On Saturday, October 30, the Catholic Church in the Holy Land officially opened the General Synod  of the Universal Catholic Church: “A Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission Vademecum for the Synod on Synodality (2021-2023) with three main simultaneous Holy Masses celebrated  in Jerusalem, Amman and Nicosia.

In the Holy Land (Jerusalem and the Galilee)

Marking the solemnity of Mary, Queen of Palestine and opening of General Synod  of the Catholic Church, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa  celebrated Holy Mass in the presence of heads of Catholic Churches in Palestine and the Galilee, priests, nuns, as well as a large number of faithful and delegations of pilgrims.

In his homily, Patriarch Pizzaballa highlight two elements at the beginning of the synodal journey.  He said, "First, we want to set out on our journey. Perhaps we had been standing still for some time, as if we were waiting... Now we want to set out again, just as we are - with all our wounds, just like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Secondly, we want to do it together, as a Church, as a community. Of course, it is often not easy for our dioceses to be together, because of political borders, cultural distances, and difficulties in receiving permits to move from one area of our dioceses to another: everything seems to want to keep us apart. This is why I find it beautiful and meaningful that in all parts of our churches (Galilee, Jordan, and Cyprus), we are united at this moment. I therefore greet our communities in Jordan and Cyprus, who have joined us in prayer today."

He added, "The synodal journey, just like the journey of the two men on the road to Emmaus, is not so much an event as it is a style, a way of being in life. We are dominated by a mindset that focuses on what we lack. This is real and urgent, but it can create despair. I hope, instead, that this journey of ours, little by little, will allow our eyes to see and our ears to hear him, to realize not only what we lack but also what we have: he and the gift he gives us of the Spirit, he and the gift he gives us of the brothers and sisters who walk with us on the road.''

He continued, "The synodal journey then continually leads us back to the Eucharist, the central reality of our lives as believers. Like the two disciples at Emmaus, it is at the Eucharistic table, at the breaking of the bread, that we recognize Jesus (cf. Lk 24:30), that we are nourished and strengthened on this journey, encouraged to renew our dreams and to work for the Kingdom of God that is already in our midst. Our anxieties and fears, our sense of loneliness and despair can be brought to the Eucharistic table. We are not alone as we gather there. The Lord is here, he comes not only to listen but to transform our lives so that we can once again choose to have life in abundance. We also meet our brothers and sisters there, who are also hungry for the bread of life, thirsty for the cup of salvation. We know how to describe well what we lack, but we also try ever more clearly to say what we have."

He concluded his homily saying, "We walk toward an unknown horizon trusting in a known Lord and Savior. And here in Deir Rafat, in this Shrine, we place ourselves under the hand of Our Lady of Palestine. We ask for her intercession to embark together on this journey of renewal. Let us look to her, Star of the New Evangelization, so that she may remain with us, like her Son with the two men of Emmaus, on our synodal journey and guide our steps."

In Jordan,  Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Fr. Jamal Khader marked the opening of General Synod  of the Catholic Church by celebrating Holy Mass at St. Mary of Nazareth Church, in Sweifieh, Amman. The Holy Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia and entire Jordan Joseph Jbarah and Chargé d'Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Jordan Monsignor Mauro Lalli in the presence of representatives of Catholic, Maronite, Syriac and Chaldean Churches as well as a number of priests and the faithful.

In his homily, he said that the Synod is a unique initiative by His Holiness Pope Francis and is in line with his intention for the Church, He also addressed an invitation to involve the faithful in reflection and prayer, and asking priests to listen to them.

He pointed out that the synod’s title calls on us to think, to meet, and to pray together in the light of God’s word. He stressed the importance of the role entrusted to parish priests in energizing believers and listening to them about their role in the Church, what they seek, what they suffer from, and what they dream about where every baptized person is called upon to feel being an active member in the life of the Church.