Catholic World News News Feature

Voices from the Synod: October 11-13 October 13, 2008

The following are excerpts from some of the more noteworthy comments at the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th general congregations of the Synod of Bishops, meeting at the Vatican this weekend. The Synod is discussing the theme: "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church."

Bishop Antonio Menegazzo of El Obeid, Sudan:

In Sudan the majority of catechumens do not know how to read or write: as a result of this to prepare them properly for Baptism, catechists must explain the Word to them with posters, drawings and their own words. ... We have another great challenge for justice and peace, and forgiveness and reconciliation, after 21 years of civil war between the North and South of the country, after so much hatred, injustice and suffering. ... And let us not forget the war in Darfur, which continues with no sign of improvement in the situation.

Bishop Ramzi Garmou of Tehran, Iran:

The whole Bible, from the Book of Genesis to Revelation, tells us that faithfulness to the Word of God leads to persecution. The first persecuted person, par excellence, is Jesus Himself, who suffered persecution from the first days of His birth to His death on the Cross. According to the Gospel, persecution is considered as the most eloquent sign of faithfulness to the Word of God.

Bishop Dionisio Lachovicz of Kyiv, Ukraine:

The instrumentum laboris [the working document for the Synod] states that 'Christians have two realities in common: the Word of God and Baptism.. ... Paragraph 35 states that an intimate unity between the Word and the Eucharist also exists. ... Seen in this light, it becomes difficult to understand, from the point of view of ecumenism, why the Eucharist cannot be celebrated with the Orthodox (for example), while we can celebrate the Sacrament of the Word of God with them and we also have Baptism in common.

Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky of Bratislava, Slovakia:

In history we meet many men and women who have read Sacred Scripture in a way that led them to reorient their lives completely, to change their way of thinking and acting, or at least to find new reasons for their position of faith. The history of the Church is continually characterized by a return to the existential radicalism of Scripture. The sanctity of many Christians is a consequence of the sincere and often radical response to the call of the Word of God.... By way of example we may use the Franciscan reading of the Bible…

Bishop Enrique Diaz Diaz of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico:

Faithfulness to the Word of God exists when the first form of charity is realized in a respect for the rights of the human person and in defense of the oppressed and those who suffer. The indigenous of our communities in Latin America are among those who suffer. ... In many places a relationship has begun to be established between the Word and autochthonous cultures.

Bishop George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu of Chipata, Zambia:

Yet in some parts of the world, especially Africa, the reality is that most of our communities go without the celebration of the Eucharist for weeks, months and sometimes even for years unless Christians are willing to travel long distances to attend Mass. In this context, what about the old, the less able, the children, those who have to look after their fields protecting their crop away from the villages? ... Let the year of St. Paul bring about missionary consciousness that will motivate us into generous sharing of human and material resources in favor of spreading the Word of God.

Bishop Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze of Khulna, Bangladesh:

Bangladesh is a country where corruption, bribery and injustice are rampant. A small minority is becoming rich and the majority is becoming poorer. The Word of God calls us to justice and integrity in public life.

Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu of Kinkala, Congo:

In Congo-Brazzaville, a country that has been scarred by a series of internal conflicts, we are seeing an abundance of religious movements that can be classified into two categories. On the one hand, there are movements which practice a liberating reading [of the Bible], even while drawing on elements of traditional religion. These put themselves forward as a counter-reaction to a Christianity, which is seen as a negation of African identity. On the other hand, there are movements deriving from the Pentecostal movement of American origin, characterized by a fundamentalist or even magical reading of the Bible. These tend to draw people's consciences away from the concrete problems of life in society. There are also movements that tend towards the esoteric or gnostic, characterized by a symbolic and ideological reading of the Bible. All of this has to be placed in a context of underdevelopment with its baggage of poverty and resignation. Faced with this complex situation, what emerges is the urgent need to help and stimulate Christ's faithful in the Congo to read the Word of God, to meditate on it, to pray it inasmuch as it can 'recreate' an African man who still carries within the consequences of the past.

Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstatt, Germany:

The Word of God does not end with the published Bible nor with the announcement of the Word. In fact, the written Word does not have the same depth as the Word-Logos revealed in the Incarnation.

Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski of Siedlce, Poland:

Modern man, not having heard the Word, often stands before it dumbstruck... Kerygma is a very important moment. If however kerygma is not followed by real formation in listening to the Word within the bosom of the community of faith, there is a risk of being led into various kinds of moralism, or falling into different types of fanaticism, or other forms of subjective interpretation.

Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia:

Bishops are called to clear the way for the Spirit to work effectively when the Word of God encounters individuals and communities. Hence the following suggestions: (1) The formation of young adult lay teams to witness to Christ in youth groups, parishes, schools, and universities. (2) The development of contemporary equivalents of the medieval Mystery Plays to bring the Word of God to the people. The World Youth Day (WYD) Ways of the Cross at Sydney and Toronto are two examples; also Oberammergau and 'The Passion of the Christ' film. (3) Develop and support online Catholic social networks in cyberspace such as XT3, Christ for the Third Millennium (www.xt3.com), a Catholic 'facebook' with almost 40,000 members launched at Sydney WYD. ... (4) The development of a central Institute for Bible Translation so the Bible can be translated more quickly and accurately into local languages in Asia, Africa and Oceania. A collection to help finance the work of translation would be useful. (5) Request the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to produce guidelines on inerrancy in Scripture.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue:

The Word has always had a decisive role in the understanding of religious phenomenon. ... All the great religions have their own Sacred Books. Islam, in particular, is considered by its followers as the 'Religion of the Book' par excellence.... From these religions, Christians can learn much, even if Christianity would not be included in the 'religions of the Book'….. In sharing our respective spiritual patrimonies, without irenism or syncretism, we will be led to discover that we are all men and women who desire to be taught by God.

Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Immigrants should not be seen simply as an object of pastoral concern: they are, or can become, true missionaries. ... I believe that the Synod may make two particular recommendations: 1) Encourage those who find themselves in situations of migration or traveling to bring the Word of God with them, even the book of Sacred Scripture, knowing that they carry a priceless wealth which is not limited by geographical or cultural confines, but is a gift to be lived in the new country and to share with the host people. 2) To those who receive immigrants at their destination, a positive welcoming attitude toward these brothers is recommended, toward these who come from other nations bringing 'the good news' with them in their bags, facilitating their introduction into the local community and the sharing of faith experiences and Christian life which they bring with them.