The 97th Assembly of the Union of Superiors General (USG) was held from 25 to 27 May at the Domus Fraterna house in Rome. More than 90 superiors took part.
The theme of the convocation was synodality in action; this consists in listening to what is happening in the Church, in religious life, entering into the dynamic of mutual listening, listening to what God is saying to us through the "cries" of our world and our planet and how we respond to his calls. It involves looking at the challenges of a Church called to convert its forms of leadership and structures to Jesus' way of exercising authority.
Reflecting on the various experiences such as the Latin American ecclesial assembly held in November 2021, which had a large participation of faithful and pastors, we recalled the importance not only of taking time to welcome what is perceived as calls from God but also to allow oneself to be transformed by what one hears, the desires for change and their resistances, and to return them to the communities as paths of ecclesial renewal that need to be accompanied and continued.
After the contributions sent by men and women religious to the synodal process, a synthesis of which was presented by María Cimperman rscj and José Cristo García Paredes, I would like to highlight the great call for men and women religious to express the richness of baptismal life, the basis for every synodal journey and the source of charisms and ministries in the Church. In this line I see it as very inspiring to be able to go deeper into new ways of being and serving in the Church of sisters, brothers and laity, in the light of our sscc charism. In so doing, we need not to be afraid to name the resistances and fears, to decide to walk together, knowing at the same time that we live in uncertain times and that the Lord with his Spirit is walking with us and precedes us.
One of the most valuable things of these days together was the freedom of speech and the confidence in our exchanges, the simple fraternity lived at table and in moments of rest, the searching and sharing in faith, during prayers and Eucharist. It is also good for us as Superior Generals to know that we are walking together with so many other brothers and sisters and that the Lord who gives us his spirit to follow the way, is whispering to us: "Do not be afraid, peace be with you".
05/29/2022