Cardinal Tagle: A Synodal Church Learns to Walk Together Like a Child Taking First Steps

What does it mean to "walk together" as a synodal Church? For Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the answer lies not in Church documents or pastoral strategies but in the simple experience of a child learning to walk.

During the first spiritual conference of the Day of Prayer and Recollection at the 12th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) on July 22, Cardinal Tagle invited bishops and delegates to reflect more deeply on one of the most familiar expressions of the Church's synodal journey.

"We say synodality means walking together," he told participants gathered at Hotel Mulia in Jakarta. "But have we studied well the phenomenon of walking?"

The question shaped a reflection that blended theology with everyday human experience.

Drawing on child development, Cardinal Tagle noted that walking is neither automatic nor effortless. Before taking their first steps, children must crawl, build muscle strength, develop balance, coordinate their movements, and gain confidence. Equally important, they need a safe environment where they are encouraged by parents, supported by helping hands, and allowed to fall without fear.

"Walking needs skills, balance, coordination, the capacity to stand up," he said.

He then challenged participants to apply those lessons to the Church's synodal journey.

If synodality means walking together, he asked, what kind of spiritual "muscle strength" does the Church need? What forms of balance, trust, and mutual support enable communities to journey together? And what fears prevent people from taking those steps?

The questions resonated with the Assembly's efforts to foster a culture of listening, participation, and communal discernment across the Churches of Asia.

Cardinal Tagle's reflection became deeply personal when he spoke about his parents, both 96 years old.

His father, he said, remains mentally alert but can no longer walk, while his mother is still mobile but needs assistance. Watching them has taught him that accompaniment changes as people grow older.

"How do you walk with someone who cannot walk?" he asked.

His answer was simple.

"You stay."

"You touch the hand. You whisper to his ears, and he is assured he is not alone."

For the cardinal, this image captures the heart of synodality. Walking together is not merely moving at the same pace but remaining beside those who struggle, those who have fallen behind, and those who can no longer continue on their own.

He warned that a synodal Church cannot measure its success only by efficiency or progress. It must also be a community marked by patience, attentiveness, and compassionate accompaniment.

Cardinal Tagle also pointed to another obstacle to authentic communion: the growing tendency of people to move through life absorbed by their mobile phones, often unaware of those around them.

Such individualism, he said, stands in contrast to synodality, which calls believers to be present to one another through listening, encounter, and a willingness to adjust their pace for others.

As delegates entered a period of silent prayer, Cardinal Tagle left them not with ready-made answers but with a challenge: before the Church can speak about walking together, it must first learn what it truly means to walk—with patience, trust, and the assurance that no one journeys alone.