Johannesburg, 10 January, 2026 / 12:30 pm (ACI Africa).
The Chairperson of the Commission for Synodality at the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has called on Clergy, Women and Men Religious, and lay faithful to offer support and commitment to formation on Synodality as Dioceses head to its implementation.
In his reflection at the ongoing short course program titled “Leadership in a Synodal Church” at St. Vianney Seminary in South Africa, Archbishop Dabula Anthony Mpako said that formation in Synodality is essential for understanding the Synod on Synodality better, especially during the implementation phase.
Lauding the organization of the short course, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria said said that with Synodality, the Church is going back to “the original way of being”, a situation he said could be challenging.
“All of us, Clergy, Religious, lay people, need to be formed in synodality. Even though Synodality an old thing, we are going back to the original way of being church. It is a new thing because, for the past millennium, going back to the Middle Ages, we adopted a different model of church. It is going to be a challenge now to step outside that model and to embrace this one. So we need a very large set of support from you,” he said.
The Archbishop of Pretoria underscored the importance of formation as dioceses prepare to put Synodality into practice, saying that leaders and the faithful must be well formed so that they can clearly understand what Synodality means for Church leadership, decision-making, and pastoral work.
