XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS - FINAL DOCUMENT - PART V AND CONCLUSION

 

XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

FINAL DOCUMENT

Part V - “So I Send You”

 

Forming a People for Missionary Discipleship

 

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn

20, 21-22).

 

140. On the evening of the Resurrection, Jesus gave the disciples the salvific gift of His peace and made them sharers in His mission. His peace represents the fullness of life, harmony with God, with sisters and brothers, and with creation. His mission is to proclaim the Reign of God, offering to every person, without exception, the mercy and love of the Father. The subtle gesture that accompanies the words of the Risen One recalls what God did in the beginning. Now, in the Upper Room, with the breath of the Spirit, the new creation begins: a people of missionary disciples is born.

 

141. The holy People of God require proper formation so that they can witness to the joy of the Gospel and grow in the practice of synodality: first of all, in the freedom of sons and daughters of God in following Jesus Christ, contemplated in prayer and recognised in those who are poor. Synodality implies a profound vocational and missionary awareness, the source of a renewed way of living ecclesial relations and new dynamics regarding participation. It also means adopting the practice of ecclesial discernment and a culture of ongoing evaluation. These cannot come about unless accompanied by focused formation processes. Formation in synodality and the Church’s  synodal style will make people aware that the gifts received in Baptism should be put to use for the good of all: they cannot be hidden or remain unused.

 

142. The formation of missionary disciples begins with and is rooted in Christian Initiation. In each person’s journey of faith, there is an encounter with many people, groups and small communities that have helped foster their relationship with the Lord and introduce them in the communion of the Church: parents and family members, godparents, catechists and educators, liturgical leaders and those providing charitable services, deacons, priests and the Bishop himself. Sometimes, once the journey of Initiation is over, the bond with the community weakens, and formation becomes neglected. However, becoming missionary disciples of the Lord is not something achieved once and for all. It demands continuous conversion, growing in love “to the measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13) and being open to the gifts of the Spirit for a living and joyful witness of faith. This is why it is important to rediscover how the Sunday Eucharist is formative for Christians: “The fullness of our formation is conformation to Christ [...]: it is not a mental, abstract process, but rather one enabling us to become Him” (DD 41). For many of the faithful, the Sunday Eucharist is their only contact with the Church: ensuring it is celebrated in the best possible manner, with particular regard to the homily and to the “active participation” (SC 14) of everyone,  is decisive for synodality. In the Mass, we experience synodality coming to life in the Church as a grace received from above. This precedes the synodality that comes about as the result of our own efforts. Under the presidency of one and thanks to the ministry of a few, all can participate at the twofold table of the Word and the Bread. The gift of communion, mission and participation -  the three cornerstones of synodality - is realised and renewed in every Eucharist.

 

143. One of the requests that emerged most strongly and from all contexts during the synodal process is that the formation provided by the Christian community be integral, ongoing and shared. Such formation must aim not only at acquiring theoretical knowledge but also at promoting the capacity for openness and encounter, sharing and collaboration, reflection and discernment in common. Formation must consequently engage all the dimensions of the human person (intellectual, affective, relational and spiritual) and include concrete experiences that are appropriately accompanied. There was also a marked insistence throughout the synodal process upon the need for a common and shared formation, in which men and women, laity, consecrated persons, ordained ministers and candidates for ordained ministry participate together, thus enabling them to grow together in knowledge and mutual esteem and in the ability to collaborate. This requires the presence of suitable and competent  formators, capable of demonstrating with their lives what they transmit with their words. Only in this way will formation be truly generative and transformative. Nor should we overlook the contribution that the pedagogical disciplines can make to providing well-focused formation, adult learning and teaching methods and the accompaniment of individuals and communities. We, therefore, need to invest in the formation of formators. 

 

144. The Church already has many places and resources for the formation of missionary disciples: families, small communities, parishes, ecclesial associations, seminaries and religious communities, academic institutions, and also places for serving and working with the marginalised,  as well as missionary and volunteer initiatives. In each of these areas, the community expresses its capacity to educate in discipleship and to accompany through witness. This encounter often brings together people of different generations, from the youngest to the oldest. In the Church, no one simply receives formation: everyone is an active subject and has something to give to others. Popular piety, too, is a precious treasure of the Church, which teaches the whole People of God on the journey.

 

145. Among the formative practices that can benefit from the new impetus of synodality, special attention should be given to catechesis so that, in addition to being part of the journey of initiation, catechesis is continuously drawing people outwards in mission. Communities of missionary disciples will know how to implement catechesis under the sign of mercy and bring it closer to each person’s lived experience, taking it to the existential peripheries without losing the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a reference point. It can thus become a ‘laboratory of dialogue’ with the men and women of our time (cf. Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, Directory for Catechesis, 54) and illuminate their search for meaning. In many Churches, catechists are the fundamental resource for accompaniment and formation; in others, their service must be better appreciated and supported by the community, breaking away from a logic of delegation, which contradicts synodality. Taking into account the scale of the phenomena of human migration, it is important that catechesis promotes deeper relationships of mutual acquaintance amongst Churches of origin and destination. 

 

146. In addition to specifically pastoral settings and resources, the Christian community is present in many other places of formation, such as in schools, vocational training colleges, and universities, as well as where people are formed for social and political commitment and in the worlds of sport, music and art. Despite the diversity of cultural contexts, which determine very different practices and traditions, Catholic-inspired formation centres are increasingly finding themselves on the frontline of a Church that is always moving outwards in mission. Inspired by the practices of synodality, they can become fertile contexts for friendly  and participative relationships. They become contexts that give witness to life; in them, the skills and organisation are, above all, lay-led, and the contribution of families is prioritised. In particular, Catholic schools and universities play an important role in the dialogue between faith and culture and in providing moral education on values, offering a formation oriented towards Christ, the icon of life in its fullness. Thus, they become capable of promoting an alternative to the dominant models that  are often driven by individualism and competition, thereby also playing a prophetic role. In some contexts, they are the only settings where children and young people come into contact with the Church. When inspired by intercultural and interreligious dialogue, their educational engagement is also valued by those of other religious traditions as a form of human development.

 

147. Shared synodal formation for all the Baptised constitutes the horizon within which to understand and practise the specific formation required for individual ministries and vocations. For this to happen, it must be implemented as an exchange of gifts between different vocations (communion), in the perspective of a service to be performed (mission) and in a style of involvement and education in differentiated co-responsibility (participation). This request, which emerged strongly from the synodal process, often requires a demanding change of mentality and a renewed approach to both formation contexts and processes. Above all, it implies an inner readiness to be enriched by the encounter with brothers and sisters in the faith, overcoming prejudices and partisan views. The ecumenical dimension of formation cannot but facilitate this change in mentality. 

 

148. Throughout the synodal process, a widely expressed request was that  the discernment and formation of candidates for ordained ministry be undertaken in a synodal way. There should be a significant presence of women, an immersion in the daily life of communities, and formation to enable collaboration with everyone in the Church and in how to practise ecclesial discernment. This implies a courageous investment of energy in the preparation of formators. The Assembly calls for a revision of the  Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in order to incorporate the requests made by the Synod. They should be translated into precise guidelines for a formation to synodality. Formation pathways should awaken in candidates their passion for the mission to all peoples (ad gentes). Formation of Bishops is just as necessary so that they may better assume their mission of bringing together in unity the gifts of the Spirit and exercise in a synodal manner the authority conferred on them. The synodal way of formation implies that the ecumenical dimension is present in all aspects of the paths towards ordained ministries.

 

149. The synodal process has insistently drawn attention to some specific areas of formation of the People of God for synodality. The first of these concerns the impact of the digital environment on learning processes, concentration, the perception of self and the world, and the building of interpersonal relationships. Digital culture constitutes a crucial dimension of the  Church’s  witness in contemporary culture and an emerging missionary field. This requires ensuring that the Christian message is present online in reliable ways that do not ideologically distort its content. Although digital media has great potential to improve our lives, it can also cause harm and injury through bullying, misinformation, sexual exploitation and addiction. Church educational institutions must help children and adults develop critical skills to safely navigate the web.

 

150. Another area of great importance is the promotion in all ecclesial contexts of a culture of safeguarding, making communities ever safer places for minors and vulnerable persons. The work to equip Church structures with regulations and legal procedures that enable the prevention of abuse and timely responses to inappropriate behaviour has already begun. It is necessary to continue this commitment, offering ongoing specific and adequate formation to those who work in contact with minors and vulnerable adults so that they can act competently and recognise the signals, often silent, of those experiencing difficulties and needing help. It is essential that victims are welcomed and supported, and this needs to be done sensitively. This requires great humanity and must be carried out with the help of qualified people. We must all allow ourselves to be moved by their suffering and practise that proximity, which, through concrete choices, will uplift them, help them and prepare a different future for all. Safeguarding processes must be constantly monitored and evaluated. Victims and survivors must be welcomed and supported with great sensitivity. 

 

151. The concerns of the Church’s social doctrine, commitment to peace and justice, care for our common home and intercultural and interreligious dialogue, must also be more widely shared among the People of God so that the action of missionary disciples can influence the construction of a more just and compassionate world. The commitment to defending life and human rights, for the proper ordering of society, for the dignity of work, for a fair and supportive economy, and an integral ecology is part of the evangelising mission that the Church is called to live and incarnate in history.

 

 

Conclusion

A Feast for All Peoples

 

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. […]

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast”. Now none of the disciples dared to ask him,

“Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave

it to them, and did the same with the fish. (Jn 21, 9.12.13)

 

152. The miraculous catch of fish concludes with a feast. The Risen One asked the disciples to obey His Word, to cast  their nets and pull them ashore. It is He, however, who prepares the banquet and invites them to eat. There are loaves and fish for all, just as when He multiplied them for the hungry crowd. Most of all, there is the wonder and enchantment of His presence, so clear and bright that no one needs to ask questions. Eating with them once again, following their abandonment and denial of Him, He invites them anew into communion with Him, imprinting upon them the sign of His eternal mercy that opens onto the future. Those who participated in this Easter would thus identify themselves as: “those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” (Acts 10:41).

 

153. By sharing meals with His disciples, the Risen Lord fulfils the image of the prophet Isaiah, whose words have inspired the work of the Synodal Assembly: a superabundant and sumptuous banquet prepared by the Lord on the mountaintop, a symbol of conviviality and communion intended for all peoples (Is 25:6-8). The breakfast that the Lord prepared for His disciples after Easter is a sign that the eschatological banquet had already begun. Even if it finds its fullness only in Heaven, the banquet of grace and mercy is already prepared for all. The Church has the mission of bringing this splendid announcement to a changing world. While nourished in the Eucharist by the Lord’s Body and Blood, the Church is aware it cannot forget the poorest, the last, the excluded, those who do not know love and are without hope, nor those who do not believe in God or do not recognise themselves in any established religion.  In its prayer, the Church brings them to the Lord and then goes out to meet them with the creativity and boldness that the Spirit inspires. The Church’s synodality, thus, becomes a social prophecy for today’s world, inspiring new paths in the political and economic spheres, as well as collaborating with all those who believe in fellowship and peace in an exchange of gifts with the world.

 

154. Living through the synodal process, we  have  renewed our awareness  that the salvation to be received and proclaimed is inherently relational. We live it and witness to it together. History reveals itself to us tragically marked by war, rivalry for power and thousands of injustices and abuses. We know, however, that the Spirit has placed the desire for authentic relationships and true bonds in the heart of every human being. Creation itself speaks of unity and sharing, of diversity and of variously interconnected forms of life. Everything stems from and tends towards harmony, even while being devastated by evil. The ultimate meaning of synodality is the witness that the Church is called to give to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the harmony of love that pours Himself out, to give Himself to the world. We can live the communion that saves by walking in a synodal way, in the intertwining of our vocations, charisms and ministries, by going forth to meet everyone in order to bring the joy of the Gospel: communion with God, with the entire humanity and all of creation. In this way, thanks to this sharing, we have already begun to experience the banquet of life that God offers to all peoples.

 

155. We entrust the results of this Synod to the Virgin Mary, who bears the splendid title of Odigitria, she who shows and guides the way. May she, Mother of the Church, who in the Upper Room helped the newly formed community of disciples to open themselves to the novelty of Pentecost, teach us to be a people of disciples and missionaries walking together, to be a synodal Church.

 

THE END