9th CommTalkS at the heart of the Synod

Rome (Italy). In the 9^th CommTalkS video, the initiative of the Communication Sector of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to create a shared vision of the culture of communication, the Mother General Emerita of the FMA Institute, Sister Yvonne Reungoat, speaks of her experience at the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”, whose 2^nd session ended on 27 October 2024.

Mother Yvonne participated in both sessions as facilitator and she calls it an experience of grace “that profoundly transforms life, broadens the gaze, also widens the heart, and increases love for the Church,” an experience of “sharing paths of holiness and, at the same time, experiences of fragility, weakness, even sin, humbly recognized and presented to God in order to be purified by His mercy.”

In particular, she shares the beauty of the relationships established between the participants – who were essentially the same as in the first session – of fraternity and mutual trust, through which the synodality of the Church was experienced. “The bonds that were created during the Synod are for me the strongest experience that the Church has been able to make in its synodal process. Because it is in the deep relationships that are created, and that will not be erased, that one lives the experience of synodality. (…) The Synod allows us to experience that the Church is truly a fraternal community, where everyone has a place.”

Mother Yvonne she further invites us to deepen the final Document of the Synod:

“You can see in the Final Document that the heart of the synodal process is to live and create new relationships. Relationships are the heart of synodality, starting from God, who is relationship. God is  community. The Trinity is  relationship. And synodality expresses the way in which God lives His relationship with humanity. This element is particularly important.”

And she wishes us to “enter the document, not only by reading it, because it must be studied in depth. Enter the document by entering into dialogue with all the people, with the peoples contained therein, of whom the document is the voice, which is much greater than the words that are expressed.”

She ends her presentation with a message of hope:

“I carry in my heart a very great hope. Because I am experiencing that a seed of new life is sprouting in the Church and I am sure it will bear much fruit. The Holy Spirit is at work and He will continue to be creative. We do not know where He is bringing us, however, He brings us to a renewal guided by love. Love is always fruitful.”

The video is available with subtitles in Italian, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish(from the YouTube settings). All CommTalks remain available on the Youtube Channel CGFMANET and can be retrieved from the side banner on the home page of the Institute’s website.