In the homily of the ecumenical vigil that he presided over this Saturday in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis made wishes that, in the Synod of Synodality, the Holy Spirit purifies the Church.
“Let us ask, in common prayer, to learn to be silent again, to listen to the voice of the Father, the call of Jesus, and the groaning of the Spirit. Let us ask that the Synod be a kairos of fraternity, a place where the Holy Spirit purifies the Church from murmurings, ideologies, and polarizations,” said the Holy Father at the Together vigil, an event organized by the Taizé Community, in which they participated leaders of various Christian confessions, with some 18 thousand people present, according to the Vatican Press Office.
The “pre-vigil” began with the testimony of three young people: Emile, from Lebanon; Agata, from Indonesia; and Tilen, from Slovenia, who shared their experience in the synodal path process.
The Synod of Synodality was convened in the month of October 2021 under the motto “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.” 365 people are invited to the session that will take place this October, including bishops, religious, priests, deacons and lay people. For the first time, non-bishops – including 54 women – will have the right to vote.
After the testimonies, there was a dramatization of the parable of the Good Samaritan, during which the Gospel passage was read, followed by a joyful Nigerian song.
Then, a young refugee, Wael from Syria; and the Colombian migrant Daniela, made a separate reflection on the importance of building peace, collaborating with displaced people in different parts of the world, and then prayed the final prayer of the encyclical Fratelli tutti of Pope Francis .
Afterwards, the Via Creationis was carried out, composed of seven stations to give thanks for God’s creation, within the framework of the Time of Creation, which the Church celebrates from September 1 to October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The vigil itself then began, with an invocation by Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, followed by the reading of the book of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Eph.4,1-7) by Dr. Anne Burghardt, from the Lutheran World Federation. The Gospel of Saint Matthew (5:1-12) was delivered by Mar Paulus Benjamin of the Eastern Church of Assyria.
Afterwards there was a moment of silence of 8 minutes, introduced by the phrase “During this time of silence, let us remain before the Lord who is present and unites us”, in which those present could also reflect on one of the Beatitudes.
Then some “prayers of intercession” were performed by various Christian leaders.