On the occasion of the USCCB Fall General Assembly, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General for the Synod of Bishops sent a video-message to the US bishops gathering in these day in Baltimore.
“Do not be afraid to tell us frankly what you have gathered from listening to your people about what the Spirit is saying to the Church: to your Church and to the whole Church” Cardinal Grech told the US Bishops. “In this logic of the exchange of gifts among the Churches, every contribution to the understanding of the Synodal Church is important. Contrary to what many assume, there are no written conclusions; there is no desire to impose a line of thinking. There is a willingness to listen to the Spirit in listening to one another. Nor do we think that there are positions that are worth more than others. The will of the Secretariat is to encourage listening at all levels of the life of the Church and to itself engage in this process of listening in order to discover the voice of the Living God”
After deepening the meaning of sinodality which needs “an authentic ethic of listening” and “demands a willingness on the part of all to give up strongly held positions and goals, and to adopt a culture of dialogue and collective decision making”, the Secretary General for the Synod focused on the theological category of the People of God stressing the importance of the “reciprocity of relationship.”
Card. Grech concluded his video message by mentioning the five nationwide Encuentro experiences as a best practice. The primary objective the Encuentro was “to discern pastoral practices and priorities in order to improve the quality of ministry among Hispanic/Latino Catholics, under the leadership of the U.S. Bishops”
See the Video (ENGLISH ONLY)
Transcription of the Video-Message of Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General for the Synod of Bishops to the Bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gathering in Baltimore for their General Assembly (English Version – Italian Version - Spanish Version)