"May the Breath of the Risen One help us to share the gifts that we have received"
The conclusion of the Synod. Pope Francis' address in which he explains why an apostolic exhortation will not be published: in the final document “there are already highly concrete indications in the Document that can be a guide for the mission."Dear Brothers and Sisters,
With this Final Document, we have gathered the fruits of at least three years in which we have been listening to the People of God in order better to understand how to be a “synodal Church” – it is by listening to the Holy Spirit – at this time. The biblical citations at the beginning of each chapter indicate the content by linking it to the gestures and words of the Risen Lord, who calls us to be witnesses of his Gospel, first with our lives and then using words.
The Document we have voted on is a threefold gift:
Firstly, for me, as Bishop of Rome, in convening the Church of God in Synod, I was aware that I needed all of you: Bishops and witnesses of the synodal journey. Thank you!
The Bishop of Rome, I frequently remind myself and each of you, also needs to practice listening, or rather he wishes to practice listening, in order to be able to respond to the Word that each day says to him, “Affirm your brothers and sisters...Feed my sheep”.
My task, as you well know, is to guard and promote – as Saint Basil teaches – the harmony that the Spirit continues to spread in the Church of God, in the relations between the Churches. Notwithstanding all the efforts, tensions and divisions that mark her journey toward the full manifestation of the Kingdom of God, which the Prophet Isaiah invites us to imagine as a banquet prepared by God for all peoples. All, in the hope that no one will miss out. All peoples, and nobody missing out! The key word is harmony [...]
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