IMBISA Gathers Formators in Response to Synod on Synodality’s Call for “extensive revision of priestly formation”

Pretoria, 10 April, 2024 / 10:13 PM

The leadership of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) has partnered with the African Synodality Initiative (ASI) to gather Rectors and other formators in Seminaries in the nine-nation region for a three-day formation workshop organized under the theme, “A Synodal approach to Priestly formation”.

In a concept note on the April 8-12 workshop shared with ACI Africa Tuesday, April 9, the organizers say that the formation workshop is a response to the call for “extensive revision of priestly formation” in the ongoing Synod on Synodality, which Pope Francis extended to 2024, with the first phase, 4-29 October 2023, having concluded with a 42-page summary report.

Credit: African Synodality Initiative (ASI)

The first phase of the multi-year Synod on Synodality “proposed an extensive revision of priestly formation. In the perspective of the formation of all the baptised for a synodal church, that of deacons and priests requires particular attention,” the organizers say, justifying the bringing together of Seminary Rectors and formators within IMBISA at Padre Pio Retreat Centre in South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria.

The formation workshop that has also Catholic Bishops at the helm of the IMBISA Pastoral Department and members of the IMBISA Secretariat among the participants is also justified by the “widely expressed” request, “that seminars or other training courses for candidates for the ministry be linked to the daily lives of the communities has been widely expressed,” the organizers add in their concept note shared with ACI Africa.

Credit: African Synodality Initiative (ASI)

“This workshop aims to empower formators and rectors to become leaders in the synodal journey, laying the foundations for a church that truly listens to the voice of the entire People of God,” organizers drawn from IMBISA and ASI, a partnership between the Jesuits Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM), the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), and the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), say.

The formation workshop, the organizers further say, is “guided by the vision of cultivating a synodal church that actively listens to the voice of the entire People of God” and thus “marks a significant step towards the transformation of priestly formation” in IMBISA.

Credit: African Synodality Initiative (ASI)

The formation workshop, which the organizers say “recognises the need to integrate synodality and spiritual conversation into the formation of future church leaders and priests” is part of the efforts Church leaders in IMBISA are making “to address the evolving needs of the church and ensure that future priests are well-equipped to foster a synodal church.”

During the workshop that is set to conclude on Thursday, April 11, participants drawn from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are to have their leadership skills enriched “by exploring the principles and practices of synodal leadership and addressing issues of clericalism and abuse of power.”

Credit: African Synodality Initiative (ASI)

Those involved in the formation of future Priests in IMBISA will have the opportunity to dialogue and share ideas during the workshop, the organizers say, adding that they envisage publishing “a document based on the workshop presentations for use in all seminaries and theological faculties within the IMBISA region.”

“The three-day conference will feature presentations, conversation in the spirit and open dialogue led by experts in ecclesiology, synodality, and spiritual conversation. Participants will engage in practical sessions and group discussions to share best practices and experiences,” they say, highlighting the formation workshop methodology.

Credit: African Synodality Initiative (ASI)

According to IMBISA and ASI representatives, “The insights gained and experiences shared during these three days will undoubtedly contribute to the ongoing transformation of seminary formation, paving the way for a church that embodies the vision and practice of synodality in the Third Millennium.”

Credit: African Synodality Initiative (ASI)