"In Morocco" the Salesian cardinal begins "we lived the Synod with a double intensity. We participated in the Synod of Synodality, convened by Pope Francis, but at the same time we also experienced the development of the second diocesan Synod, already convened previously. The question we set out to answer in this Diocesan Synod was the following: “Following Christ, what kind of Church do we want for the Diocese of Rabat today?” Participation was good, although we would have liked to have involved more Christians of other denominations and Muslims. For a year, and in different stages, we responded to what was asked of us for the Synod of Synodality, which allowed us to understand what a synod is, what synodality is and to have a concrete and practical synodal experience."
What is the result of this synodal experience for the Church in Morocco?
A first result, evident and very satisfying, was to meet, to get to know each other and to get to know each other better. There are few Christians in the diocese (perhaps 25,000), but we come from more than 100 nationalities on five continents, which makes it easy to understand the great challenge of living in communion from such a diversity of origin, culture, formation...
Another result was to give all Christians the opportunity to express themselves, to share their personal stories of faith, their joys and their sorrows, their difficulties and their successes. Some noticed that it was the first time they could speak in front of a group that listened to them with attention and interest.
Finally, among the first fruits, we can say that we have noted some characteristics of our Church, which characterise or should characterise our communities: being made up of people in transit (who spend a short period in Morocco); being a Church that goes out and practises ecumenical and interreligious dialogue; the Samaritan dimension that leads us to help the most needy, and the continuous formation that we all need.
Why is the presence of the Church in Morocco significant?
Because we are, or at least we try to be, the presence of a message that can be valid for the universal Church and for the whole world. For example: to the universal Church we want to say that it is possible to live communion from differences and build unity from diversity. The goal and mission of the Church is not to attack itself, but to proclaim and build the Kingdom of God in the world. And, as Pope Francis said in the cathedral of Rabat in 2019, it is not a problem being few; the problem would be to be insignificant, to be salt that has lost the flavour of the Gospel, to be a light that no longer sheds light for anyone.
What contribution will the Church in Africa make to the Synod?
The contribution of the Church in Africa to the next Synod of Bishops is that of the witness of a living, dynamic, young and enthusiastic Church, generally committed to the people with the aim of challenging the inculturation of the Gospel in the different African cultures. This can be done through the humble recognition that it is necessary to fight to get rid of very clerical and not very synodal modes of operation, giving much more space and importance to participatory structures, from SCEAM (Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) to Parish Pastoral Councils, through diocesan structures.
How was the experience of young Moroccans at World Youth Day in Lisbon?
Unfortunately, there were no young Moroccans in Lisbon, because WYD is a Christian event and young Moroccans are Muslims. While the young Catholics in Morocco, all foreigners, did not go for financial reasons and because of the difficulties linked to the disastrous, petty and selfish migration policy of the European Union; I refer in particular to the granting of visas."
What help does the Church offer immigrants?
It would take several pages to describe all that the Church does for people on the move who, in our case, come almost all from sub-Saharan countries and are in Morocco waiting to reach Europe. We try to apply the four verbs that Pope Francis has indicated to us in his messages: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. We can do a lot with the first two, but little with the third, because promotion takes time and people in migration situations are just passing through, so it is understandable that integration in Morocco is of little interest to them.
Since our means are limited, we have to make a careful choice between people regarding the help we provide: the sick, unaccompanied minors, and pregnant women or women with small children. We seek to welcome all those who turn to parishes and other points of intervention and to guide them so that they can benefit from the educational and health services of the Moroccan State, as well as other services offered by foundations and associations.
