"The synodal journey is not about having answers and making decisions. The synodal journey is to walk, to listen - listen! -listening and moving forward". Pope Francis reiterated this for the umpteenth time when he received in Audience this Thursday hundreds of religious women participating in the 70th General Assembly of the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI), who have chosen as the theme of their meeting Christian witness in a synodal spirit.
"The synodal journey is not a parliament; the synodal journey is not a collection of opinions," the Pontiff stressed, reiterating that it is rather a matter of "listening to life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit," who remains the true protagonist of every synodal assembly.
Previously he had also confided "his fear" of the lack of understanding of the true "synodal spirit", when cases arise of wanting to "change" things or make decisions on certain issues.
"No, this is not a synodal path," the Holy Father added, "this is 'parliamentary,'" thus shutting out the many mistaken expectations that have been circulating for years in some "open-minded" circles, starting with the. situation in Germany.
Working on the Instrumentum laboris
In the meantime, as regards the synodal journey leading up to the General Assembly of Bishops next October, a group of experts from the five continents who will work and discern on the Continental Stageis meeting in Rome at the General Secretariat of the Synod, examining the seven final documents sent by the respective Assemblies.
This group is made up of 22 people, among them the members of the General Secretariat of the Synod: the Cardinals Mario Grech and Jean-Claude Hollerich, the bishop Luis Marín de San MartínNathalie Becquart, other bishops, priests, professors Myriam Wylens and Anna Rowlands, and some lay people.
As noted by the Secretariat of the Synod In a specific informative note, the final documents of the Continental Stage "will be analyzed in detail to highlight the tensions and priorities to be deepened" at the October meeting; the work will be accompanied by the daily celebration of Holy Mass and moments of personal and communal prayer.
This meeting will allow for the preparation of the working document that the bishops will use for the first session of the Synod. A press conference with journalists is scheduled for April 20, at the end of the meeting.
