FABC President Cardinal Ferrão Urges Indian Religious to Strengthen Synodal Collaboration

Addressing the annual meeting of the Conference of Religious India (CRI), Goa Unit, FABC President Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão called on religious men and women to deepen their commitment to synodality by building a Christ-centered, relational, and collaborative Church rooted in a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

The meeting, organized by the CRI Goa Unit, was held at the Institute Mater Dei in Old Goa, in the western Indian state of Goa, on July 5. Sr. Leena Nazareth, SHM, secretary of the CRI Goa Unit, welcomed the participants, and Sr. Massina Coutinho, FSMA, led the opening prayer.

Referring to the implementation phase of the Synod, Cardinal Ferrão, who is also the archbishop of Goa and Daman, said the present year is dedicated to putting the synodal spirit into practice in every local Church before the process moves to evaluations at diocesan, national, continental and universal levels.

"This year is meant for us to implement the synodal pathways," he said, noting that the Archdiocese has identified five sectors for implementation—clergy, religious, laity, youth and formation houses. He added that the CRI Goa Unit has already chosen three concrete synodal actions.

Looking ahead, the Cardinal recalled that the Archdiocese is preparing for the Great Jubilee of the Redemption and the fifth centenary of the Archdiocese of Goa in 2033. He said a revised pastoral plan is expected to be released on January 16, 2027.

Recalling the synodal journey initiated by Pope Francis in 2023, Cardinal Ferrão stressed that synodality is more than a pastoral programme.

"A synodal Church is a relational Church. A synodal Church is a Church that journeys in intimacy with Jesus and in communion and fellowship with one another," he said.

The cardinal urged greater collaboration among clergy, religious congregations and Church institutions.

"The synodal Church is a collaborative Church. It is a Church that works in a team," he said, encouraging communities to "magnify the positives and minimise the negatives."

Concluding his address, Cardinal Ferrão  referred to the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, saying humanity faces a choice between building "a Tower of Babel without God" or rebuilding society through prayer, discernment and collaboration.

"We have these two choices: to contribute to make the world a Tower of Babel or to contribute all of us to make the world a beautiful place where God and humans can live together," Cardinal Ferrão concluded.

Sr. Ayres Raimondo and Sr. Melissa D'Souza, FMA, served as moderators of the program. Bro. Vinod Kumar Reddy, SG, presented the financial report, while Sr. Justina Vaz, HC, outlined the CRI Goa Unit's annual plan. The meeting concluded with a Thanksgiving Mass celebrated by Fr. Joaquim Fernandes, SVD, followed by lunch. Brother Charles D'Souza, CFC, delivered the vote of thanks.