MALAWI: Catholic Church in Malawi to Launch Synod on Synodality Process

Demetria Banda

The Catholic Church in Malawi will during this weekend of Sunday 17 October 2021 launch the Synod in all the eight dioceses after Pope Francis has launched it on 9^th – 10^th October, 2021 in Rome.

The theme of the Synod is; “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” and is expected to be celebrated till 2023.

According to National Pastoral Coordinator Fr Henry Chinkanda, ‘Synod’ is an ancient and venerable word in the tradition of the Church which means ‘journeying together as a Church’.

“We learn from history that the Catholic Church has been conducting synods since early days. The synod was convoked mainly to try and discuss few problems emanating in the Church and society so as to find ways of addressing them and new ways of evangelizing. There have been synods regarding the Youth, Family life and many other synods, but this particular Synod is a special one. The theme, that calls “For a synodal church” specifically invites people and Christians to live in communion as a Family of God, to participate in the life and activities of the Church and to embrace their missionary duty because, being baptized, Christians are also sent out as ambassadors of God’s message,”

“Entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission’ this Synod will provide an opportunity for the entire people of God to discern together how to move forward as Church. One of the fruits of the Second Vatican Council was the institution of the Synod of Bishops. The Church increasingly realizes that Synodality is the path for the entire People of God. Hence the Synodal process is no longer for the bishops but a journey for all the faithful, in which every local Church has an integral part to play,” explained Fr Chinkanda citing Pope Francis’s words.

It is expected that by the end of synod in 2023, all the different stakeholders within the church would be consulted and people will be able to participate and manifest their missionary zeal in the church and we hope that this process will yield positive results, said Fr Chinkanda

Fr Chinkanda also said that the Bishops will take advantage of the already existing pastoral programmes to launch the Synod in their respective Dioceses. He concluded that this Synodal process is not only a series of exercises that start and stop, but rather a journey of growing authentically towards the communion and mission that God calls the Church to live out in the third millennium.