“Thanks to the Synod we are experiencing the ecclesiological processes set out in the conciliar pages; for this reason we can affirm that it is the mature fruit of the Council, a true Copernican turning point in conciliar ecclesiology, that is, the common belonging to the people of God and the common dignity of all the baptized”. The Cardinal said it this afternoon in Catanzaro Mario GrechGeneral Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, meeting with Archbishop Claudio Maniago, the delegates and representatives of the parish pastoral councils of the diocese, who have been engaged for over two years in the two phases of listening and discernment.
Grech highlighted, in particular, that the Synod, in the first phase, hallowing us to intercept the largest number of faithful, trying to reach even those who are far away and paying attention to the poor and marginalized, difficulty initially raised by many bishops and many communities, in times of Covid. Listening to the people of God means listening to the voice of the Church and not the opinions of the people, so much so that no document could condense the depth of faith that overflows from the contents received in the various local Churches”.
“At this point of the synodal path – said Cardinal Grech – the hope is that it will be possible to promote the maturation of an ecclesial conscience in which the people of God are experienced as subjects; to do this we need to listen to the people of God which means listening to what the Spirit says to the Church. If we didn't have this certainty, the consultation would be reduced to a sociological survey.”
“This reflection on synodality – Grech also recalled – started from the Youth Synod: it is important to listen to young people, they are the ones who lead us on this path”.
Responding to the questions and reflections of the delegates present at the assembly, Grech did not fail to highlight that the Synod is the point of convergence of the dynamism of listening at all levels of the life of the Church, which begins by listening to the people, continues by listening to the pastors, culminating in the intervention of the bishop of Rome. It is a question of promoting circularity, because the pyramidal Church is overcome by the Council: the holy people of God will thus feel confirmed in the experience of listening and will grow in mentality and in a synodal style”. “For this reason – added the cardinal – the Church must continue to live the synodal path in the logic of listening to the Spirit and the people of God in its entirety”.
