HONG KONG (KKP): “Synodality on the Synod of Bishops is a sign of the times, in order to make people more able to glorify God and to bring about fundamental renewal of the Church,” says Jesuit Father Stephen Tung Chak-lung, the provincial superior of the Chinese Province. Father Tung, a supporter of spiritual conversation promoted by the Synod of Bishops, was speaking at a gathering on synodality organised by the Centre for Catholic Studies at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Shamshuipo, on March 4.
Looking at the spirit of synodality, speakers included Father Tung, Dominican Father Martin Bai, Vanessa Cheng Siu-wai, a former member of the Diocesan Ad Hoc Committee for the 16th Synod of Bishops. The synod’s consultation phase ended at the beginning of the year.
Anselm Lam Wing-kwan, director of the centre and host of the talk, said as the synod used spiritual conversation as a consultation tool to promote synodality, the centre hoped that more Christians could be aware of the spirit of the synod so that they could practice their faith and carry out their mission.
In his talk entitled “The Spirituality of synodality”, Father Tung said that synodality is a spiritual path, which is different from making decisions through voting. “It is a way for each participant to listen clearly to the voice of the Holy Spirit through spiritual conversation,” he said.
… Pope Francis, through the promotion of synodality, has shaped the face of the Catholic Church in the 21st century in which the faithful share more rights and responsibilities…
Father Tung pointed out that the faithful need to develop the ability to listen and learn to engage in two-way communication in the process of synodality. At the same time, they need to make effective use of spiritual tools to discern from experience and to understand the thoughts of different sides before making a responsible decision.
Father Tung said that “synodality” should be a continuous process in the Church. However, he believes that it will take time for the Church to nurture the faithful and help them learn the new mentality and expression of spirituality.
Father Martin Bai talked about the relationship between the Holy Trinity and a synodal church. He said the Holy Spirit comes from God and Jesus Christ and lives in us as we work for synodality.
He said that Pope Francis, through the promotion of synodality, has shaped the face of the Catholic Church in the 21st century in which the faithful share more rights and responsibilities and that synodality has addressed issues brought about by “clericalism”. “A person who really loves God, knows God, and receives grace from him, is a synodal person,” he explained. He said the focus should not be on the distribution of power but on the communion within the Church.
Cheng, on the other hand, said the experience in the ad hoc committee had enabled her to see that synodality is the nature of the Church. She believes the ad-hoc is not only a working group but also a “mini laboratory” for synodality as it comes up with decisions after discussions among its members from all sectors of the Church, with different vocations and backgrounds. According to her, the committee members first attended a spiritual retreat at Xavier House, Cheung Chau, before sharing their experiences in spiritual conversation with 1,000 laypeople.
