Description
“A synodal Church is a listening Church. In the first phase of the Synod on Synodality the People of God have spoken within their local churches and in the Continental Ecclesial Assemblies. This book sheds light on a unique moment in history indispensable for discerning and appreciating how the Holy Spirit guides the Church in our times to fulfil its mission.” – Cardinal Christoph Schonborn OP, Archbishop of Vienna
With the Synod on Synodality the whole Church invited to enter into a new phase of receiving the teachings articulated by the Second Vatican Council on the Holy Spirit, revelation, baptism, the People of God, the sense of the faithful, hierarchical authority as service, inculturation, etc.
After listening to the People of God in the local churches around the globe, for the first time in history, the People of God expressed through seven Continental Ecclesial Aseemblies what the Spirit is saying to the churches in their own context. Along with the reports of the continental assemblies, this book contains seven studies written by participants in these assemblies. They provide insights with regard to where and how the meetings were held, who participated in which way, what methodology was used and how these reports came about. The studies enable an exceptional opportunity to learn about the diversity of the Assemblies leading to a remarkable unity in their outcome.
The book captures a unique moment in history. It is a great resource to discern what the Holy Spirit through the People of God is saying and how this will affect the process of renewal and reform deeply rooted in Vatican II, which Pope Francis encourages the Church to implement by building a more synodal Church fit for its future mission.
About the Authors
Dr Myriam Wijlens, Dutch theologian and professor of canon law (University of Erfurt, Germany), is a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC, a consultant to the Synod of Bishops and a member of the Coordinating Commission of the Synod on Synodality. She is an expert at the Synod on Synodality in October 2023. She is a co-convener of the Peter and Paul seminar.
Dr Vimal Tirimanna CSsR, a Redemptorist priest from Sri Lanka, is a professor of moral theology at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy, Pontifical Urbaniana University and the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, and also at the National Seminary of Our Lady of Lanka in Sri Lanka. He participated in the Frascati meeting and in the Continental Assembly in Asia. He is a voting member at the Synod on Synodality in October 2023. He is a member of ARCIC and of the Peter and Paul Seminar.