Summer 2026 – the halfway point between the end of the 2024 World Synod and the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly. Where do the local Churches stand? What experiences are they making? What are the challenges? Where is the synodal journey heading? Feinschwarz.net has gathered voices from different continents. The first to speak is Sr. Anne Béatrice Faye from Senegal. She connects her own experiences with her insight into the synodal process of the universal Church[*].
Since October 2021, the entire Church has been engaged in an unprecedented synodal journey initiated by Pope Francis. This process, which extends until 2028, aims at a profound pastoral and spiritual conversion by transforming the way the Church lives its mission. It is not a one-time event but a continuous dynamic inviting each local Church to make synodality a constitutive dimension of its being.
„The synodal process does not conclude with the end of the current Assembly of the Synod of Bishops but also includes the implementation phase. As members of the Assembly and as synodal missionaries within the communities from which we come, we feel it is our responsibility to promote this process. The local Churches are asked to continue their daily journey with a synodal methodology of consultation and discernment, identifying concrete ways and formation pathways to bring about a tangible synodal conversion in the various ecclesial contexts (parishes, Institutes of consecrated life and Societies of apostolic life, movements of the faithful, dioceses, Episcopal Conferences, groupings of Churches, etc.).“ (Final Document 9)
It is about walking together, listening, discerning, and letting ourselves be guided by the Spirit. We move from hierarchy to fraternity. We recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters seated around the same table. The real challenge for the Church in Africa is to ground ourselves in our baptism, which makes us equal in dignity and co-responsible in the mission. Communal discernment requires that, when we gather, we listen to all voices, especially those of the young, as they open new paths for the future of the Church.
Three Contexts of Engagement in My Synodal Path
- Between my Senegalese origins and my mission country, Burkina Faso;
- Through my engagement with the Ecumenical Institute Al Mohafaqa in Rabat, Morocco, where I discovered the „porosity of the Church“ (its openness to other religions and cultures), ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue in North and Sub-Saharan Africa;
- Through my commitment as a woman aware of the role and place of women in the Church in Africa.
Finally, I pay particular attention to the place of youth and the importance of digital technology in today’s mission.
The Synodality School of Dakar: A Living Laboratory
It is in this context that the Synodality School of Dakar was born, a pioneering initiative embodying a new way of being Church in Africa. This school is not limited to simple consultations or official documents but offers an innovative pedagogy based on educational, formative, and community practices. It brings together clerics, religious, laypeople, Muslims, young and adult people, women and men, persons in precarious situations or with disabilities, to learn together to live synodality as an art of walking in faith.
Beyond the transmission of content, the School creates concrete experiences: participatory workshops, training modules, times of prayer and discernment, intercultural exchanges. It is a living laboratory where listening, silence, sharing, and recognition of diversity are at the heart of the approach. This practice of communion helps strengthen social cohesion, especially in the African context.
The School faces several essential challenges: ensuring the effective participation of youth, women, and rural communities; offering adapted training to ecclesial actors to animate synodal processes; and linking the universal orientations of the Synod with local realities, respecting cultural sensitivities and specific expectations of the faithful.
Results and Perspectives
The results are promising. We witness a liberation of speech, the empowerment of participants, the emergence of new leaders, and the strengthening of interreligious dialogue. The testimonies gathered show that synodality is experienced not only as a method but as a true spirituality. Despite institutional and cultural resistances, the conversion of mentalities progresses with patience and courage.
The Synodality School of Dakar thus opens encouraging perspectives for the Church in Senegal and beyond. It proposes a proven methodology that can inspire other local initiatives, nourish national and continental assemblies, and offer a specific contribution to the African journey. Among Senegal’s contributions are a dynamic youth and an exemplary interreligious coexistence.
The experience of the Synodality School demonstrates that synodality is a living reality that transforms communities, fosters inclusion, dialogue, and co-responsibility. It invites the Church family in Africa to pursue this path with confidence and perseverance, overcoming resistances through creativity and engagement. Approaching the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly, Africa can offer a strong, young, and inclusive voice capable of renewing the Church by relying on the richness of its cultural and spiritual diversity.
The Place of Women in the Synod and in the Church – an Experience from Elsewhere
In the Senegalese and broader African context, the place of women in the Church remains limited. They are often solicited for organizational tasks or participate as readers, choir members, or acolytes. Many actively engage in Catholic action movements and basic Christian communities. Some also participate in clergy formation.
It is noteworthy that women’s participation in the Synod of Bishops in October 2023-2024 marked an important step in the synodal process of the Church. For the first time, a significant number of women (56) were consulted, including religious sisters, theologians, canon law specialists, as well as women holding leadership positions in their dioceses or associations. Some clearly committed themselves to greater justice between the sexes in the Church, signaling a profound change. This evolution shows that the question of the place of women is no longer carried only by them but has become a shared concern of the entire Church. Through my participation, I observed that women are increasingly aware of their dignity and leadership, refusing to be considered mere instruments. They ask to be recognized as full persons, bearers of peace, renewal, and capable of welcoming novelty with wisdom, humility, and courage, thus generating hope for a fraternal world.
Women’s participation in Church life has increased in recent years, notably thanks to appointments made by Pope Francis in various dicasteries and economic councils of the Vatican. These gestures express a certain boldness to challenge the patriarchal order that is still too prevalent. It is essential to value women’s charismatic gifts at all levels by fully integrating women into the Church’s mission to reflect the diversity of charisms that the Holy Spirit distributes to each one for the common good of the community.
The question of women’s ordination to the diaconate is an important and debated topic worldwide. It was mentioned in the continental assembly syntheses and during the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The Synod’s final document highlights the need for a diaconal and fraternal Church, founded on the equal dignity of all the baptized, men and women, called to co-responsibility at all levels. Certainly, diverse positions exist. Some see it as a break with Tradition, others as a return to the practice of the early Church. It is hoped that this reflection will open doors for women to exercise an ecclesial ministry, allowing them to participate fully in the Church’s mission and decisions. Through their engagement in diakonia, their welcome and listening to the most disadvantaged, their voice is awaited on major pastoral, environmental, and social issues. As Pope Francis often said, one cannot understand the Church without active women who advance its mission.
In our context, it is necessary to overcome cultural and structural blockages by promoting training, self-confidence, and the engagement of all, in a spirit of synodality that brings together all the baptized. For this, creating short awareness videos in local languages, setting up a Synodality Observatory, targeted training for women, and multiplying these initiatives on the ground are concrete actions to prioritize.
Conclusion
The Church is fundamentally mission; and in this, it flourishes thanks to the contribution and participation of all its sons and daughters in its life and mission. The mission of the Church is primarily the mission of Christ; that of announcing the reign of God in season and out of season. Synodality reminds us that all the baptized are actors in the mission of the Gospel. It invites the People of God to walk with all humanity, in dialogue and service, to build a universal fraternity. Thus, instead of closing in on itself, the Church opens to a missionary Church, serving this fraternity.
There is an invitation for local Churches to identify how and when to give visibility and community recognition to charisms and ministries that enrich the community. To overcome obstacles, several action paths are proposed. It is urgent to develop biblical and theological training within parishes, create biblical study centers, and train women in leadership. Moreover, it is necessary to raise awareness among families and communities, educate children on gender equality in domestic tasks, and involve men in this process of conversion. Recognizing women’s competencies and their effective integration into decision-making bodies must be encouraged, as well as valuing their intellectual and spiritual talents.
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Prof. Anne Béatrice Faye is Senegalese, religious of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Castres. Doctor of Philosophy, member of the Association of African Theologians (ATA). Interested in the promotion of women in the African context. Coordinator of the African Group for Research in Intercultural Philosophy (GARPI), professor at the Ecumenical Institute Al Mowafaqa in Rabat, Morocco. Member of the Synod Theological Commission and expert at the Synodal Assemblies 2023-2024. Consultant at the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue since January 2026.
[*]Part 1 of the series „From the Synod 2024 to the Ecclesial Assembly 2028 – Interim Reflections from Around the World“ with contributions from Africa (July 20), Latin America (July 22), North America (July 24), Europe (July 27), the Middle East (July 28) and Asia (July 29).
This contribution is also published in French (original) and German.
Translated from French with the help of AI, edited by Daniel Kosch
Header image: Synodality School Dakar
