Role of laity explored in Dhaka's Synod journey

On the journey towards the October Assembly, the dioceses of Bangladesh held a seminar with the undersecretary of the Vatican department Sr. Nathalie Becquart. Participants: 'A revival for the Catholic Church in the country'. Archbishop Bejoy N. D'Cruze: "The laity want to participate in decisions and expect to see their dignity more recognised".

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Over the past few days in Dhaka, the formation event "Synod and Synodality: a seminar for the Church in Bangladesh" was held. It was attended by the country's bishops, priests, nuns and 90 lay Catholics who spoke of a revival for the Catholic Church in the country.

The synodal journey also started in Bangladesh in 2021, with many meetings in different places, but this seminar reinforced it thanks also to the visit of Sr. Nathalie Becquart, under-secretary of the Synod of Bishops, who led the event together with Fr. George Plathottam, executive secretary of the Office for Social Communications of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.

"Through the seminar, I realised that all members of the Church - bishops, priests, sisters, lay people - have the same dignity in the Church. Including those who are needy, disabled and marginalised. In the past, only bishops participated in the Synod. This is an important change in the Catholic Church," Theophil Nokrek, director of the Caritas Development Institute, told AsiaNews at the end of the seminar. "If the process for the ordination of married permanent deacons also began in Bangladesh, the laity could contribute more to the life of the Church," Nokrek further proposed.

Sr. Nathalie Becquart said at the event that "the Synod on Synodality is a journey of the whole people of God, in the spirit of Christ's values. The three key themes of the Synod are communion, mission and participation'.

As for the theme "young people, women and Christian responsibility in synodal leadership", he added that synodality is a matter of experience and understanding, and that it represents a new way of practising leadership in today's complex world. He went on to share how the worldwide consultation process has included many stages.

After the initial stages in parishes and dioceses, 112 out of 114 bishops' conferences have submitted reports to Rome. At the beginning of 2023, seven continental Church Assemblies, including Bangkok, produced their own documents on the track entitled "Widen the space of your tent" (Is 54:2). The digital Synod also involved thousands of young people online.

Fr. George Plathottam, in the continuation of the work, said that in the synodal path dialogue must take place not only between Christians but also between people of different faiths.

Fr. Plathottam - echoing the final document of the Asian Continental Assembly on synodality - emphasised the need to overcome clericalism and the issue of involving women in the Church, young people, the poor, migrants, refugees and displaced persons. He spoke about the challenges of inclusion and hospitality, in dialogue with Asian culture.

During the seminar, Archbishop Kevin S. Randal, Apostolic Nuncio in Bangladesh, presided over a Eucharistic celebration. On that occasion, he said: 'It is a question of love, because God is love, but love is usually not known but felt. A hug, an empathetic gaze in a moment of pain, a caress, are expressions of love'.

"Saints,' he recalled, 'are people who have been able to come out of the shell of isolation and have embarked on a new path, similar to the synodal one. "Many saints had difficulty living in community, think of Peter and Paul. But their enthusiasm for the faith led them to give their lives: let us seize their examples and imitate them'.

On the last day of the seminar, in a press conference with journalists, the Archbishop of Dhaka, Bejoy N. D'Cruze, took stock of the issues that had emerged in the Bangladesh Synod journey. "The laity," he said, "expect to receive more dignity from the clergy and religious. They also want to participate in the decision-making process of the Church,' Msgr D'Cruze added, assuring that the Church leaders are taking this path.