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50th Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops (1965 – 2015)
Its Contribution to the Life and Mission of the Church in Oceania

By Soane Patita P. Cardinal Mafi

Introduction

Most Holy Father, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I bring warm greetings to you all from Oceania. I wish first of all to thank the Secretary General, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, for the invitation. What an honour to be here in this most special audience, and in the very presence of our dear Holy Father, Pope Francis. When I greeted the Holy Father last week in Domus Santa Martha as he was coming out of the dining room, he looked me in the eye and greeted me too and saying: “…the baby Cardinal, the baby Cardinal!” Holy Father, I must say, that our people in Oceania would love to see you in person, with your simplicity and sense of humour. So you are most welcome to come to Oceania anytime.

To my fellow Synod Fathers, and brothers and sisters, Happy Anniversary! Today is a very special day for all of us. It is our Golden Jubilee! It is about this great vision of Blessed Pope Paul VI, fifty years ago, that rightly deserves our highest honour and respect today. And we do thank God for the great Spirit of Vatican II.

Back in 1965 I was probably reciting the rosary at my home in Tonga, following my dear parents in their regular family prayers. We were probably praying during those times for the success of Vatican II Council. I was just an innocent young four-year old kid then. I had never dreamt that 50 years later I will be sitting right here in this beautiful Paul VI Hall with the Holy Father and with you all my dear brothers and sisters. It is truly a humbling experience.

Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania.

It was in the wake of Vatican II following that great vision of Blessed Paul VI that few of our bishops gathered together in that post-conciliar spirit and envisioned the creation of what had become today the four Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Pacific, or C.E.P.A.C., came into being in 1974. On that same year the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference was also formed. In 1979 the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference approved its own statutes. And finally, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands came into being in 1983. As each Conference continued to grow in strength and maturity, all finally joined together on the 28th of July, 1992, in the formation of what it is now called the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania or the F.C.B.C.O., in short.

We from Oceania do pay our special respect today to our pioneers who persevered in the efforts of establishing these important bodies for the mission of the church in Oceania. We are thankful likewise for those courageous bishops who were able to make it to Rome all the way from Oceania in order to represent the region at the Vatican II Council way back in the early 60s.

These developments were great efforts that paved the way towards greater unity and closer corporation among churches in Oceania. Likewise a fraternal bond and collegial link to the Universal Church also grew stronger down through the years. The establishment of our Bishops’ Conferences were huge achievements, considering our unique situations in Oceania. Geographically, we consist of small island nations that spread apart throughout the vast Pacific Ocean and that each nation has its own unique political, cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. We do cover almost a third of the earth’s surface and the location of each nation is separated from each other by vast sea water. There are perhaps four larger nations within the region that stand out in the world map, as you all know - Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. The rest are scattered island-nations that each belong to one of the three distinctive tribal groups in the region - Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.

So without doubt this close connection with the Universal Church had been the primary benefit developed throughout the past 50 years. The opportunity of meeting other bishops around the world had exposed many to receiving great learning experiences from fellow bishops. New ideas had been learnt and new experiences had even led to greater awareness of the difficulties and struggles faced in other parts of the world. New insights and better improvements in pastoral skills were being applied in pastoral ministries. Many bishops had also expressed the learning opportunities gained in the studying and using of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortations in their leadership and pastoral ministries. Notable references were made to the special significance of the Ordinary General Assembly of 2001, on the pastoral role of Bishops. On this point a strong appreciation was expressed on the fact that many dioceses had now come up with professional standard guidelines in light of situations with sexual abuse of children and other forms of abuse or scandalous behaviour that may be caused by church workers.

Above all the most positive feedback from bishops was in regards to that most memorable Special Assembly on Oceania in 1998 held here in Rome. In many ways, this Special Synod was the fruit of the gradual maturation process that flowed from this great vision of Vatican II Council. The real spirit of ‘communio’ and pastoral fellowship among bishops were truly the uplifting experiences felt by all at that Synod. But foremost, what was strongly felt and pondered by bishops was the opportunity of renewing their devotion to the Vicar of Christ and Successor of St Peter.

I must also admit however, that there were times and even still today that some dioceses had gone through difficult moments of trials and challenges in the life of their churches. But still however, the benefit of belonging to the larger church had often provided them with support and guidance. In some cases dioceses had gone through confusion and even disappointments on certain issues regarding certain aspects in the life of the Church. And yet in the end the right solutions were often found and these were largely due to the good spirit of mutual support and cooperation between the local and the Universal Church as a whole.

I would now just pick up briefly on just a couple of events as examples from each of our four Conferences.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC)

Two particular Synods are to mention here:

1. The Apostolic Exhortation, “Catechesis in our Time”, (Catechesi Tradendae), of October 1979, by Saint Pope John Paul II, of which few bishops had taken up the challenge from the Pope and setting up catechetical institutes now in their own dioceses.

2. The Apostolic Exhortation, Reconciliatio et Paenitentia of December 2, 1984, or On Reconciliation and Penance. Some movements towards new spirit of reconciliation were significant in some areas in the region for examples: the people of Mururoa Atoll in Tahiti as they came to terms with the after effects of the atomic testing carried out by France in the 70s and 80s; the Kanak people of New Caledonia and their struggle for independence; the after effects of the civil war in Bougainville; and now with the current struggles of the people of West Papua in search for their own roots and true freedom. Searching for real solution to the plight of West Papua is on-going at these times.

Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Catholic Bishops’ Conference

1. The Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Oceania, of 1998, and its special emphasis on “new evangelization” and call for “communion” had prompted the bishops of the Conference to put stress on efforts to building up this spirit of “commumio” as a relevant response to coincide with the call for “new evangelization.”

2. As a sign of her being attentive to the various changes around the region and the need to be able to read these ‘signs of the times’ in light of the gospel, the Bishops’ Conference in March 2014 came out with a statement expressing their condolences to the family of the Iranian asylum seeker killed on Manus Island. The Bishops spoke in one voice to reiterate their opposition to the offshore processing of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea. A similar statement was also produced by the Australian Bishops on the same issue. Again this was a sign of solidarity and sensitivity to relevant issues happening in our region today.

New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference

1. The Synod of 1987 on The Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful and the 1990 Synod on The Formation of Priests were of great significance to the Bishops Conference of New Zealand. The two Apostolic Exhortations that followed the two synods have helped to develop a collaborative ministry between laity and priests in various parishes. The understanding of lay vocation and priestly vocation has been deepened leading to healthier and better way of working together among those in the ministry.

2. The 2005 Ordinary Assembly on the Eucharist is known to have given great momentum to the practice of the Eucharistic Adoration in the parishes and that most parishes in New Zealand were now having periods of daily or weekly adoration to the Holy Eucharist.

Australia Catholic Bishops’ Conference

1. Similar to the experiences of the other three conferences mentioned already, the Australian Bishops had particularly noted the enriching impact received from the 1998 Synod on the Church in Oceania. After the Synod there were huge positive responses towards its document, Ecclesia in Oceania. New approaches and pastoral applications were produced in response to the many challenges in a plural and multi-cultural society such as Australia.

2. A marked improvement could be seen indicating the positive response from bishops to that most admired Apostolic Exhortation given by Saint Pope John Paul II, the Pastores Dabo Vobis, in seminary formations, has been seen as indicating the positive response from bishops and their high admiration for the product of the 1990 Synod – the encyclical, Pastores Dabo Vobis.

Conclusion

In conclusion it is a great joy then to note that the various synods of the Church since 1965 have inspired the Churches in Oceania. It is clear from the various experiences of the four Bishops Conferences that various Synods of Bishops have positive impacts on the Bishops Conferences and the Churches in Oceania. The synods over the last 50 years have been very positive, encouraging, enriching and uplifting. They provide opportunities to learn from various Conferences, to draw new insights regarding the pastoral care of God’s people, and develop new ideas and new pastoral planning for ministries

The formation of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania in 1992 speaks volume to the close collaboration of bishops and the collegial manner encouraged by Vatican II. The Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania proved to be a valuable document for the Churches in Oceania. We, the people of Oceania, are reminded by the document to walk the way of Jesus Christ, to tell the truth of Jesus Christ, and to live the life of Jesus Christ

Holy Father, we thank you for your being a true spiritual Father and a sincere model of a Good Shepherd, for all of us in the Church. I wish to assure this General Assembly that our people in Oceania are also ‘in synod’ praying in communion with the whole Church. Our people in Oceania are often mindful, as you always remind us dear Holy Father, to pray earnestly for you, and indeed, they do pray for you always, and especially much harder for this particular Synod on the Family for family life is a reality so close to the hearts of our people. So may I take the chance again on behalf of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania to convey our sincere gratitude to you Holy Father for convoking this very important Synod.

 

+ Soane Patita Paini Cardinal Mafi