Cardenal Cabrera inaugurates the VIII Archidiocesan Synod of Guayaquil

“The Holy Spirit asks us to travel this stage of the Synod with open mind and heart, and to respond with joy, courage and generosity to what He asks us for the good of the Church and society,” said Cardinal Luis Cabrera, Archbishop of Guayaquil, at the inauguration of the VIII Archidiocesano Synod.

The purple stressed that this event is a new time of grace for the local church: “We get ready to live a new Cairo in and for our Church from Guayaquil. Jesus reminds us: time has been fulfilled, the kingdom of God is close (Mc 1,15). It depends on us to be channels of grace or walls of obstacle, bridges of salvation or barriers that obscure the road. ”

After 27 years, Guayaquil celebrates an Archdiocesan Synod again, opened on Monday, August 25 with a Eucharist presided by the Apostolic Nuncio in Ecuador, Mons. Andrés Carrascosa, under the motto “For a Synod Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.”

“The Synod is not an event reserved for the Church, but an opportunity for the entire city. It seeks to promote a culture of peace, justice and solidarity, offering signs of hope to those who live in situations of exclusion, migration, poverty or violence,” said the organizers.

Fr. Omar Mateo, Chancellor of the Archdiocese and Secretary General of the Synod, explained that this process is “walking together through listening, participation, synodality, discernment and decision making so that this Church of Guayaquil walks along with the principles of the Gospel.”

Sister Fanny Valdiviezo, Missionary of María Estela Maris, said that participating is “a blessing of God to be gathered, the presbyters, the religious, the laity and together let us guide us for what the Holy Spirit inspires this walk of the Church.”

For his part, Marta Cecilia Villafuerte, coordinator of the pastoral of children to be born, stressed that for the first time this pastoral contributes in the process: “The expectation is quite large, but much bigger is the commitment to be the voice of those who have no voice, but they do have rights, children to be born.”

Expected challenges and fruits

In the plenary sessions three main challenges will be addressed:

• Strengthen communion and participation in the evangelizing mission, with a pedagogy of listening and discernment.

• Create structures that make possible a synodal experience in community life.

• Translate into concrete actions the responses collected in the first phase of the process.

Among the expected fruits are a more participatory church in decision -making, pastoral and economic advice, openness to cultural and digital environments, and a concrete commitment to the most vulnerable, such as migrants, sick and young people without opportunities.

The VIII Archidiocesan Synod of Guayaquil, affirms its organizers, is not limited to the religious sphere: it is an exercise of co -responsibility and construction of the common good that invites you to look hopefully the future of the city and the country.