Synod: Francis met the two Chinese bishops

Card de Rocha noted that for those who want to accompany young people towards life in fullness, "it is essential to know the realities that they live in, starting from the most painful ones such as want, war, prison, migration and all other forms of poverty".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis had a brief meeting this morning with the two Chinese bishops present at the Synod. Mgr Joseph Guo Jincai and Mgr John Baptist Yang Xiaoting greeted the Pope on his arrival at the Synod and spoke with him for a few minutes.

Yesterday, the general rapporteur, Card Sergio de Rocha, spoke about the method that will be followed during the synod. For him opting for "discernment rather than pre-packaged solutions dictated by 'it has always been done so' implies taking the risk of setting new paths".

Hopefully, “this Synod will be a beautiful experience to re-establish and reclaim those intergenerational alliances that give solidity and security to the world and the Church".

During the Synod, he noted, each week will focus on one of the three parts of the Instrumentum laboris: recognising, interpreting and choosing.

The first week will alternate between group work ("general congregations") and work in smaller groups ("minor circles") and will examine the "First part" of the Instrumentum laboris, namely the verb to "recognise".

This means "not looking at reality for a sociological analysis, but with the disciple's gaze, scrutinising the footsteps and tracks of the Lord's passage with an open and welcoming attitude."

For those who want to accompany young people towards life in fullness, "it is essential to know the realities that they live in, starting from the most painful ones such as want, war, prison, migration and all other forms of poverty".

This will also require "letting ourselves be challenged by their concerns, even when they question Church's practice (for example, the liveliness of the liturgy or the role of women) or touch complex issues such as affectivity and sexuality. Equally important is the awareness of the strengths of the Church's presence in the world of youth, and of its weaknesses, starting from the lack of familiarity with digital culture."

In his address, the cardinal also criticised the fatalistic visions that see life determined by destiny or chance. Instead, for him, it is essential to regain "a vocational interpretation of human existence" because vocation is the fulcrum of integration of all the dimensions of a human being.

It is precisely in a “vocational culture" that the specific commitment to care for priestly vocations and the consecrated life can find meaning, not in terms of privilege or power but of service offered.

Finally, it is also necessary to first listen to God and to question ourselves about the image of the community and the Church offered to the young.

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• synod
• pope francis
• bishops
• china
• discernment
• da rocha
• vocation