Pope Francis closed the global Synod on Sy-nodality’s final assem-bly on October 27 with a call for a Church that “hears the cry of the world” without being “blind” to the urgent issues facing our time. At the synod’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis said that a synodal Church must be “on the move” following Christ in serving those in need.
“We do not need a sedentary and defeatist Church but a Church that hears the cry of the world … and gets its hands dirty in serving the Lord,” the pope said in his homily on Oct. 27. “Brothers and sisters, not a sedentary Church, but a Church on her feet. Not a silent Church, but a Church that embraces the cry of humanity. Not a blind Church, but a Church, enlightened by Christ, that brings the light of the Gospel to others. Not a static Church, but a missionary Church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world,” he said.