We are a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and encourages dialogue, a Church ever open to welcoming, like this Square with its open arms, all those who are in need of our charity, our presence, our readiness to dialogue and our love» (Leo XIV)
At the end of June, the “Pathways for the Implementation phase of the Synod” was published after a meeting between Pope Leo and the Synod Secretariat. It is an outline of the on-going Synodal journey from 2025 to 2028 in relation to the ‘Final Document’ from the Synod of Bishops published at the end of last year.
Bishops have the prime responsibility for overseeing the phase in their dioceses, but this does not mean that the journey is not moving forward in the Diocese of Plymouth. Canon Paul Cummins, our Diocesan Administrator, has asked a small team to pull together a variety of pathways for our Diocese, based on the Final Document, so that these can be presented to our new Bishop, when he is appointed, for his discernment/guidance.
However, we don’t need to wait for a Bishop to continue our ongoing journey of Synodality. The building up of the body of Christ and the mission of the church is a task entrusted to each of us as the people of God, through our baptismal vocation. We are all encouraged to practice synodality in our daily lives, enabling us to walk with Christ along the road together, with listening and talking, and being moved by the Holy Spirit.