A “different” church

Br. MichaelDavide Semeraro

In occasion of the opening of the Synod the Pope said: “There is no need to create another Church, but to create a different Church”. I thought that this expression is very beautiful and I suppose that there is a lot to do... but what does it really mean?

C.L.

My master of monastic life and of theological formation, the French monk Ghislain Lafond, who died a few months ago at the age of 90, used the French adjective “autrement” (different) to show the path of the Church. The different Church dreamt by Pope Francis is a community of disciples who are able to put others, their suffering and their needs, first. We no longer think of the Church as a fortress but as a place where to meet and to support each other on the path of life with its sufferings and joys. Over the last years the Pope has shown us a path of a Church that does not change its mystery and its commitment to announce the Kingdom and to be its witness. It deals with fully accomplishing the spiritual renewal of the Second Vatican Council and to be the witnesses and the disciples of a community open to dialogue, to the participation and to hospitality. The next Synodal years could be a great opportunity to go farther and take some steps forward to create a “different” Church.