Priests and pastoral council representatives met in Avessadas for a diocesan synod training session

On October 24, representatives from 31 parish pastoral councils and several priests from the Vicarage of Marco de Canaveses met at the Convent of Avessadas for a training session titled "Tuning into the Synod."

Father Amaro Lopes, the general secretary of the synod, presided over the meeting and provided a catechesis on the diocesan synod. He described a process involving five movements: from communion to synodality, from baptism to co-responsibility, from listening to discernment, and from discernment to conversion in the Spirit.

During the second part of the morning, participants divided into 15 groups to discuss new paths of synodality emerging in their communities using the "Conversation in the Spirit" method. Participants suggested that the Church could become more open by reaching out to young people, immigrants, and families, and by providing more opportunities to listen to others.