“Synodality and evangelization are inseparable”: Apostolic Nuncio at Bishops’ Plenary Assembly in Southern Africa

Johannesburg, 22 January, 2026 / 12:30 AM

The Apostolic Nuncio in Southern Africa has highlighted the vital role of Synodality in the Church’s evangelization mission, emphasizing that the two are intrinsically linked and cannot be separated.

In his remarks for the opening session of the Plenary Assembly of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) on Tuesday, January 20, Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński stated, “Synodality and evangelization are inseparable.”

“A synodal Church that does not proclaim Christ loses its soul; a missionary Church that does not walk together risks losing communion,” Archbishop Jagodziński warned during the event at St John Vianney Seminary in the Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria.

The Vatican diplomat invited members of the SACBC “to renew their commitment to a Church that listens, serves, and proclaims, one that is grounded in Christ, faithful to the Gospel, and responsive to the cries and aspirations of the faithful.”

Reflecting on authority in the Church within the Synodal context, the Nuncio said, “In the Church, authority is never domination. It is a service.”

“No one is called to command for personal gain; all are called to serve,” Archbishop Jagodziński said, recalling the Holy Father’s response to those that have expressed concern that Synodality might weaken episcopal authority or obscure the hierarchical nature of the Church.

He said, “Pope Leo XIV has responded clearly: Synodality does not diminish authority; it purifies and deepens it.”

“No one possesses the whole truth; all must seek it together in humility. This vision echoes the wisdom of Saint Augustine, who taught that truth is not owned but sought in communion and that only love—caritas—can hold a community together on the path toward Christ, who is Himself ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ the nuncio added.

The Polish diplomat, who also represents the Holy Father in Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, and Eswatini, clarified that the synodal process does not seek to impose a single model or template on every local Church.

“Authentic Synodality respects cultural realities, historical contexts, and pastoral needs,” he said, noting that true unity is lived as communion in legitimate diversity, grounded in the same apostolic faith and not in uniformity.

He also reminded the Church in Southern Africa of its crucial responsibility to reach young people and families, not only through institutions, but through vibrant communities of faith, prayer, and service.

“The Synodal path invites us to walk together with them, to accompany them patiently, and to recognize the gifts the Spirit has already planted in their lives,” the Vatican diplomat said.

Archbishop Jagodziński entrusted the fruits of the SACBC’s members’ deliberations during their Plenary Assembly to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and invoked upon them “the gifts of wisdom, courage, and peace” in their Episcopal ministry.

“May the Lord grant us the grace to be deeply rooted in His love, to live in true communion with one another, and to bear joyful witness to the unity and charity of the Gospel,” the Vatican diplomat said.