The Chairperson of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Commission for Synodality has called on all dioceses in the region to finalise the appointment and registration of their respective synodal teams.

In a letter dated 25 July 2025, Archbishop Dabula Anthony Mpako noted that the Commission is making “solid progress” in fulfilling its mandate, as outlined in the communique of 18 March 2025.

To ensure continued progress and effective implementation of the Synodal process, the Archbishop reminded bishops, cardinals, and diocesan administrators to send the full names, contact numbers, and email addresses of their diocesan synodal team members to Fr Nhlanhla Mchunu via email at laity@sacbc.org.za. He also urged dioceses to formally register their teams with the Synod Secretariat in Rome.

Quoting the recent Vatican document Pathways for the Implementation Phase, Archbishop Mpako stressed that diocesan synodal teams should be composed of “laymen and laywomen, [youth], priests and deacons, consecrated men and women, of different ages and from different cultures and formation backgrounds.”

The emphasis, he added, is on building diverse teams capable of broad consultation and effective collaboration. “The team should be big and diversified enough to enable a richer exchange of views and enough personnel to carry out the work,” he wrote.

To date, the SACBC Commission for Synodality has also worked on adapting the Synod document to align it more closely with the SACBC Pastoral Plan. This adaptation follows a recommendation from the bishops that the Commission present the document in a language that can be better understood by all of the baptised.

Looking ahead, Archbishop Mpako announced plans to hold a Jubilee Year celebration for all diocesan synodal teams towards the end of 2025. This celebration, however, will depend on diocesan responsiveness to the Commission’s current call for participation.

The letter also confirmed that Fr Nhlanhla Mchunu, Ms Laurika Nxumalo, and Ms Kati Dijani will represent the SACBC at the Synodal Teams Pilgrimage in Rome from 24–26 October 2025.

Archbishop Mpako concluded the letter with a message of encouragement and commitment, assuring dioceses that the Commission will continue to provide updates as work progresses.