Imagining the ‘Ecclesial We’ as It Accompanies the Marginalized and Excluded Synodally

The 2024 Final Document of the Synod of Bishops introduces in paragraph 6 an “ecclesial we” in acknowledging a wide variety of ecclesial sins, while emphasizing in paragraphs 55–56 that listening to excluded and marginalized voices is essential and a prerequisite for the Church to embody its sacramental identity (LG 1). This paper explores how such a synodal and accompanying approach might shape and inform the ecclesial practice of (asking for) forgiveness when it concerns, for example, victims of abuse or forced adoption. It asks whether the synodal imagination fostered by Pope Francis can contribute constructively to healing processes involving victims within and beyond the Church.