Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão reflects on synodality, inclusion and Mission 2033 as pathways for a participatory, missionary Church in India.
Newsroom (12/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) As the Catholic Church worldwide continues its synodal journey, the Church in India stands at a decisive moment of reflection and renewal. Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), has offered a thoughtful and candid assessment of what this journey means for Indian Catholics today. Speaking to Catholic Connect, the Cardinal described synodality not merely as a program or an event, but as “a grace and a responsibility” that calls the Church to rediscover its roots and reimagine its future.
According to Cardinal Ferrão, synodality represents a return to two foundational moments in Church history: the life of the early Christian community and the vision of the Second Vatican Council. This twofold return, he noted, is not nostalgia but a path forward. Pope Francis, he recalled, has repeatedly emphasized that a synodal Church is one in which everyone has something to learn—where bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful listen to one another, and together listen attentively to the Holy Spirit.
The Indian Church, the Cardinal stressed, is not beginning this journey from scratch. In families, parishes, basic Christian communities, religious congregations and dioceses across the country, people are already walking together. What is now required is greater consciousness, structure and missionary purpose. Synodality, he explained, calls the Church to move “from consultation to participation” and, more strikingly, “from working for people to walking with people.”
Drawing from Pope Francis’ vision in Evangelii Gaudium, Cardinal Ferrão underlined the call to a “missionary option” capable of transforming customs, structures and language. For the Church in India, this means embracing participation without fearing weakness, inclusion without confusion, and mission without inwardness. A participatory Church, he insisted, is a stronger Church; an inclusive Church is not disoriented; and a missionary Church goes out with Christ to serve, heal and proclaim.
India’s vast diversity, often perceived as a challenge, was described by the Cardinal as a divine gift. With its many languages, cultures, rites, customs and social realities, the Church in India reflects a mosaic rather than a monolith. Synodality, he said, teaches that unity does not require uniformity. True unity is found in working together in Christ while respecting difference. In practical terms, this means becoming a Church where every language is respected, every culture welcomed and every community feels at home.
The priorities identified by the CCBI National Synodal Assembly—interreligious dialogue, peace-building, inclusion of the excluded, care for the poor, integral ecology, and accompaniment of children and youth—are not merely social projects, Cardinal Ferrão emphasized. They are matters of faith. Listening to the poor is listening to Christ; respecting other religions is bearing witness to Christ. Quoting Pope Francis’ Dilexit Nos, he noted that unity and reconciliation can only begin from the heart—an approach he described as the “Indian way of synodality”: many voices, one heart; many cultures, one faith; many forms of service, one mission in Christ.
At the heart of this synodal vision lies a renewed culture of listening. Cardinal Ferrão called listening “the heart of synodality and the heart of pastoral leadership.” Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful alike are summoned to listen—not only to one another, but to the pain, hope, fear and faith of those they serve. He highlighted the need to strengthen councils and consultative bodies and reminded the faithful that listening requires “disarming and disarmed words,” a posture of humility that makes genuine encounter possible.
Particular attention, he said, must be given to voices often relegated to the margins: migrants, Dalits, tribals, fisherfolk, domestic workers, persons with disabilities and those wounded by life. True listening also involves allowing space for dissent. A synodal Church, Cardinal Ferrão noted, must learn to accept differing views without judgment, to speak with charity and to disagree without division, so that listening becomes not a technique but a spiritual culture.
The journey, however, is not without challenges. Among them, the Cardinal identified the need to move from synodal awareness to synodal consciousness, to overcome clericalism, and to invest seriously in synodal formation. Fear, too, remains a significant obstacle—particularly the fear that synodality might weaken authority. On the contrary, he argued, true synodality purifies authority, making it more humble and service-oriented.
Social divisions rooted in caste, class, language, region, gender and economic inequality can also infiltrate Church life, as can the tendency to remain at the level of documents rather than practice. The final document of the Synod, he reminded, situates the Church firmly in an implementation phase. The CCBI pastoral plan, Journeying Towards a Synodal Church: Mission 2033, offers a concrete roadmap for action at every level, calling for a process that is patient, prayerful and participatory.
Concluding his reflections, Cardinal Ferrão addressed Catholics across India as “pilgrims of hope.” Echoing Pope Francis, he urged them not to remain spectators but to recognize that through baptism they are the Church—endowed with dignity, responsibility and gifts for mission. Recalling the Gospel image of Jesus, the apostles and the people journeying together, and Peter’s conversion at the house of Cornelius, he invited every believer to undergo a “synodal conversion” from prejudice and self-centredness.
“The reason for the Church is not self-preservation,” the Cardinal affirmed, echoing Pope Leo. “The reason for the Church is to proclaim the Gospel.” With that conviction, he called for a Church in India that is more prayerful, more participatory, more inclusive and more missionary—journeying together toward Mission 2033 as a sign of hope for India and for the world.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Catholic Connect
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