Zambia: On Being a Missionary of Synodality
Fr Paul Samasumo — Vatican. City.
The international parish priests meeting, held on the outskirts of Rome from 29 April to 2 May 2024, brought together about 200 parish priests from all over the world. They also had the privilege of meeting Pope Francis in a private audience.
Later, it was revealed by the Holy See Press Office that in his 2 May letter to Parish Priests who attended the international gathering, Pope Francis offered his profound gratitude to them and said, “The Church could not go on without your dedication and your pastoral service.” He further said that without their voices, the Church would “never be able to learn how to walk together and to set out on the path of synodality.” He asked the parish priests to bring the message of Synodality to their local communities. He then mandated them to be Missionaries of Synodality.
Fr Cletus Mwiila, a parish priest of St Mary’s Parish in Choma, Monze Diocese, represented the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Synod of Parish Priests in Rome.
Since his return to Zambia, Father Mwiila has been trying to spread the word. Vatican News spoke to Fr Mwiila about his mission and experiences in Zambia.
Tell us how the meeting, ‘Parish Priests for the Synod’ and Pope Francis’ mandate to be ‘Missionaries of Synodality’ impacted your ministry?
The meeting in Rome on Parish Priests for the Synod remains memorable in my priestly life and as a Christian. It became an eye-opener in my missionary disposition as a Parish Priest. It ignited in me the faith response that demands the courage in me to enter the cloud of mystery, encountering a God who comes as a future. Our deliberations in the Synod of Parish Priests reawakened in me a God who is a surprising future. During the Synod meeting, I realised, and I still do, that the stories told by the Parish Priests became the stories of God because we had gathered in the name of God.
The other impact the Synod meeting left on me is the acceptance that, as Parish Priests, we live among people and journey daily with them. We are the closest to their reality of the Church in the world. We are part of the joys and the sorrows of our parishioners. The joys and sorrows of the parishioners become ours, and our own joys and sorrows become their joys and sorrows. As a Parish Priest, I can truly animate the birth of a synodal Church as I remain open to the dictates of the Holy Spirit.
What are some of the Synodal sessions that you have conducted in Zambia since your return from Rome?
Since my return to Zambia after the meeting in Rome, I have had several formation engagements, and there are still a number lined up in the country. I have since animated diocesan gatherings not just in my diocese but in other dioceses as well. I have spoken with priests, parish communities, lay groups, and seminarians. I have had formation meetings with religious women and men, as well as with members of parliament. People have opened their doors and hearts and want to know and be part of the Synod.
I have participated in a national TV discussion and been on Zambia’s national Radio Stations 1 and 2 for interviews and a phone-in programme. It was amazing to answer phone calls from people—some who are not even Catholics!
I have also done some local FM Radio stations such as Byta FM — a private radio station. Not too long ago, I was on Jesuit Chikuni FM Radio. All these have helped animate the synodal process in the country and the Church.
What exactly do you say to the people, priests, or groups you meet about the Synod on Synodality? How do you make it concrete for them?
The message I share concerns the Face of the Synodal Church in the world and the respective communities: We are all disciples and missionaries. This helps reawaken communities to their Sacramental lives. I also share about the call to weave ties and build communities.
In Zambia, we already have a strong history of Small Christian Communities (SCCs), so I share the message of making the SCCs become communities of change in the light of Synodality. The message promotes active participation in the Church, listening to one another and making sure no one is left behind, promoting a self-sustaining Church lived in communion and the use of leadership as a service rather than the power of domination. My message also facilitates the discovery and use of charisms, vocations and ministries in the communities and among members. Finally, through the Synodal message, I encourage Pope Francis’ concept of the Church or parish life, defined as a Hotel of Saints and a Hospital of Sinners. It is a call to inclusivity and a participatory Church that brings everyone on board. No one feels judged or excluded.
You have pioneered Small Christian Communities for children in the Diocese of Monze. What led you to do this, and what has been the response from the children and parishioners?
Among the Synodal messages is the call to weave ties and build communities for change. Over the last 50 years, in Zambia and the AMECEA Region, the Church has attempted to build and promote the image of the Church as Family. This was also given accent at the 1994 African Synod. But the reality on the ground sometimes remains challenging. There is a gap, or there are still some gaps, for example, between parents, youth and children. Some of these are cultural in that most African societies clearly define the roles of parents, adults and children. So, as we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of SCCs in the AMECEA region, the celebration should be enlightened by the Synod on Synodality. The names of SCCs for children in our parishes bear the names of priests, religious men and women and lay protagonists who have worked or are working in the local diocese, in our parishes. This helps children to know and appreciate the history of their faith, and it ties in with what Pope Francis always tells us about the importance of our stories and preserving memory.
Children are undiluted souls responding to what they see, their environment, and what we teach them. They are flexible, capable of empathy, and respond well to goodness. I have found that they are okay with responding to the message and mission of Christ.
So far, in our Zambian parishes, the apostolate to children has tended to revolve around Holy Childhood and similar associations. These are fantastic, but we realised we could do more with the children. Through the SCCs tailor-made to their interests and level, they have concretely entered the unfolding synodal Church on mission. They demonstrate leadership, generosity, prayer, and sharing with other children from the little resources they collect and save. For example, in our parish, they visit and donate to fellow children in the children’s ward of our local hospital. This is done every three months, so it is not heavy on them. They are accompanied by adults, and we prepare them well so they are not stressed. It is a positive experience for the children visiting other children and, I believe, for the sick children visited.
When SCCs for children began, there was understandable scepticism. Now, it is fully embraced by many parishioners because the children have proved themselves. The parents are happy to see their children participate in something life-giving. So, the children are suddenly at the centre of parish life, not just for liturgical dancing in the Church or as Altar boys, but they are part of something bigger. They still dance in Church, but they also do much more.
Can children really understand Synodality?
Yes. Children understand Synodality, and this is exemplified by how they work together and accompany one another in their daily lives.
You recently had sessions with major seminarians of the Diocese of Monze. If Synodality is to take root, what kind of future priests should Zambia be training?
On the formation of future priests in Zambia, and speaking as one who has taught in our Theological major seminary before, there is need to take a leaf from the wisdom of Pope Francis’ teaching on Synodality. Our future priests need to be brought on board and up to speed with what is happening in the wider Church. I believe our seminaries may already be moving in this direction. However, we also need to glean from the wisdom of Pope Saint John Paul Il. The priestly formation would do well to tackle the crisis of priestly identity in the modern world. We need to form priests who will be necessary for the Synodal Church of today and tomorrow. Perhaps the challenge is to look at what we teach in the seminaries or even in religious houses of formation.
On the one hand, an appropriate seminary formation that responds to Synodality will probably need to be conducted in conjunction with the universal Church. But we must keep asking the question: Does the formation foster the values of a Synodal Church as envisaged by the Holy Father?
I further believe that the Church can no longer ignore the power of the media, especially social media, in its mission of evangelization. In today’s digital age, media is no longer a luxury but a tool for the Gospel. Hence, those in formation must familiarise themselves with a digital Synodal church. The students or seminarians must be helped to know that mission is not just one of the activities of the Church; it is its essence. The goal of the mission is the transformation of the world. The future of priesthood and religious life in Zambia should not be the new aristocracy or a ruling class but rather a family of service.
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