With Courtney Mares

Vatican City, 27 October 2024 / 08:55

Pope Francis closed Sunday’s global Synodal meeting with a call for a Church that “hears the cry of the world” without being “blind” to the urgent problems facing our time.

At the closing mass of the synod in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis said a synodal Church must be “on the move”, following Jesus in serving those in need.

In his homily on October 27, the Pope said, “We do not need an inactive and defeatist Church, but a Church that hears the cry of the world and gets its hands dirty while serving the Lord.”

Pope Francis underlined that the Church cannot remain inactive in the face of “the questions raised by men and women today, the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization and the many wounds that afflict humanity.”

“My brothers, not an established Church, but a Church that stands on its own feet. Not a silent Church, but a Church that embraces the scream of humanity. Not a blind Church, but a Church enlightened by Christ and bringing the light of the Gospel to others. “It is not a static Church, but a missionary Church that walks with its Lord in the streets of the world,” he said.

The audience celebrated the close of the second meeting 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of BishopsThe event started on October 2 and focused on the theme “For the Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.”

The meeting represented an important stage in the Church’s global synodal process, which was launched three years ago. Last month, synod delegates prepared a presentation. 52-page final document summarizing Suggestions for the renovation of the churchIt includes proposals for expanding women’s leadership roles, greater public participation in decision-making, and major structural reforms.

In a remarkable departure from tradition, Pope Francis announced that he would cease to give a synodal apostolic exhortation. Instead he chose to approve the synod’s final document. Direct implementation of parliamentary decisions. As the synod meeting draws to a close, 10 synod working groups It will continue to examine the issue of women deacons and other important issues until June 2025.

in it in a preachy wayPope Francis evaluated the issue Gospel of Mark about Jesus healing a blind man He was given the name Bartimaeus. “Blind Bartimaeus… represents that inner blindness that restricts us, keeps us stuck, keeps us from the dynamism of life, and destroys our hope,” he said.

“Many things along the way can make us blind, incapable of perceiving the presence of the Lord, unprepared to face the challenges of reality, sometimes unable to provide adequate answers to the questions of the many who appeal to us,” the Pope said. in question.

“An established Church that unknowingly withdraws from life and confines itself to the margins of reality is a Church that runs the risk of remaining blind and comfortable with its own discomfort,” he said. “If we remain stuck in our blindness, we will continually fail to grasp the urgency of a pastoral response to the many problems of our world.”

Wearing green robes for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Pope Francis delivered his sermon slowly, often pausing to speak with exaggeration. He described the image of a “synodal Church” as one in which “the Lord calls us, lifts us up when we sit or fall, restores our sight so that we can perceive in the light the cares and sufferings of the world.” From the Bible.”

“Let us remember to never walk alone or by worldly criteria,” he added; instead, he said, we should journey “following Jesus along the way.”

at the altar, Cardinal Mario GrechThe general secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod served as chief celebrant.

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More than 300 priests and bishops, 70 cardinals and nine patriarchs celebrated the synod’s closing Mass under the canopy of the church. recently restored baldacchino above the central altar.

The intricate 400-year-old bronze dome designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini appeared at Mass for the first time since the restoration; its twisted columns glittered with intricately decorated Baroque angels, cherubs, bees and golden laurel branches.

“As we admire Bernini’s majestic baldacchino, ever more sublime, we can rediscover that it frames the true focus of the entire basilica, the glory of the Holy Spirit,” the pope said. “This is the synodal Church: a community whose priority lies in the gift of the Spirit, making us all brothers and sisters in Christ and lifting us up to Him.”

As the service ended, Pope Francis led the faithful in a prayer service from his wheelchair. Relic of St. Peter’s chair – a wooden throne symbolizing the supremacy of the papacy. This work is expected to be exhibited for public respect in St. Peter’s Basilica until December 8.

“Today, we will be able to see and venerate the carefully restored relic of the ancient seat of St. Peter, as we give thanks to God for our journey together,” Pope Francis said. “As we contemplate the wonder of faith, let us remember that this is the seat of love, the seat of unity and the seat of mercy.”

Courtney Mares is the Catholic News Agency’s Rome Correspondent. The Harvard University graduate has reported for news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees. He is the author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” (Ignatius, 2023).