Delegates across Church in India gather at National Synodal Assembly in Bangalore
Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) President and Archbishop of Goa Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão on Friday called on all the faithful to become courageous witnesses of the Gospel.
Cardinal Ferrão was delivering his homily at the Eucharistic celebration to mark the CCBI’s National Synodal Assembly 2026 which began on Friday at St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, bringing together over 195 delegates from across the country under the theme ‘Synodal Pilgrims of Hope’.
This gathering forms part of the global synodal process initiated in 2021 by Pope Francis, inviting the People of God worldwide to journey together in communion, participation, and mission. In India, this journey has been marked by extensive consultations at diocesan, regional, and national levels.
The assembly has drawn broad participation, including 2 Cardinals, 25 Bishops, 65 Priests, over 20 women religious, and more than 100 lay faithful, including youth and women leaders, reflecting the Church’s commitment to wider participation and shared responsibility in discernment and mission.
Drawing inspiration from the Resurrection and the conversion of St Paul, Cardinal Ferrão reminded delegates that every baptised person is called to proclaim Christ courageously in today’s world. Highlighting the example of St Joseph the Worker, he underscored the dignity of labour and the call to holiness in daily life.
Earlier while welcoming the delegates, CCBI deputy Secretary General Fr Stephen Alathara described the assembly as “a spiritual journey” and “a moment of God’s grace.”
In his presidential address, Cardinal Ferrão recalled the publication of the CCBI Pastoral Plan, “Journeying Towards a Synodal Church: Mission 2033,” and invited all delegates to build upon the vision articulated at the 36th Plenary Assembly held in Bhubaneswar in 2025.
Delegates will engage in prayerful discernment through spiritual conversation, reflecting on four pastoral priorities: interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding; inclusion of the excluded; poverty and integral ecology; and accompanying children and youth.
During the Assembly, delegates will reflect on how to translate synodal principles into concrete pastoral action at all levels of Church life. Through prayer, dialogue, and shared discernment, the National Synodal Assembly seeks to strengthen the Church’s mission in India as a communion of believers journeying together in hope.
