Synod of Bishops Enters Second Stage to Frame Proposals

(October 18, 2008) The Synod on the Word of God has finished its first stage, and now participants will work in small groups preparing propositions they will present to Pope Benedict XVI on October 25. These discussions on key topics follow eight days of interventions participants delivered on aspects of the theme "The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church." Most of the 253 participants, the Synod Fathers, are bishops from more than 100 countries, 41 of them prelates from Asia. More than 200 made interventions -- bishops, Religious, lay men and women, a Jewish rabbi and representatives of main Christian denominations. The interventions, limited to five minutes, addressed topics such as the meaning of the expression "Word of God" and the need to interpret Scripture within the Church community to avoid fundamentalism. From the Philippines, Bishop Louis Tagle of Imus spoke of the importance of listening to God's Word, while Oblate Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato touched on the role of Scripture in basic ecclesial communities and among the poor. Speakers raised questions about the sometimes tense relationship between exegesis and theology. Pope Benedict also made helpful intervention on this subject. Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec had identified the synod's goal as primarily pastoral in his keynote speech, and many interventions dealt with practical matters, such as the need for bibles in various languages. Archbishop John Ha Tiong Hock of Kuching, Malaysia, was among those who called for better biblical education of future priests. The need to improve homilies also came up several times. Others called for a revision of the lectionary. Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar, Sri Lanka, was one of many who spoke about Lectio Divina, a prayerful way of reading Scripture. Bishop Felix Toppo of Dumka, India, emphasized Scripture as the common basis for Catholics and other Christians on the road to unity. Closing the synod's first stage on Oct. 15, Canadian Cardinal Ouellet, officially the synod relator, presented his report to the plenary assembly synthesising the main ideas and proposals in his 19 questions, now used for discussions.