African Catholics say synodality is also a call to Christian unity

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – As Rome prepares for the denouement of Pope Francis’s long-running Synod of Bishops on Synodality next month, Catholics and other Christian leaders in Africa are exploring the possible implications of the process for closer ties among the various Christian communities on the continent.

During a recent exchange known as the “African Palaver Conversation Series,” which concluded Sept. 6, African Catholics and leaders from other Christian denominations highlighted the importance of cross-denominational cooperation.

“Christians, regardless of denomination, have a common mandate,” said Professor Mary Getui, a member of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (Pactpan), which sponsored the event, and a Seventh-day Adventist scholar.

By “common mandate,” Getui was referencing Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations.

“Synodality is about more than structures; it’s about relationships,” she said, and noted that ecumenism is seen in action “when people come together across denominations.”

It’s a point made even more forcefully by Sister Lucia Ndinda Nzomo of Kenya, who told Crux that the synodal process in the Catholic Church necessarily implies an ecumenical dimension.

“The Vatican’s guidelines for the synodal process emphasize the need for open dialogue and collaboration not just within the Church but also with other Christian communities,” she said.

She said this aim fits into Pope Francis’s 2021 statement on the synodal process.

“The synodal process is not only a way of walking together within the church, but also of reaching out to others in a spirit of mutual respect and dialogue,” the pontiff told the Synod of Bishops in October 2021.

“This highlights the idea that the synodal process is not insular, but rather involves engaging with a broader Christian context to enrich the Church’s understanding and mission,” Nzomo told Crux.

She said the renewed push for Christian unity is deeply rooted in Catholic tradition, citing various Vatican documents. The Second Vatican Council’s document, Unitatis Redintegratio, for instance, outlines the Church’s commitment to fostering unity among Christian denominations.

Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint, further underscored the significance of ecumenical dialogue, describing the ecumenical journey as one of conversion and renewal, emphasizing the need for shared efforts, mutual respect, and a commitment to common witness.

“This teaching underscores that ecumenism requires an active and cooperative stance, engaging with other denominations to address common challenges and work towards unity,” Nzomo said.

She noted that cross-denominational cooperation is seen as critical to both the synodal process and ecumenism.

“For ecumenism, it is essential for promoting Christian unity and addressing shared concerns. Both processes reflect the church’s broader commitment to dialogue and collaboration in its mission,” she said.

That journeying together becomes even more essential in a world riddled by a panoply of challenges, said Father Stan Chu Ilo, Research Professor, Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology, DePaul University, Chicago, who is also active within Pactpan.

In comments to Crux, he said that as the world grapples with a multitude of interconnected crises, the future of Christianity in Africa and the broader Christian mission is increasingly seen as dependent on the collaborative journey of African Catholics with their brothers and sisters from other Christian communities, as well as from other faith and non-faith traditions.

“Humanity is facing many interlinked crises such as climate change, deepening inequality, social hierarchies, racism, identity politics, social tension, migration, conflict, and continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and new infectious diseases,” Chu told Crux.

“Wars and violence anger, fragmentation of society and division, poverty, abuse of human rights, poor governance and rising nationalism, and religious persecution are some of the very challenging situations facing Africa and the world,” he said.

“These challenges present us with opportunities to reimagine a different future and a better possible world. In facing these challenges we need each other, and we need multiple perspectives from diverse religious traditions.”

He said synodality “creates the possibility for a culture of encounter where inter-denominational gift exchange can take place through listening to the stories that give evidence of the witness of faith and the joyful and sorrow-filled experiences of diverse Christian communities in the wounds and brokenness of our world.”

He noted that synodality opens individuals to see God in each other and to hear God’s Word proclaimed through different Christian communities.

“Above all, synodality makes possible an ecumenical disposition that is radically Trinitarian in nature, because we realize that our common journey emerges from God and mutually leads us back to the Trinity,” he said.

He said the ecumenical journey will enable the church “hear in the cries of the poor and the cries of the earth, and behold in the dreams in the hearts of all Christians and in the uncertainty and fear that often arise when we face our human temporality, that there is an echo of God that sounds from the heart of the diverse communities of faith.”

“In these communities no matter how small they are or how separated they are from each other, those who pay attention with a humble hear will find where God’s footprints are being revealed to Christians through prayers, liturgical worship, outreach to the poor and quiet and prophetic acts of love and courage displayed everywhere Christians commit themselves to living faithfully and fruitfully in their imperfect ways everything Jesus taught and did,” Chu said.