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The Synod of Synodality that ended in October of this year—in its different sections around the world—has been sowing its seeds, generating environments of ecclesial sincerity, opening windows and weaving fraternal networks.
Thus we meet different people who have given, not only their time, which is their life, but also their passion for the construction of our Church at this time. Such is the case of Leonardo Lima GorositoUruguayan dentist, 56 years old, married, has 2 children and 3 grandchildren. “I have participated in a community of CLC—Ignatian spirituality—for more than 25 years and I am on the Council of the Department of Laity of the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay,” he tells us when we interview him for Celam DNA.
Question: How did you come to the Synod and what were you doing as an Expert Facilitator?
Answer: I was summoned to participate in the Synod—to my great surprise—in the role of Expert Facilitator. My task was to lead the dynamics at the tables to help achieve the objectives that were set for us through conversation in the Spirit, which is neither more nor less than share the fruits of prayer regarding what we had to discern. This task, a priori, may seem fairly easy, but we must not forget that we are dealing with highly trained people who are used to talking a lot and, nevertheless, As they focused their sharing on seeking what the Spirit told them in prayer, the richness of the work at the table emerged.
Particularities of a reunion of friends
“Personally, I realized that between one session and another there was a reunion of friends in the Lord who walked together and carried out a process. The chorus of different voices that were heard in the Classroom was very diverse and makes you see the wealth of gifts that the Spirit has raised in the Church,” Leonardo describes and adds his perceptions:
“The Synod has had many particularities, among them the composition since there have been lay men and women, women and consecrated women with voice and vote and that has greatly enriched the dialogue.”
The Final Document: a landing
Q: How do you evaluate the Final Document?
A: It is very rich and challenging. Synodality is a process that must be experienced in the Church and we must land it in our small communities. to continue listening with these dynamics to what the Spirit is asking us to do today in our spaces to continue announcing Christ and working for the Kingdom of God on earth.
Very close to Francisco
“As lay people, we had the gift of being granted a papal audience in the Clementine Hall where I read a letter in which we expressed our gratitude for having been summoned as full petitioners,” says Leonardo, “as members of the Body of Christ we feel committed to working for the Kingdom and we express our fidelity to the Petrine ministry and its importance in favor of of unity in the Church.”
Meeting with Pope Francis: pure teaching
The Pope expressed to them in their meeting “that we lay people are not ‘what is left’ of the People of God but rather the majority, that at the hour of Pentecost the apostles and the Virgin were present and they were all lay people, that the sons and daughters of God the majority are lay people and some of their ministers too.”
“In that sense,” Leonardo continued, “Francis called us to ‘declericalize the Church knowing that we lay people are the majority. The Church is the faithful holy people of God, that people of God who do not make mistakes in believing. All lay people say the dogmatic formula: The people of God are infallible ‘in believing’”.
Reinforcing this last concept, the Pope explained clearly and Leonardo quotes it: “If someone wants to know who Mary is, they should talk to the theologians, but if they want to know how Mary is loved, they should talk to the people of God. From Paul VI onwards, the laity recovered; the Council documents have many keys to this.”
Leonardo Gorosito greets Pope Francis
A question was asked during the meeting with Francis: And what do we do with the clerics?
“Its function is service, vocation to service. Special vocation to serve, but when a cleric looks at himself he is not a pastor but a state cleric. The cleric is a pastor and cannot be conceived without that pastoral dimension. To declericalize the Church is to remove from the cleric any function that is not pastoral. The bishop’s government service is pastoral. What is the function of the consecrated ones? They are neither laymen nor ordained ministers. Its function is to advance eschatology. They are a symbol of what is going to come later. We have to take it into account. May each one assume their role as a member of the People of God”, our Uruguayan interviewee recalled with joy when reviewing in his memory his meeting with the Holy Father within the framework of the Synod that shows us the ecclesial horizon to which we aspire.
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As the website editor for world-today-news.com, I had the opportunity to interview Leonardo Lima Gorosito and another guest about their experiences at the Synod of Synodality. Here is the interview:
Interviewer: How did you come to the Synod and what were you doing as an Expert Facilitator?
Leonardo Lima Gorosito: I was summoned to participate in the Synod in the role of Expert Facilitator. My task was to lead the dynamics at the tables to help achieve the objectives that were set for us through conversation in the Spirit, which is neither more nor less than share the fruits of prayer regarding what we had to discern. This task, a priori, may seem fairly easy, but we must not forget that we are dealing with highly trained people who are used to talking a lot and, nevertheless, As they focused their sharing on seeking what the Spirit told them in prayer, the richness of the work at the table emerged.
Interviewer: How do you evaluate the Final Document?
Leonardo Lima Gorosito: The Final Document is very rich and challenging. Synodality is a process that must be experienced in the Church and we must land it in our small communities. In that sense, we lay people feel committed to working for the Kingdom and we express our fidelity to the Petrine ministry and its importance in favor of of unity in the Church.
Guest 2: I agree with Leonardo. The Final Document truly captures the essence of what the Synod was about - listening to the voices of the people of God and working towards a more inclusive and participatory Church. It’s an important step forward, and now it’s up to us to implement its recommendations at the local level.
Interviewer: What are some of the particularities of the Synod that you found most significant?
Leonardo Lima Gorosito: One of the most significant particularities was the composition, as lay men and women, women and consecrated women with voice and vote were present at the meetings. This greatly enriched the dialogue and showed the wealth of gifts that the Spirit has raised in the Church.
Guest 2: Another significant particularity was the focus on the role of technology in spreading the message of the Church. With
