VATICAN CITY OCTOBER 13, 2015(CISA) –Archbishop Thomas Msusa of the Catholic Archdiocese of Blantyre in Malawi has urged the African bishops attending the ongoing synod on family to seek pastoral responses to the challenges facing the family.

“Challenges are there but we have to find pastoral responses to them. We have bishops, priests, and religious that needs to be close to our people. We should not be foreign because we belong to family,” Archbishop Msusa told The National Catholic Reporter on the sidelines of October 4-25 Synod of Bishops in Vatican.

“We should be so close to our people. The example is our Pope. People would like to touch him. That’s what even our laypeople want. They want to see us, they want to see us teaching. They want to see us be close to the family, just to encourage them,” he added.

He noted that Church in Africa should keep speaking with one voice during the synod in order to keep the family unit together.

“We are bringing the same message. Let us live proudly the heritage of what we have received: the Christian family,” said Archbishop Msusa.

Francis Cardinal Arinze, the Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship has further urged Africans to keep themselves informed about what is happening at the Synod on the Family because, “love of the Church includes our readiness to know what the Church is doing.

However, knowledge alone is not enough. We should also pray for the Synod fathers.”

The Cardinal was explaining the synod process to the Africa Service of Vatican Radio.

The Cardinal Emeritus emphasized that Synods work with the Holy Father and under his direction in “an expression of collegiality.