As we know, the synodal process was opened in Rome on the 9th and 10th of October. Saturday morning had two very distinct moments; we began with prayer time from the Veni Creator and with the text of Ap. 1, 9-20 commented by Cristina Inogés, from Zaragoza and Paul Béré SJ from Burkina Fasso. There were testimonies of Faith and Christian commitment from various parts of the world and of varied life choices. After a break, the rest of the morning was dedicated to the work of groups according to languages.
This allowed us to begin to know and relate to people from all over the world and from their own spirituality, culture, tradition, etc. That richness that universality gives with a common question: our expectations, doubts, fears, desires… before the process that we are starting.
In the afternoon, the Secretariat of the Synod offered a visit to the Vatican Museums with a guide in the various languages that was a time to taste their own beauty.
On Sunday, the Pope presided over the Eucharist for the opening of the synodal process in St. Peter’s Basilica, and, in the afternoon, the Synod Secretariat offered an informal meeting space between the four commissions that work on this process: Communication, Methodology, Theology, and Spirituality. A very propitious opportunity for mutual knowledge and exchanges that allow us to collaborate better in the process that has begun.
After the celebrations, we move on to concrete work. On Monday, the 11th, we met at the headquarters of the UISG to meet by Commissions; and on Tuesday, the 12th, after the Eucharist in the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, we went to the meeting room that the Jesuits have in their curia, which is next to that church. We work together throughout the day
They have been very intense days. We had to take advantage of the presence of so many people arriving for the occasion and have the face-to-face meetings, which made us very happy after so many virtual ones throughout this last time.
Now we have a calendar of tasks and meetings, and little by little, we are feeling more and more immersed in this path, with many desires to put into play the best of each person involved and the richness of diversity.
On Sunday, the 17th, the process has been opened in the dioceses and thus, we begin to participate in teams, in parishes, in any possible area to get all the voices through their corresponding channels.
I do not want to stop reviewing, in a personal capacity, the emotion surges in me upon meeting Gloria Cecilia Narváez, the religious released after almost 5 years. Unknowingly, we had met sitting beside her – we were being placed in the line– at St. Peter’s Basilica. And, in fact, when the Pope approached our place, we didn’t know the reason until we saw the embrace and the blessing; I was able to hug her too and take a picture. I experienced it as a symbol of a dedicated religious life, with all the consequences, and so I expressed it gratefully
We continue walking with the desire to contribute everything possible for a welcoming Church that listens to total polyphony, where no one is left out.
María Luisa Berzosa, FI – Rome
