Cardinal Bo: Bishops worldwide should implement ‘diocesan synods’ in home countries 

Vatican City, Oct 17, 2024 / 17:10 pm

The head of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC), Cardinal Charles Bo of the Archdiocese of Yangon, Myanmar, said diocesan synods are an effective means to “build a vision and mission” for local Churches.

The high-ranking prelate from Myanmar told journalists on Thursday that synodality on a diocesan level is not a new concept for the Catholic Church.

“When I was made a bishop in 1990, one thing that attracted me in canon law is that about the diocesan synod,” Bo stated at a Vatican press briefing.

“All these years as a bishop — I have been in seven dioceses — I have conducted diocesan synods four times: in ‘92, ‘96, 2004, and 2014.”

Speaking from more than two decades of experience with diocesan synods, the 75-year-old cardinal said collecting feedback “from the farmers, from the villages, from parishes, and from workers, religious, and prisoners” has proven to be a worthwhile process.

According to Bo, the reports generated from synodal consultations with Catholic faithful in dioceses have provided solid foundations for the growth of local Churches in his home country of Myanmar.

The Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar is one of 22 active members of the FABC led by Bo. Earlier this year, the FABC held its synodality workshop — which was attended by 38 delegates from local Churches spread across 17 countries — in Bangkok, Thailand, from Aug. 5–8. 

During the regional meeting, the need for unity and harmony were identified as key for the growth of the Catholic Church in a largely non-Christian region. 

In spite of the challenges the Church faces in Asia, including the region’s geographical vastness and “deep-rooted cultures and traditions” that are resistant to change or view Christianity as foreign, Bo believes this month’s global synodal talks will be a “valuable opportunity” to bring “renewal” in local parishes.

The FABC aims to play a critical role in “guiding the Church in Asia toward a synodal mission” by placing greater attention on the participation of women, youth engagement, the poor and marginalized, and migrants at the parish level.

“It [FABC] serves as a platform for collaboration among local Churches and promotes shared pastoral priorities,” Bo said on Thursday. 

“The [synodal] process has brought renewed energy and hope for the future, and the Church in Asia is committed to building a Church that includes everyone and listens to everyone,” he added.      

With the final global session of the Synod on Synodality coming to a close on Oct. 27, Bo hopes the 272 bishops participating in this year’s discussions will open diocesan synods in their own dioceses.

“I wish also to encourage all bishops and all the dioceses that — based on the fruits that we gather in this Synod on Synodality — we don’t start and stop with this meeting [in the Vatican] but is a continuous effort that we try in all Churches,” Bo said during the Oct. 17 press briefing.