Prayer for Turkey and Syria opens the Synod of Churches in the Middle East
The meeting is scheduled from 13 to 18 February near the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon. The Maronite Patriarch presided over the commemoration for the earthquake victims and displaced people. The assembly of 120 personalities from the entire region, one third of whom are lay people, is divided into 11 inter-ecclesial working groups.
Beirut (AsiaNews) - "In the East we will be Christians only by being together, otherwise we will no longer be there". It is with this prophetic appeal for a "common action" of a synodal type, launched for the first time in 1992 by the Eastern Churches, that Fr. Khalil Alwan, the moderator, yesterday opened the work of the regional phase of the synod on synodality, scheduled from 13 to 18 February.
The meeting is based on the theology of the "sensus fidei", this spiritual instinct that enables the faithful to recognise - amidst a buzz of different opinions - the voice of the Good Shepherd, and on the general theme "For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission".
The work of this session takes place at the Bethania conference centre, a place located near the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa. Participating in the event are the seven Eastern Catholic Churches: Coptic, Syriac, Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, Armenian and Latin, which in themselves represent and form a 'continent'.
Having come to listen to "what the spirit wants to say to the Churches", the members of this 120-strong assembly represent - in addition to their own communities - the Holy Land, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Armenia and the Gulf countries. And one third of these representatives are lay people.
Chaired by the Maronite Patriarch, Card. Beshara Raï, yesterday's session began with a prayer addressed to the tens of thousands of dead and displaced by the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February.
Welcoming the assembly of participants, the head of the Maronite Church warned of a purely intellectual approach to the topics of the meeting. The consultation on communication and decision-making within the Church was held in the presence of Cardinals Mario Grech, secretary general of the synod assembly, and Jean-Claude Hollerich, its general rapporteur.
At the opening of the session, Card. Grech framed the proceedings by recalling that the theme is already well defined and "to conform to it is to show respect for the Church and for those who have dedicated themselves to deepening these themes".
The premise is based precisely on the fact that synodality is a cornerstone of Pope Francis' action, even though he is aware that different issues may emerge during the work from the various national and continental assemblies and that some of these issues may be "an element of division".
However, this call to order most likely does not concern the Christian East. After all, it is clear that the participation of the historic Eastern Churches in this consultation, whose final assembly will open in October 2023 in Rome, will produce a very different document from the one that will emerge at the conclusion of the work of the European continent.
A quick survey among the participants already gives an initial idea of the topics that could be at the centre of the debate: the establishment of a Church that is close to the people; solidarity in the face of persecution and religious intolerance; purification of the memory of the war; simplification of relations between the faithful and the clergy; collaboration between the Churches present in the same territory; cooperation and strengthening teamwork within the Churches; transparency of life; the fight against indifference, rivalries and jealousies, etc.
On the other front, Card. Grech made a point of emphasising - in his opening message - that the Orthodox Churches have maintained "ancient synodal forms, though without integrating the primacy of Rome" and that "certain Churches and Reformed communities have also developed" forms "of synodality among the people of God, to the detriment of the function proper to pastors".
The cardinal went on to add that the universal Church "with respect for Tradition" could draw inspiration from this to develop new models of synodality, collegiality and primacy, "while remaining faithful to the functions proper to the people of God, the college of bishops and the bishop of Rome".
"We are all students," commented Card. Grech, questioned on this topic by AsiaNews. "It is a big mistake," he added, "to pretend to know everything."
After the opening session, the synod consultation proper began, which is being held behind closed doors. The members of the assembly were divided into 11 international and inter-ecclesial groups and began the stages of personal exchange and confrontation following precise 'starting questions' for the work, according to an 'Ignatian' dynamic.
This process is marked by mutual listening, dialogue and discernment, which must allow pastoral priorities to emerge and manifest themselves in a capillary manner, from the bottom to the top. The hope, expressed yesterday by the entire hierarchy, is that it will not once again be limited to 'fine words' that are not then followed by concrete actions.
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