FOR A SYNODAL CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION, MISSION

Snippet from the Final Document: Part I - The Heart of Synodality

56. Listening to those who suffer exclusion and marginalisation strengthens the Church's awareness that taking on the burden of wounded relationships is part of its mission. The Church does this in order that the Lord, the Living One, can heal them. This is the only way that the Church can be “as a sacrament or instrumental sign of intimate union with God and of the unity of all humanity”. At

the same time, being open to the world allows one to discover that the Spirit has sown the seeds of the Gospel in every corner of the globe, in every culture and in every human group. These seeds bear fruit in the ability to live healthy relationships, cultivate mutual trust and forgiveness and overcome fear of

diversity. They also give life to welcoming communities, promote an economy respectful of people and the planet and bring about reconciliation after conflict. History leaves us with a legacy of conflicts motivated also by religious affiliation, undermining the credibility of religions themselves. Much suffering has been caused by the scandal of division between Christian communions and the hostility between sisters and brothers who have received the same Baptism. The renewed experience of ecumenical momentum that marks the synod’s journey opens the way towards hope.