The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on January 4 made the Working Document for its Plenary Assembly public.
The gathering of Indian prelates from January 28 to February 4 will revolve around the theme “Discerning the Synodal Pathways for Mission.”
Prior to the assembly, the conference’s General Secretariat dispatched a Preliminary Document and a questionnaire to dioceses, religious congregations, and lay groups across India, current world’s largest country by population.
The document and the questionnaire were issued to encourage participation and draw diverse but inclusive observations for a collective discernment process.
The conference has also initiated an online survey, inviting laypeople to share suggestions and recommendations.
The online inclusive consultation was a pioneering initiative, underscoring the church’s commitment to shared responsibility and collaboration in its mission. The overwhelming response was collected by experts to draft the Working Document.
A team, led by Bishop Allwyn D’Silva, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Bombay, took charge in gathering and evaluating the feedback from dioceses, religiojs congregations, and laypeople.
The 180 bishops from across India registered for the assembly will be divided into 16 groups. The prelates will discuss the priorities outlined in the document using the “Conversation in the Spirit” method. This method combines personal prayer, group reflection, and facilitated dialogue to encourage unity and discernment under the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
The CCBI, the largest episcopal conference in Asia and fourth worldwide, represents 132 dioceses and 209 bishops.
The conference seeks to strengthen inclusivity and collaboration within the church in India through this synodal initiative, encouraging and supporting a more mission-oriented future.
The conference announced late October last year that its upcoming Plenary Assembly would take a synodal approach and center around inclusivity.
The bishops will convene for the Plenary Assembly in Bhubaneswar, a city in the eastern state of Odisha known as Temple City for being home to many temples.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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