(UCAN): Asia’s Catholic bishops plan to establish an office to continue the momentum of the two-year Synod on Synodality, which sought to increase ordinary people’s participation in Church affairs.
The planned Office for Synodal Transformation wants to ensure the momentum of the synodal process does not fade away from “within our Asian dioceses and conferences,” said Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrão of Goa, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences [FABC].
The office will look to organise ongoing formation for bishops and other Church leaders on synodality, providing them with the necessary tools to lead their communities on this path, according to a letter addressed to member bishops of the FABC.
Planned as a “dedicated space,” the Synodal Transformation office aims to “share best practices, experiences, and resources” across the continent to practice the principles of synodality, according to a January 14 press release published on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The Synod on Synodality, which concluded last October, encouraged greater involvement of all members—laypeople, clergy, and religious—in decision-making through dialogue and listening, working towards a synodal Church.
Cardinal Ferrão stressed the need to design and implement comprehensive training programmes on synodal principles and practices for bishops, priests, and lay leaders. These must be done by encouraging dialogue between dioceses and conferences through regional gatherings, workshops, and online platforms.
The office also plans to research and document case studies, best practices, and research findings on synodal implementation across Asia.
The cardinal said the office will also help connect with other continental bishops’ conferences to learn from their experiences and share insights on the synodal journey.
Cardinal Ferrão, who represented the Asian bishops at the Synod on Synodality’s concluding session, said the FABC needs to find “creative ways” to implement the synod’s recommendations.
