The Spanish Episcopal Conference will bring the application of synodality to the concrete exercise of priestly ministry in a national gathering convened for next November 30 in Madrid. Under the title “Presbyters: Servants of Communion,” archpriests, episcopal vicars, and clergy delegates will reflect on the role of the priest within “a more synodal Church” and on the so-called “differentiated co-responsibility” among the various vocations.
The day is not intended to remain limited to those attending the meeting. As the official convocation of the Spanish Episcopal Conference explains, the work carried out in Madrid “will serve as a basis to encourage subsequent reflection with priests in the dioceses.”
The “differentiated co-responsibility” reaches the priesthood
The meeting is jointly organized by the Synodal Team of the CEE and the Episcopal Commission for Clergy and Seminaries and forms part of the pastoral actions outlined in the Episcopal Conference’s guidelines.
The starting point will be the Final Document of the Synod on Synodality and its emphasis on the co-responsibility of all the baptized in the Church’s mission.
Francisco Conesa, bishop responsible for the Synodal Team of the CEE, defines the priestly ministry in this context as a “service to communion with God and to communion among the various vocations of the Church” that requires working “in synergy with the other vocations.”
The main lecture is entitled “Differentiated Co-responsibility in the Exercise of the Ordained Ministry” and will be delivered by Cardinal Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin and member of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
The approach does not appear in isolation. In March, the reports of the Synod’s study groups proposed a priestly formation more integrated with the laity and the incorporation of communal discernment and co-responsibility into the preparation of future priests.
“Differentiated co-responsibility” will now be the formula used at the Spanish meeting to address the joint participation of priests, religious, and laity, while formally maintaining the distinction between the responsibilities proper to each vocation and ministry.
Laity and religious will take part in the reflection
The day will not be exclusively led by priests either. The CEE has scheduled a panel of experiences in which laity, consecrated persons, priests, and permanent deacons will participate.
In the afternoon, one of the characteristic elements of the synodal process will take place: participants will divide into groups to practice the so-called “conversation in the Spirit,” the method used during the various phases of the Synod to articulate listening and communal discernment.
The proposed question will be directly practical: “How can it be put into practice?”
The meeting will conclude with a plenary session, conclusions, and an address by the president of the CEE, Luis Argüello.
From Madrid to the Spanish dioceses
The convocation thus places the Spanish priesthood within the implementation phase of the synodal process, proposing to address its pastoral exercise from the categories that have marked the Synod: listening, participation, co-responsibility, and “synergy” with the other vocations.
The General Secretariat of the Synod published in July the instructions for evaluating the application of synodality in each diocese, with diocesan assemblies scheduled for the first half of 2027 and subsequent national and continental stages before the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028.
The November 30 meeting is inserted into that process and applies the reflection specifically to priestly ministry. In addition, what is discussed in Madrid will not remain solely among the participants: the Episcopal Conference itself has planned for the day’s work to serve afterward to continue the reflection with priests in the Spanish dioceses.