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“The body of Christ must be synodal”, an Ivorian Catholic Archbishop has declared. He made this declaration at the Launch of the New Pastoral Year. Details of the information has it that Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan in Ivory Coast has called on the Church in the country to be truly synodal by stepping out of its comfort zone to reach out to the peripheries.

 “The Church, as the Body of Christ, is called to be a synodal Church where everyone walks together, where communion is lived, and where the Church rolls up its sleeves for a true missionary outreach,” Archbishop Dogbo said in his September 22 homily at the launch of e 2024–2025 pastoral year for the Archdiocese of Abidjan.

He urged the people of God to leave behind their sense of security and venture into what he described as “the peripheries of modern-day tax collectors.”

The Ivorian Catholic Archbishop said that the Church’s mission is to be closer to the marginalized and vulnerable, those he said are often overlooked by society.

“The Church must go out and reach the peripheries where the sick lie abandoned, where the poor face uncertain futures without education, food, or clothing,” the Catholic Church leader said.

He called on the Church to listen to the Holy Spirit who he said is reminding the faithful that the Church’s mission can only be accomplished through concerted action, not chaos.

“The Church does not live out its mission in a cacophony or disorder, like a rudderless ship tossed by contrary winds,” Archbishop Dogbo said.

He explained, “Within this Church, there is the bishop who is the successor of the apostles, priests who are collaborators of the bishop, deacons, members of the clergy and consecrated men and women, all taken from among the laity, who are the holy people of God.”

He clarified that the Church’s hierarchical structure is not meant to create a system of dominance but to coordinate efforts for effective pastoral care in a synodal Church.

“In this Church, bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and laypeople are called to walk together, collaborate in communion, and truly engage according to their specific vocations, building the Kingdom of God as baptized members of the Church. This is the essence of synodality, a defining characteristic of the Church of Jesus Christ that we are called to embody in our daily lives,” Archbishop Dogbo stated.

The native of Ivory Coast’s Catholic Diocese of Yopougon raised concerns about the growing influence of materialism within the Church, warning against the “cancer of money” that he said threatens to corrupt the Church’s mission.

“This Church is not ruled by…the god of money, where the spirit of iniquity reigns and destroys everything in its path. This Church is not a marketplace where the Kingdom of God is sold to the highest bidder,” the Archbishop of Abidjan said.

The Catholic Church leader, who is one of the three papal nominees from Africa for the Synod on Synodality further cautioned against the deviations he said he had observed within the Church, particularly the “sensationalism and commercialization of miracles.”

“This Church is not a gathering of prophets of Baal, where the ridiculous competes with noise in a search for prefabricated, ready-made sensations, where miracles are publicized in a way that contradicts the teachings and actions of the Master,” Archbishop Dogbo emphasized.

The pastoral theme for the Archdiocese of Abidjan in 2024–2025 is “Living the Synodal Church.”

Archbishop Dogbo highlighted the importance of unity, missionary outreach, and the Church’s commitment to serving the poor and marginalized while maintaining the integrity and spiritual depth of its mission.

Rev. Fr. George Nwachukwu
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