ZAMBIA: Synodality Is A Call to Break Down Walls, Open Hearts

Fr Arthur Ntembula

Fr. Cletus Mwiila, a Missionary of Synodality in Zambia, has issued a passionate call for a radical transformation of the Church and society.

Reflecting on the synodal process, Fr. Mwiila emphasized the need for innovative approaches to address the divisions plaguing the world.

“To bring peace to this divided world, we must find new means which can match the discoveries of co-existence in the modern world, we must break through our old styles and ways of life to create communities of friends where leadership is not based on a hegemony, but upon personal values of inner depth, life of the spirit and love and compassion.” Fr. Mwiila asserted.

He envisioned a Church characterized by open doors rather than fortified walls, a place of welcome for those on the margins of society saying, “Synodality is plain Good News from Christ relived without the veneer of human construction to experience the Joy of the Gospel. It is for the courageous who are willing to open up and cooperate with the Holy Spirit.”

As a Missionary of Synodality, the cleric underscored the importance of revisiting familiar paths with fresh perspectives.

“It requires our willingness to re-traverse the once-trodden territories but now with a new focus! It is a time of renewal,” he said. He sees it as a shift “from a Church of power to a Church of family and service,” he said.

Fr. Mwiila’s message resonates with the observation by the General Secretariat of the Synod in the Working Document for the second session of the assembly, October 2024, that there is a growing desire among the baptized men and women for a more inclusive and compassionate Church.

As the synodal assembly concludes this October, his words serve as a powerful reminder of the reformative potential of the three-year synodal journey.

ENDS…