On the afternoon of Tuesday 5 May 2026, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General, and Sr Nathalie Becquart XCMJ, Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, met with the bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger –these two countries form a single Episcopal Conference – on the occasion of their ad limina visit.
Guided by His Excellency Gabriel Sayaogo, Archbishop of Koupéla and President of the Bishops' Conference, the bishops came to report on the implementation of synodality in their Countries. Then, on behalf of the episcopate of the Conference, His Excellency Der Raphael Dabire, Bishop of Dégougou presented the fruits of the synodal journey. On behalf of the episcopate of the Conference, as ‘a special grace and an urgent call to renew our ways of living communion, participation and mission’. In particular, in the Churches of Burkina Faso and Niger, this process has sparked a genuine surge of listening and dialogue, enabling many of the faithful, who are often unaccustomed to speaking out, to express their experience of faith and their expectations for the Church.
Against a backdrop marked by significant security, social and economic challenges, the African bishops acknowledge that ‘synodality appears as a path to renewal’ which ‘invites us to rediscover that the Church is not merely a hierarchical structure, but a people of God on a journey, in which everyone has their own place and their own responsibility’.
According to the Bishop of Dégougou, this was evidenced by local consultations which revealed a great thirst for participation, particularly on the part of the laity, young people and women. ‘Many express a desire to be more involved in the processes of discernment and decision-making within the Church. This expectation challenges us and encourages us to promote more effective structures of participation, in keeping with the nature and mission of the Church,’ continued the President of the Bishops’ Conference.
In a context marked by cultural and religious diversity, the bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger also view synodality as “a school of dialogue”. Synodality ‘helps us to strengthen bonds of fraternity within the Church, but also to promote a culture of encounter with other Christian denominations and other religions. In this way, the synodal journey also contributes to building a more peaceful and more united society’.
The synodal process has, however, highlighted certain weaknesses, particularly in the areas of communication, formation and governance, calling local communities to a pastoral and missionary conversion so that they may become more welcoming, more transparent and closer to the realities experienced by the faithful. In particular, for the African bishops, investment in formation is essential to help the faithful understand the nature and demands of this journey, in order to avoid any confusion or reductive interpretation. ‘We have, in fact, clearly understood that synodality is not merely a form of governance, but a way of being and of being the Church, rooted in listening to the Holy Spirit. We have also understood that synodality does not consist merely in gathering opinions, but above all in seeking together God’s will for his Church, which requires careful spiritual discernment,’ emphasised Bishop Dabire.
