For a synodal Church: communion, participation, and mission

Dear friends: Justice and Peace has joined Pope Francis´ call for a synodal Church. During the phase in Spain, it has been involved in the process of listening and discernment contributing to the Church´s journey to communion, participation, and mission. We have collaborated in different dioceses and, in addition, through the Laity Forum. We need recognition of the lay work and increased co-responsibility. It is urgent to overcome clericalism and authoritarianism. We need a Church which goes forth, in dialogue with the world, not closed in by fear.

An idea of Pope Francis, which he constantly repeats and which he magisterially expressed in Fratelli tutti, is that this world must be built amongst its inhabitants without leaving anyone behind. With this in mind, the motto chosen for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees for the year 2022 is: "Building the future with migrants and refugees". Faced with the reality of increasingly diverse societies, it is important to move forward in coexistence, discarding the approaches that have so far generated xenophobia and nationalism. Intercultural cities are presented as the successors of the previous multiculturalism, where the commitment for cooperation and contact seems to be the most appropriate policy for diversity.

In the current context, where the war between Russia and Ukraine and intimidation with the deployment of nuclear weapons continues, it is urgent to redouble efforts and work tirelessly for peace, to place people at the center of any narrative involving armed confrontation and to consider forms of cooperation and aid that give hope to those who seek a future without war. For this reason and with the certainty that a world without nuclear weapons is possible and cannot be postponed, the General Commission for Justice and Peace has launched the campaign ApoyoIglesiaTPAN (SupportChurchTPNW), aimed at individuals, organizations, entities, or parishes of the Spanish Church, so that they can join, promote, and express their support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Today, the Migrants with Rights network is going through a crisis, but to solve it, it is not necessary to look inwards, but to look outwards again. Linking for Justice continues to consolidate its new stage for integral CUIDAdanía (Integral Care and Global Citizenship). Church for Decent Work encourages the commitment of working people through collective action and dialogue, with dedication, effort and organization. It is necessary to let ourselves be touched by the Spirit so that we do not go backwards in rights that protect human dignity and the dignity of people and culture, where welcome and integral ecology are solid pillars in this new century.

Happy summer, a time to rethink globally and act locally in the face of these global challenges.

Isabel Cuenca Anaya
Secretary-general, Spanish Commission for Justice and Peace