Indian nun to address global forum on Synod

An Indian nun will be one of the speakers at the global forum on Synod.

The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) is set to organize the event "Conversations on the Synod: Overview and Opportunities," which will be held online and in person on September 14 in Rome.

Shalini Mulackal, PBVM, a presentation nun, has been working as the coordinator of the formators program at UISG since July 2023.

She has been a professor of systematic theology at Vidayjyoti (Light of Knowledge), a leading Jesuit theology college in New Delhi, India, until April 2022.

The upcoming 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, more commonly known as the Synod on Synodality, is an initiative of Pope Francis. It has two parts: the first will occur October 4–28 and the second in October 2024 to advise the pope on the topic "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission."

The other speakers are Brother Mark Hilton, SC, and Sister Jolanta Kafka.

Currently, Brother Hilton serves his community, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, as Superior General.

He has served as a teacher of science and religious studies, campus minister, and principal in schools in Australia and the United States. 

Sister Kafka, a Claretian Missionary Sister of Mary Immaculate, has coordinated youth ministry and spirituality groups.

She served as the Superior General until 2023 and accompanied the foundation of new missionary communities.

The nun was appointed adviser to the Pontifical Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and held the position of president of the UISG until 2022.

Vatican Council II served as inspiration for the establishment of the International Union of Superiors General in 1965, which aimed to encourage cooperation between women's congregations of Apostolic Religious Life.

Currently, the UISG is composed of 1903 Superiors General worldwide, organized within 36 regional constellations.