Goan Jesuit Priest Appointed to Key Synodal Role at Jesuit Curia in Rome

Panaji, 6 June, 2025 – Jesuit priest Fr. Joseph Cardozo SJ, currently serving as Vice Provincial and Superior of the Goa Jesuit Province, has been appointed to assist the Office of Discernment and Apostolic Planning for a Synodal Church at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, Italy. He will begin his new assignment in September 2025.

In an interaction with Catholic Connect, Fr. Joseph shared that his appointment follows the late Pope Francis’ request to the Society of Jesus to aid the global Church in actualising synodality after the conclusion of the Synod in Rome. “Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, identified the area of ‘Discernment in Common’ as a key contribution that the Society can make to the synodal process,” Fr. Joseph said.

Explaining the concept, Fr. Joseph noted that ‘Discernment in Common’ is a process where a group of individuals work together to determine the best course of action in a given situation. "In religious contexts, it is viewed as a way to collectively discover God’s will for the group,” he said.

In his new role, Fr. Joseph will work closely with Fr. John Dardis SJ, General Counsellor for Discernment and Apostolic Planning (DPA), and will be part of a core team that includes Mr Germán Muñoz, Assistant for Special Projects, and an intern from the Università Sacro Cuore, Milan. 

His responsibilities will include participating in meetings that plan the renewal of Jesuit provinces and regions across the globe, analysing province/region plans and offering feedback, facilitating some of the workshops conducted by the DPA counsellor, and expanding the Magis Digital platform across South Asian Jesuit provinces.

Additionally, Fr. Joseph will support the development and implementation of key performance indicators for the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) and contribute to the October 2025 meeting of Jesuit Superiors General.

In his new position, Fr. Joseph will also be playing a vital role in an international conference scheduled to be held in Salamanca, Spain, from November 23 to December 3, 2025. Titled “Deepening Discernment in Common – Promoting Synodal Transformation”, the conference will bring together 80 experts and will serve as a launchpad for the systematic development of the Jesuit congregation’s approach to the 'Discernment in Common' method. A key outcome of the meeting will be the formation of teams—usually comprising three to four members—in each conference, who will train facilitators in Discernment in Common at the regional level, both within the Society of Jesus and in the wider Church.

Fr. Joseph stated that he will be departing for Rome on August 31, 2025, to assume his new position at the Jesuit Curia. He added that Fr Lawry Trindade will succeed him as the new Vice Provincial of the Goa Jesuit Province. However, he noted that the appointment of a new Superior for the province is still pending.

By Catholic Connect Reporter