"In our archdiocese, we have carried out the entire process proposed for the universal Church, beginning in February 2022. After undertaking consultations (in order to listen to the People of God), gatherings, reflections, and various proposals, we concluded the appropriation of the Final Document on Synodality this March 2026 with the presentation of the contributions of the various parishes and deaneries.

What began as a response to Pope Francis's call has been transformed into a process of personal, ecclesial, and pastoral conversion which, above all else, seeks the «missionary dream of reaching everyone», following the model of the Church bequeathed to us by the Second Vatican Council and by the Plenary Council of Venezuela.

A Journey of Listening in Three Stages

What we lived in our archdiocese was not an isolated event, but an organic unfolding of participation:

1. The universal consultation (2022–23): With more than 300 group consultations in parishes, schools, and social and business organisations, the Church of the capital asked herself how to make this «walking together» a reality today, in order to proclaim the Gospel.
2. The synthesis phase (2024): Following the publication of the first universal synthesis, which was returned to the dioceses, 100 focused consultations were held, which fed into the Instrumentum Laboris for the second session of the Synod.
3. The appropriation of the Final Document (2025): After the October 2024 session, the archdiocese devoted an entire year to studying and discerning the priorities for its implementation in the 2025–26 biennium.

In this stage, driven by the Vicariate for Pastoral Affairs, five assemblies of pastoral workers were held, together with five assemblies in the parishes and vicariates corresponding to the five chapters of the document, as well as two deanery assemblies in each deanery — one at the beginning to launch the work, and another at the end to evaluate the appropriation process.

The working group structured the reflection around the question: What aspects, affirmations, or pastoral orientations of the Final Document of the Synod must we take up as priorities in the pastoral action of the Archdiocese of Caracas? The underlying purpose of this question is to come to understand that, by virtue of our baptism, we are co-responsible for the mission of the Church, and to take up the challenges and pastoral priorities of a future pastoral plan for our archdiocese, built up from within the communities themselves.

The Most Notable Conclusions of the Synodal Process in Caracas

The document that summarises all the work done by the Archdiocese of Caracas in the 2025 gatherings presents a call from the Spirit to personal, pastoral, and ecclesial conversion, urging the Church to return to her "first love" and to walk together without fear. Emphasis is placed on recovering the baptismal dignity of the laity, in order to foster co-responsibility and holiness in our walking together as Church, overcoming tendencies towards clericalism that run counter to the spirit of the ecclesiology of Vatican II.

Among the priorities mentioned is the creation of ministries to accompany those who feel distant from the Church — such as the divorced and remarried — and vulnerable groups such as prisoners, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. It is proposed to strengthen youth, family, and catechetical pastoral care in a synodal key, valuing the diversity of charisms and active listening. The contributions stress that fraternity is indispensable for synodality, and they call for ongoing formation that will make it possible to move from a "pastoral approach of maintenance/ritualism" to one decidedly missionary, prophetic, and social.

Recurring Themes

What recurs most insistently throughout the assemblies is the need for conversion in leadership in the style of Jesus, and the importance of integral formation of the laity:

• Integral formation: This is the most frequently mentioned point. Formation is required not only in doctrine, but in discernment, in the Social Doctrine of the Church, and in spiritual and organisational tools for pastoral councils.
• The leading role of the laity: Recovering baptismal dignity, so that lay people may not be merely collaborators, but active co-responsible members of the Christian community.
• Overcoming clericalism: The need to overcome "clericalism" is mentioned with insistence, in favour of a leadership rooted in service and listening, rather than in power and centralism.
• Missionary conversion: Moving from an individualistic pastoral approach ("fishing with a rod") to a collective one ("fishing with a net").

Impact on the Surrounding Reality and the Venezuelan Context

The contributions reveal a Church seeking to be a response to the crisis of hope and the fractured social fabric of Venezuela:

• Attention to the existential «peripheries»: The creation of ministries is proposed to accompany the «discarded»: the poor, prisoners, abandoned older persons, and persons with disabilities.
• Greater inclusion:
• Ecclesial: Our communities are often closed in upon themselves. A conversion is sought towards a Church that goes forth, with open doors for all.
• Social: At the same time, there is a clear demand for a Church that builds bridges, that works alongside society to overcome polarisation.
• Transparency and accountability: In a national context where the recovery of institutional trust is crucial, it is proposed to strengthen the Economic Councils, so that resources may be managed according to evangelical criteria, with transparency in the rendering of accounts to the community.
• Digital culture: It is recognised that the digital environment is vital for mission, with proposals even to create a "digital apostolate" to evangelise and to counter polarisation.

The Greatest Challenges for the Archdiocese of Caracas

The document identifies very deep challenges, both structural and of mindset:

• Moving from unilateral decisions to communal discernment, as the appropriate method for taking decisions and prioritising urgent matters.
• The challenge of creating and formalising ministries of listening and accompaniment for those who feel distant from the Church or are in spiritual or existential crisis.
• Moving from a presence that is merely cultic to a presence of closeness in hospitals, prisons, and cultural and sporting spaces, entrusting real responsibilities to young people.
• The challenge of establishing "objective indicators" to evaluate pastoral work.

Challenges and Horizons

This whole synodal process — which is undoubtedly progressive and slow, as is every process of true conversion — has awakened great interest in the lay faithful of Caracas, a visible fruit of the Holy Spirit; and thanks to the impetus given to it by our Archbishop, Mons. Raúl Biord, together with the Vicariate for Pastoral Affairs, the Council of Priests, and the archdiocesan secretariats, it continues to move forward in fulfilling its mission.

With this phase of appropriation now concluded, the new phase proposes to renew and strengthen, in a synodal key, the structures of participation — especially the Pastoral Councils (parish, deanery, and diocesan) — within a spirituality of listening and co-responsibility, ensuring the genuine participation and representation of the communities, pastoral works, and charisms present within them.

Methodologically, the proposal is to adopt communal discernment — the method of Conversation in the Spirit — for decision-making, establishing objective indicators by which to measure the pastoral fruits."