Synod and Synodality: Seminar for the Church in Bangladesh

The Cardinal, bishops, priests, religious sisters and brothers from different congregations, and lay faithful gathered from June 27–29, 2024, for the Synod and Synodality: Seminar for the Church in Bangladesh. The three-day seminar was held at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB) Center in Dhaka.

The resource persons were Archbishop Bejoy D’Cruze, OMI, Archbishop of Dhaka; Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, Undersecretary of the Secretariat of the Synod in the Vatican; and Fr. George Plathottam, SDB, Executive Secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office of Social Communication (FABC-OSC).

The three-day seminar was both overwhelming and enriching, filled with insights and challenges for the Church in Bangladesh as the participants reflected on their hope of becoming a truly synodal Church. Archbishop Bejoy shared about the Experience of the Synod and the CBCB Journey. Sr. Nathalie shared her expertise on Listening, Discernment, and Conversation in the Spirit, and spoke about Synodal Leadership: The Role of Youth, Women, and Laity. Fr. George, meanwhile, shared about the FABC General Conference in Bangkok, whose theme was Journeying Together as Peoples of Asia.

The participants were divided into eight groups for the group-sharing sessions. The principal dynamic used was the Conversation in the Spirit, a method that was not new to us as Hijas de Jesús. Through this process, participants were invited to listen deeply, share their experiences, and discern together.

During the closing program, Sr. Lory, F.I. gave a brief reflection on the three-day seminar. The closing and thanksgiving Mass was presided over by Archbishop Kevin Randall, the Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh, who joined the participants in celebrating the Holy Eucharist.

The participants returned to their communities with renewed desires, hopes, and dreams for the Church in Bangladesh. At the same time, they recognized the many difficulties and challenges involved in translating synodality into reality. The journey toward becoming a truly synodal Church calls everyone to live more deeply the three essential dimensions of communion, participation, and mission.