Discernment as a synodal path

On 17, 22 and 23 September, the WUCWO´s Observatory, in collaboration with ESDAC (Exercices Spirituels pour un Discernement Apostolique en Commun) , organised three international online workshops on The Art of Discernment in the Spirit, offered in the three official languages of WUCWO: Spanish, English and French. The initiative brought together 239 participants from 50 countries in a space for prayer, formation and dialogue, with the aim of deepening personal and community discernment as part of the Church’s synodal journey.

Listening to and following the voice of the Spirit

Inspired by the spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola, it was recalled that it is not so much a question of asking where thoughts or feelings come from, but where they lead. From this perspective, two fundamental criteria for discernment were highlighted:

• The direction of the inner movement, that is, whether it draws one closer to God, to life, to hope and to love.

• The duration, since true peace and joy endure, whereas false consolations quickly fade

The speakers invited participants to recognise the signs of the Good Spirit, which respects freedom, enlightens, strengthens, instils confidence and builds unity, as opposed to the traces of the evil spirit, which confuses, divides, weakens and sows fear or despair. As one of the trainers put it: ‘The Good Spirit always leads to faith, hope and love.’

Discernment in a synodal key

The meeting also highlighted the importance of common discernment, characteristic of the synodal journey, which requires deep listening, humility and openness to fraternal correction. At the close, a teaching of Pope Francis was recalled: ‘Synodality is an attitude, an openness, a willingness to understand that each and every member of the church has a voice and a role to play’.

International participation

The response to the workshop was very broad and diverse. The country with the highest number of participants was Mexico (46), followed by Spain, France and Ghana. There was representation from all continents, with participants from places as diverse as Greece, Fiji, the Central African Republic and Venezuela.

Among the testimonies and reflections shared, certain phrases resonated and captured the spirit of the day. Taking up the teaching of St Ignatius of Loyola, Françoise Uylenbroeck emphasised: ‘Do not try to find out where your thoughts or feelings come from; rather, ask yourself where they are leading you.’ In the same vein, she explained that ‘the Good Spirit respects our freedom, enlightens and strengthens us, while the evil spirit confuses, weakens and divides us.’ For her part, Luisa Rossi stressed that ‘to discern together, we need the qualities of listening and communion; sometimes we must first heal the wounds of the group’s history before we can make decisions together.’ Finally, Franck Janin recalled that ‘the Good Spirit always leads to faith, hope and love.’

With this workshop, WUCWO, through its School of Synodality, reaffirms its commitment to collaborate in the dissemination and deepening of the implementation phase of the Synod, offering spaces for formation that help communities to live with greater authenticity and hope the synodal journey to which the whole Church is called.

You can access the workshop here: