Fraternal delegates give their experience of the Synod

Among the participants the Thirteenth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops are 15 fraternal delegates from churches and ecclesial communities not in communion with the Catholic Church. Their presence is a sign that the problems facing the proclamation of the Gospel is universal to all Christians, not just Catholics.
“To sit and listen to the interventions, the topics that are being discussed, I think are really vital, not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the global Church as well,” said Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, the Secretary General for the World Evangelical Alliance. He is the first representative of the WEA to attend a Synod.

“It’s very good to be here to hear the commitment to Evangelization,” he told Vatican Radio. “Of course…the heart of being an Evangelical is a commitment to world evangelization.”
One of the fraternal delegates is Bishop Sarah Davis, Vice President of the World Methodist Council. She said all Christian communities are facing the same challenges.
“The fact that we are going to have to reach out and be relevant to those who don’t know, or have the language, the jargon, or the memory of the faith we have,” she said.

“We can no longer be content to be in our own little tent doors and figure everybody has to come where we are. We have to go out, and when we go out we have to recognize they are not where we are. If we love them enough, we will spend time to reach them in relevant ways.”

Tunnicliffe also said he was impressed with how bishops have discussed the effect of the sexual abuse scandal on the witness of the Church.

“The context of pain, where the Church has been instrumental in that pain, not just in the Catholic Church, but beyond,” he said. “How do you deal with that reality and the Gospel being relevant and compassionate towards those who have been damaged by the Church? I think [this] has also been an important conversation I have heard.”

Listen to the full interview by Philippa Hitchen with Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe:



Listen to the full interview by Philippa Hitchen with Bishop Sarah Davis: