The 109th Plenary Meeting of the Conference of Catholic Bishops saw the participation of the eleven Archbishops of Malaysia-Singapore and the Administrator of Brunei.
January 19, 2022
By Charles Bertille
The 109and The plenary meeting of the Conference of Catholic Bishops saw the participation of the eleven archbishops of Malaysia-Singapore and the administrator of Brunei. The focus of the Conference was mainly on the progress of the Synod in the respective dioceses and the spiritual conversation around it.
The first day saw the business manager, Archbishop Marco Sprizzi, addressing the bishops. He recalled previous meetings with the Conference and expressed his joy at being present.
Archbishop Marco stressed the importance of the call of the Holy Father to transform our minds and our hearts on the path of synodality. It is not just about preparing reports or meeting deadlines, he said, but about instilling more in our priests, people and structures the mentality of working together – a church of communion, participation, of mission. We are asked to introduce the spirit of synodality into all aspects of the Church. He underlined that “it is not the academic exercise but the discipline of the synodal journey that will make the difference”.
Archbishop Marco also recalled that 2022 is an important year in the life of the Church because it marks the celebration of the 400 years of existence of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He shared some words of encouragement from the President of the Congregation, Cardinal Antonio Tagle, to the bishops, and hopes that all countries can symbolize this anniversary locally. Bishop also expressed the Holy See’s gratitude to the Bishops and all Catholics for their annual contributions to the Peter’s Pence collection.
The bishops then listened to the preliminary reports on the unfolding of the synodal journey in each diocese. Among the echoes were the difficulties in getting to the outskirts or inside with the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of internet access. In some places, people fear judgment or are indifferent to the Synod process when they do not understand the purpose or the need to engage. A bishop recalled that some of the previous generation of Malaysian bishops and their pastoral approaches had indeed laid the foundations for a more synodal Church.
On another point, there is a need to rethink roles and responsibilities and where our energy is spent in ministry. The Bishops spoke of the awareness of reviewing leadership in the Church at all levels, how we select, train leaders and how leaders relate to the people.
Although it is too early to conclude, the bishops agreed on the need for healing and conversion in the culture, attitudes, structures and pastoral practices of the Church. There are also creative efforts to engage children and adolescents in a number of dioceses; and the use of digital technology to capture and process all incoming responses.
The next day, the bishops shared their own faith journey and personal reflections in a spiritual conversation. The questions asked were:
— What graces have you experienced so far in your diocesan process?
— What tensions or challenges?
— What are your own personal consolations and desolations?
— Where do you feel the movement of the Spirit? or where do you find God in all of this?
The President, Bishop Sebastian, concluded by saying, “We asked the people and the priests for their ideas and their struggles. Our own sharing this morning as bishops has been powerful and it is good that people understand that we also have our own struggles. »
The Bishops then asked the Executive Secretary to meet with Synod contact persons from all dioceses to decide on the timing and process for the next phase of the Synod.
The Conference then worked on ongoing issues such as the national report for the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) 50and Birthday; the message for the Sunday of the Word of God which is celebrated on January 23, 2022. There was a brief reminder of the working structures of the CBCMSB, following on from the previous meeting. A working meeting has been set for May 9, 2022.
After the common agendas were cleared, the Malaysian bishops continued to discuss among themselves on the theme of the pastoral care of the unvaccinated. The bishops hope to develop some pastoral guidelines. The Bishop responsible for Caritas Malaysia then reported on the National Flood Relief Fund. All were grateful for the responses on the ground and for all the generous contributions.
Discussions took place around the formation of seminarians in Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu and the type of priests we need. The bishops affirmed the necessity of the human-psychological aspects of formation. A 3-year training in philosophy has been proposed by the Bishops of Peninsular Malaysia for the General College of Penang. The bishops present felt that whatever direction is taken, it must be accompanied by a whole spirituality.
The last presentation was on the trip to the Pan Malaysian Pastoral Convention 2026. The final dates for PMPC are September 9-13, 2026, inclusive of travel dates. Dioceses that have had their diocesan and parish assemblies, are requested to share their tools with Bishop Julian or the Conference Secretariat by the end of January 2022. The PMPC working committee will then compile a basic kit on the animation of parish/diocesan assemblies for all dioceses.
The meeting ended with the Angelus and the blessing of the presiding bishop. The next conference has been announced for August 8-12, 2022.–Today’s Catholic
