IMBISA: Seminaries urged to move from synodality theory to practice in priestly formation

Seminary rectors from across Southern Africa met for a workshop to integrate synodality into priestly formation curricula. The weeklong event, held from October 26 to 30 at the Padre Pio Conference and Retreat Centre, focused on moving from theoretical discussions of synodality to practical application in training future priests.

Fr. Parry, the director of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) Secretariat, told the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference Communications Office that the workshop aims to equip priests to foster listening, participation, and shared responsibility within the Church. The gathering included 12 rectors from the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé e Príncipe, three from the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, one from the Lesotho Catholic Bishops' Conference, and one from the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique.

This initiative follows a 2024 workshop and builds on previous IMBISA efforts to strengthen regional priestly formation. Past collaborative projects included the development of a human formation manual translated into English and Portuguese for distribution to regional seminaries.