on the input that we would have received from discussions that must have taken place at each of the Deaneries in our Archdiocese.
Synod of Synodality
“The theme of this synod is, ‘For a synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. This forthcoming synod has been referred to as a ‘Synod on Synodality’; that is to say, a synod that is meant to guide the Church on the part of encouraging and inspiring every segment and every member of the Church, to be actively involved in the life of the Church. To be interested in the processes that takes place in the Church. To be actively involved in taking responsibility for the life of the Church today, and as it journeys into the future.
The three-dimensional theme
Speaking further, he said the theme of this synod has three dimensions. “There are three dimensions to the synod, which are captured in the theme. These three dimensions indicate the direction that the Church hopes to follow, as we journey into the future. Communion: As a Church in communion, we recognize that our Church is made up of peoples from diverse background and different life experiences. The Church is as diverse as the different parts of the world in which she exists, but they are nevertheless united; united in a way that is similar to the unity of the Trinity. The persons of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct, but they are so closely united that the Holy Trinity is one God. In the same way the Church is one even though we are diverse, our life experiences are different but we are bound together by the word of God which inspires our faith and action.
And also the living tradition of the Church; a tradition that is based on what is called the ‘Sense of the Faith’, ‘Sensus Fidei’, the common understanding of the faith guided by the Holy Spirit. “My dear brothers, my dear sisters, the implications of the idea of communion is what will guide our discussions, and indicate how we organize ourselves as a people of God, as we journey into the future. Another pillar of the synodal preparation meetings shall be an examination of a call to participation in the life of the Church. This, my dear friends is a call to listen to one another with understanding. With the understanding that everyone who belongs to the people of God has something to say, something important to contribute, and therefore, needs to be heard in the scheme of things. So, we are all called dear friends to listen, analyse, to dialogue, to discern and to offer advice on pastoral dimensions, on the way and direction that our Church must take.
“The other pillar of the synod is to re-emphasise mission. Mission is the purpose for which the Church exists. In other words, the reason for the existence of the Church is to evangelise. Therefore, the synod has as its major point of discussion and action the discovery of the way that we must follow, in order to evangelise the world of today, making Christ known, making Christ accepted as Lord, even in the atheistic secular world, the way the Church exists today.
Lagos Archdiocesan phase of the Synod
“During our meetings, we want to tease out ways by which we can better witness to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, especially in our time, to know those who are poor, those who are marginalized, to those who are at the fringes of life, either economically, socially or otherwise. And so, in the next six months, we shall at our different deaneries be reflecting on these issues, with a view to drawing out plans of action, which will be proposed to the Church in Nigeria, which the Church in Nigeria, in turn will propose a part that speaks to our realities as a local Church. These shall be made available and discussed at universal Church level when the time comes.
“During the six months of this Diocesan phase of the synod preparations we shall pray the synod prayer in all Parishes, the synod prayer would be prayed asking the Lord to guide our discussions, to guide our thoughts, to guide our actions so that the decisions we arrive at will give glory to the name of God and will allow the Church to flourish leading the faithful on the journey of salvation to the knowledge of Christ in His Church. In other to actualize some of these things that I have been saying, we have asked contact persons, Rev. Fr. Marcellinus Teko and Rev. Fr. Victor Okiria who will be liaising with Deans and Deaneries, they would be leading us to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria. “They will be working with those who will coordinate the discussion groups at our Deanery levels. They will be providing the resources that are needed for the discussions; the topics, the questions, the things that are needed for the discussions.
These contact persons will coordinate the activities for the Diocesan team. We will take steps necessary to develop a calendar for the different activities of the synod in our Archdiocese. Along with the Archdiocesan team, you will receive reports from the Deaneries, synthesise those reports and place them at the service of our Church in the Archdiocese, as we gather together for our Archdiocesan meeting, in April of next year, by the grace of God. “And so, we call on all priests and all religious, on all associations of lay faithful, to take active interest in this Diocesan phase of the Synod of Bishops. The Holy Father has asked that we take the trouble of listening to everyone, by having the discussion groups that involve everyone all over the Archdiocese. And so, I hope that all those who will be representing the voices and presenting the opinions and the advice of the various sections of our Archdiocese will make the required sacrifice, in order that we shall have a fruitful, successful and actionable result from our efforts, in this Diocesan phase. So we pray that God will assist us at this important task, and that we shall by the power of the Holy Spirit arrive at the point that will assist our Church to flourish even more, as we journey into the future.” The opening of the Diocesan phase of the synod, saw the inauguration of representatives of the deaneries, who will be the point persons at the Deanery level.
