Synodality must be at the service of evangelization, archbishop says

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2023 / 07:00 am

The Synod on Synodality must not be an end in itself but at the service of the Catholic Church’s evangelizing mission, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas told synod delegates on Wednesday. 

The Lithuanian-American archbishop of Vilnius addressed the members of the synod assembly in a homily on the feast of St. Luke as the synod begins its discussions on “governance and authority” in the Church.

“As we continue to talk about what processes, structures, and institutions that are needed in a missionary synodal Church, we need to make sure that these do in fact assist the mission of bringing the Good News to those who are in need of salvation,” Grušas said on Oct. 18.

“Synodality, including its structures and meetings, must be at the service of the Church’s mission of evangelization and not become an end in itself.”

Over the next three days, the Synod on Synodality will discuss questions posed by section B3 of the Instrumentum Laboris, or synod working document, such as: “How can we renew the service of authority and the exercise of responsibility in a missionary synodal Church?”

In his homily in St. Peter’s Basilica, Grušas urged the synod delegates to imitate St. Luke’s faithfulness and fortitude.

“We too are called to remain faithful in our commitment to walk together in the life of the Church and through the difficulties of the journey, even when it is not clear where God is leading us in the short term,” he said.

The 62-year-old archbishop noted how St. Luke’s Gospel “highlights the important role of women in the life of the Church and in announcing the Good News.”

Not only is St. Luke “the Marian evangelist ‘par excellence,’” but he also passed down to us the account of “the Samaritan woman at the well who announced the Messiah, Mary Magdalene, the first to announce the message of the Resurrection, as well as the various women throughout the Acts of the Apostles who assisted the growth of the early Church.”

Grušas underlined that “all of the baptized” are called to announce the good news of the kingdom of God, “not just ordained ministers.”

“It is important that all the baptized hear this call, this vocation and respond to it, committing their lives, words, and actions to Jesus’ mission. For this we must continue to pray,” he said.

Grušas was born in Washington, D.C., to Lithuanian parents who came to the U.S. during the Cold War. After earning a degree in mathematics at UCLA, he worked for IBM before studying for the priesthood at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). 

He returned to Lithuania, where he was ordained and incardinated for the Archdiocese of Vilnius, in 1994. Benedict XVI named him a bishop to serve as the military ordinary of Lithuania in 2010 and Pope Francis appointed him archbishop of Vilnius in 2013. Grušas was elected president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences in 2021. 

At the end of his homily, Grušas asked for prayers for peace in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and other places in the world that lack peace.

“Through our prayers let us be those channels of God’s peace in today’s world,” he said. “And let us continue to pray for St. Luke to pray for us as we continue on our synodal journey.”