International Jesuit theologian to unpack synodal way

20 May 2024

International Jesuit theologian Fr Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator will be touring Australia later this month for a series of public forums exploring what the synodal way means for the Catholic Church.

Fr Orobator is Dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University in the United States, and the former President of the Jesuit Conference of Africa.

Originally from Nigeria, Fr Obobator was invited by Pope Francis to be a voting member of the Synod on Synodality in Rome last year, and is a specialist in ecclesiology. He is the author of a number of books, including ‘Theology Brewed in an African Pot’ and ‘The Pope and the Pandemic: Lessons in Leadership in a Time of Crisis’.

Reflecting on his experience at the synod last year, Fr Orobotor said that synodality has become a new way of being Church - ‘a way of practicing the graces of listening, dialogue and discernment in a prayerful manner’.

‘Time and again Francis has reminded the synod members that the most important protagonist in this exercise of discernment is the Holy Spirit, just as the most important disposition is a prayerful and respectful openness to what the Spirit is saying to the Church as a global community of discernment’, he said.

‘Even if nothing else changes after the synod, the integration of prayer and discernment in common into decision-making processes will be an important part of the goal to become a more synodal Church. I am hopeful that the outcome of the synod will be a Church that is more discerning in its ways of proceeding – in other words, a prayerful, humble, and listening Church.’

Fr Orobatur will participate in forums in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, as well as an online webinar. The tour is being supported by the Australian Jesuits in conjunction with a number of other groups.

Here are the details of the sessions:

Melbourne – Thursday 23 May