LCMC Demystifies 'Instrumentum Laboris'
By Ms. Teresia Muia
Loyola Centre for Media and Communications (LCMC) continues its mission to help Catholics stay updated with church and Vatican developments. On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, over three hundred Catholics, both lay people and religious figures, joined a one-hour webinar to discuss the recent Vatican document ‘Instrumentum Laboris.
The “Instrumentum Laboris” is a working tool for the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. It aims to guide the discussions and discernment of the synodal assembly by providing foundational understandings of synodality, highlighting the missionary synodal life of the Church, and addressing the question: “How to be a synodal Church in mission?”
Dr. Elias Mokua SJ, the LCMC director, led the participants through an interactive session on the “Instrumentum Laboris,” simplifying its content and making it more accessible. “This session places me in a better position as I continue to read and understand the document,” one participant remarked, highlighting the success of the initiative.
In his attempt to clarify the seemingly complicated document, Dr. Mokua simplified the church’s synodal journey and explained the “Instrumentum Laboris” document. He outlined the three key components: The first part focuses on the relationships sustaining the Church, secondly the pathways supporting these relationships, and finally the diverse contexts where these relationships occur. Mokua emphasized that this document will guide the second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2024, helping shape discussions and decisions to strengthen the Church’s mission collaboratively.
While the session helped many understand the complex document, some participants saw it as an indication that the Church should simplify its language for the ordinary faithful to facilitate the efforts of building a synodal church.
The “Instrumentum Laboris” is not the only document LCMC has simplified. The center has also hosted discussions and sessions to demystify “Towards Full Presence,” a pastoral reflection on engagement with social media (28 May 2023), and “Laudato Si’,” an encyclical letter by Pope Francis on the care for our common home (24 May 2015).
