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[Editor’s Note: WPI contributor Ariane Sroubek has put together this article as a guide to help readers keep up with the Synod on Synodality’s October 2024 Assembly in Rome. This page will remain “sticky” throughout the synodal assembly (meaning it will appear close to the top of the wherepeteris.com home page) and will be updated regularly to include links to the official documents and statements from the synod organizers, as well as links to the texts and video of the speeches and reflections that are made available to the public. We will also provide links to Vatican News’s coverage, including videos of the press briefings. Going forward, the content will be organized chronologically, so scroll to the bottom for the latest updates. — ML]

The second and final session of the Assembly for the Synod on Synodality began meeting last Wednesday, October 2 in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. The current 3-year process has been described by CNN’s Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb as the “largest listening and consulting effort ever to be undertaken in history.” This year’s session will differ from the previous meeting because many of the more specific and highly charged issues discussed in last year’s assembly (such as polygamous families and women in the diaconate) were handed over to study groups to address. That means the focus of the current session will be synodality in the Church.

While the formal title of the initiative, For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission, is a bit intimidating, the actual purpose of the synod is not. According to Kim Daniels, a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, the Synod on Synodality (and synodality more broadly) is “a gathering of the faithful with their pastors in order to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to our Church.” A Church that practices synodality, then, is one that prayerfully listens to its members and to the Holy Spirit as it seeks discernment for future action. Participants in the Second Session this month will focus on how to move forward as a Church that listens to all its members and is oriented toward effective evangelization in today’s world rather than the self-preservation of Church structures.

As reported in the Catholic News Service’s overview of this month’s assembly, the participants will be working from the Instrumentum Laboris (working document) with the ultimate goal of enhancing “the unique contribution of each baptized person and of each church in the one mission of proclaiming the Risen Lord and his Gospel in the world today.” To do this, they will work to develop recommendations on how to:

  1. Help members of the Church to listen to one another and the Holy Spirit
  2. Encourage the baptized to work towards fulfilling the mission of the Church
  3. Reach out to those who remain outside of or alienated by the Church
  4. Increase accountability for Church leadership
  5. Ensure that local church councils are representative of their parishioners and that their recommendations are heard
  6. Allow women to participate more fully in the mission of the Church

While the scope of this global undertaking is vast and messy, its purpose is to ensure that the Church, while remaining rooted in Tradition, is responsive to the current situations and needs of the world we live in.

The following links offer information about the daily happenings of the Second Session:

General Links:

Vatican News Transcripts of Father (and soon-to-be-Cardinal) Timothy Radcliffe’s retreat meditations:

  • Meditation 1: ‘Resurrection: Searching in the Dark’ – Text / Video
  • Meditation 2: ‘The Locked Room’ – Text / Video
  • Meditation 3: ‘Resurrection Fishing’ – Text / Video
  • Meditation 4: ‘Resurrection & Breakfast Conversation’ – Text / Video

Link to coverage of the Opening Mass on October 1.

Links to the full text of the Opening Addresses on October 1:

Link to Pope Francis’ Angelus and Rosary for peace at St. Mary Major on Sunday, October 6th.

Links to the daily press briefings on the synodal proceedings:

October 3rd (Day Two) – Emphasis was on the importance of forgiveness and mercy, “spirituality and prayer,” “paths to peace,” and the idea that the Session’s study groups are “laboratories of Synodal life” and collaborative spaces to “foster harmony without creating uniformity.”  The issue of accepting women into the diaconate was raised and it was determined that more exploration was needed (see Pedro Gabriel’s article from October 5th).

October 4th (Day Three) – Participants addressed the need to listen to the excluded and to be a “family of those who have no family,” as well as the idea that all the baptized share equal “dignity and co-responsibility” for the mission of the Church. They also focused on the interaction between local cultures and the Church, the rejection of the corporate model within the structure of the Church, and digital evangelization. Additionally, problems with the way that Fiducia supplicans was developed and released were discussed.

October 5th (Day Four) – The General Assembly issued a call for all people to work as agents of peace and condemned the arms trade. They addressed specific needs throughout the world including oppression and violence in the Middle East, desperation in Haiti, migration challenges in the Philippines, the shifting away from a Western Church to one that is more heavily influenced by the Global South, the needs of the global poor, the marginalization of women and LGBTQ+ people within the Church, and the importance of combatting clericalism.

October 7th (Day Five) – The fifth day of the session began today with prayer for those suffering in the Middle East and with a reminder that Pope Francis declared the day to be one of prayer and fasting for peace. In keeping with this focus, a fundraiser to support the only Catholic Church in Gaza was announced. Archbishop Gintaras Grušas tied the day of prayer to the larger theme of synodality by recognizing it as an opportunity to participate in solidarity with those who are suffering. During the daily press briefing, plans for the assembly this week were discussed. Additionally, presenters emphasized the importance of collaboration and dialogue with other Churches and faiths, how to build Christ’s Kingdom while valuing differences, the necessity of truly listening to one another, and the ways in which the Church can move forward as a synodal body, particularly in vulnerable areas of the globe (specifically Syria, Lebanon, Russia, Ukraine, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia).

October 8th (Day 6) – When speaking of the work the assembly has done so far, the Archbishop of Abidjan said, “…we are not materially changing the Church, but we are in a process that will lead to modifying the way of living the Church in the near future.” During the daily press release, it was announced that the assembly raised 62,000 Euros which were given to the Catholic parish of the Holy Family in Gaza to support victims of the war. Additionally, three of the 21 new Cardinals announced by Pope Francis over the weekend were present at this briefing. These newly elected Cardinals – from the Ivory Coast, Japan and Brazil – each responded to questions.  According to the briefing, the assembly addressed the importance of Christian Initiation in a secular world, the necessity of healing wounds caused by scandals within the Church, the need for trust in order for any synodal process to be effective, the importance of the Church nurturing charity and mission , ongoing concerns about the role of women in the Church, the recognition of forgiveness as an aspect of Christ’s love, the role of community in the Church, the importance of baptism, and the need for the Church to accompany the newly baptized. Additionally, some members called for the Synod’s working document to be more comprehensive and to be written in language that is easy to understand.

October 9th (Day 7):  In the synod session today, the following issues were addressed: the need for better Christian Initiation for young people, greater cooperation between the laity and their priests and bishops, the participation of women as both listeners within the church and ambassador for peace in global conflicts, empowering young people to direct youth and digital ministries, accompaniment of victims of abuse, allowing the poor to become leaders of ministry rather than merely the recipients of it, alleviating the burdens of loneliness and heavy workloads for priests, and the importance of producing a Final Document that inspires action. Additionally, participants in the daily press conference described the role of deacons as bridges who bring the Church to families and the marginalized and then create pathways for them to return to the Church. They also acknowledged deacons’ roles in assisting parish priests with overwhelming administrative work. Participants emphasized the importance of synodal discernment for anyone who has responsibility within the Church, including the laity, and petitioned for assistance for the Church in Mozambique which continues to struggle in the aftermath of war.

October 10th (Day 8) – On the eight day of the synod, the focus was on Christian unity. The participants spent the morning working within their smaller groups and planned to use the afternoon to focus on Part II of Instrumentum Laboris, Pathways. During the daily briefing, participants discussed: the ties between ecumenism and synodality, the “exchange of gifts” between Churches, the experiences of non-Catholic, ecumenical participants in the synod (specifically representatives of the Orthodox, Anglican and Mennonite Churches), the challenges and promises of the ecumenical process, and the journey of seeking commonality in the hope of greater unity in the future.

October 11th (Day 9) – Today was the 62nd anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which has been credited with the birth of a “new ecumenical era” in the Church. In light of this, an ecumenical vigil was held in the evening. Earlier in the day, synod participants focused on the theme of caring for relationships within the Church and the world in general. They addressed the need for trust, transparency and accountability within the Church. Participants also highlighted the importance of listening carefully to suffering and seeking complex solutions for complex problems, rather than finding simplistic answers. Other topics of discussion included the importance of prayer in listening, openness to differences, ensuring that all are represented and that specialists are able to share their wisdom in the discernment process,  the importance of the methods and culture being developed through the synod, and the challenges facing participants as they continue to learn how to take what they hear as they listen and integrate it into their decision making. Finally, plans were made for the next several days of the synod.

October 14th (Day 10) – Over the weekend, the synod participants continued to focus on the second module of Instrumentum laboris. Particular attention was paid to decision making within the Church, Catholic schools and their roles in faith formation, accountability and abuse within the Church, resisting clericalism, the role of women and the laity in the mission of the Church, and how to learn from Churches that are already using a synodal approach. On Monday morning, participants discussed the need for transparency in the Church, methods of synodality, and the type of culture that should exist in a synodal Church. During the afternoon, working groups spent time drafting their reports. At the daily press conference, Sr. Gloria Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN spoke on the importance of undertaking synodality and discernment with “the style of Jesus.” Bishop Edouard Sinayobye of Cyangugu, Rwanda, discussed the importance of the Holy Spirit in the synodal process and how this process is an opportunity to build unity within the Church. Then Archbishop Zbigneus Stankevics of Riga, Latvia, shared his desire for the synodal process to “involve every baptized person in the Church” as they work to “expand the Kingsom of God throughout the world.” He said that a goal of the synod was “freeing the charisms of every baptized person” in part by decentralizing and sharing responsibility within the Church. He cautioned that this should not be done in a democratic or secular way, but instead through spiritual communion. This, he said, would lead to the realization of the “final goal of the synod” which he declared to be mission and a missionary church. He encouraged participants to learn from the good fruits of the Church’s work throughout the world. On Tuesday, participants will transition to focusing on the third module of Instrumentum laboris, which is “Places.”

October 15th (Day 11) – Today’s session began with a remembrance of Jose Carlos de Sousa, a homeless Brazilian poet who resided under the colonnade in St. Peter’s Square. His funeral was held later in the day within the Vatican. Participants in the Synod shifted their attention today to the role of “places” in the Church. The morning’s prayer and meditation were led by Sr. Maria Ignazia Angelini and Cardinal Hollerich. They spoke about the ways in which human interactions allow the Gospel to be incarnate in our world. Additionally, they spoke of the dynamic and responsive nature of mission, the role that place and culture have played in the history of the Church, and the ways in which different places and cultures interact. During the daily press conference, Sr. Nirmala Alex Maria Nazareth, Superior General of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel shared her hope for the future that has been kindled by the synod. Cardinal Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus, Brazil, discussed the practical nature of synodality, the vital role that women have played in remote areas where they have had to carry out the roles that deacons ordinarily play, the issue of celibacy in the priesthood, and the climate crisis that is currently facing Brazil as it suffers from profound drought. Finally, Cardinal-elect Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin, spoke of the ways in which the Synod is a reflection of our universal Church and the discussions that have been taking place about the role of people with disabilities within the Church. The day ended with a showing of the film lo Capitano. The showing was arranged by the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

October 16th (Day 12) – Continuing with the theme of “places,” Paul VI Hall said today that the Church needs to be in “the digital world,” noting that “there is a need to be creative and to imagine, to expand the places of our Church into other realms.” Participants discussed how part of this imaginative vision involves discerning how to structure a united Church in the face of “contemporary challenges” like rapid change, migration, and technology. Decentralization of Church responsibility is one aspect of this vision. Additionally, Fr. Rush emphasized the critical role of theologians in helping “the Church to continue its living traditions. Fr. Prisco spoke about the importance of theologians and cannon lawyers working together to develop new responses to the new situations that confront the Church today. He also shared the importance of consensus in discernment, stating that if there is no consensus on an issue, then more discussion is needed. As a result, he cautioned that some issues, such as women’s ministry, will remain unresolved at the end of the synod as discussions on these topics continue. In the evening, a theological-pastoral forum was held to address the role of local churches within the universal Church.

October 17th (Day 13) – During the morning session of the Synod, participants discussed the Church’s relationship with migrants, renewing parish life, incorporating people with disabilities and creating a council for them, and structuring the connections between Rome and local churches. To this end, they suggested consulting local churches during the creation of Vatican documents and increasing the frequency of visits made by Vatican Dicastries. During the daily briefing, Sr. Samuela Maria Rigon, Superior General of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother shared that roughly one quarter of synod participants are laity, young people and members of religious orders. Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) discussed the synods process in Asia and shared that the FABC is pleased with the progress in “the Church’s commitment to listening to everyone.” Then Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec, Canada, cautioned that the church needs to listen and adjust practices in mission, media and spiritual growth. Finally, Prefect Ruffini said that the Church has been discussing allocating greater authority to local churches for a some time. However, this discussion has accelerated since Vatican II.

October 18th (Day 14) – Today the primary focus of the assembly was on the decentralization of Church power and responsibility. This conversation involved the value of diverse churches, the idea that people who follow different rites live within the same geographic areas and territories, and the need to develop criteria to decentralize in a “healthy” way. This will involve “fidelity to the magisterium, ecclesial communion with the successor of Peter, respect for local Churches, subsidiarity and synodality.” Other issues discussed included the overwhelming administrative tasks facing parishes which “stifle missionary enthusiasm,” ways in which Church leaders can walk with the laity and the suffering, the importance of the incarnation of the Gospel throughout the world, specific strengths and needs of the Church in various geographic areas (the Mediterranean, Latin America, and South Sudan), and the danger of polarization. Bishop Luis Marin de San Martin reflected on the many challenges the world faces, saying that the Synod creates hope that the Church is “capable of addressing today’s issues.” To do so, the Church must be Christ-centered, inclusive, responsive, and embrace the brotherhood of humanity.

In the evening, a Q&A session between students and the leaders of the Synod was held. In their responses to the students, the leaders highlighted the importance of listening to others, resisting polarization, finding commonalities, and recognizing religion as a path to brotherhood as different faiths work together to solve global problems. In addition, the participants reassured students that synodality is not a threat to tradition and truth. Bishop Flores said, “The Church has been messy for 200 years, but the Spirit keeps it together…I do not worry that the faith of the Church will be compromised if we listen to each other.” The Synod leaders expressed their hope that the students would bring the synodality home with them and asked them to rembember that, “The beauty is we are not by ourselves. Pope Francis does not want to do his mission by himself; he called the whole Church to do it with him.”

On Sunday night, October 20th, the digital synod initiative concluded with an online prayer vigil for digital missionaries.

Monday morning, October 21st, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. offered a meditation in preparation for this week’s work of drafting the Synod’s Final Document. Father Radcliffe reminded participants of the freedom which undergirds their work: the freedom to share their beliefs openly and the freedom that comes from knowing that God is not threatened by any mistakes that they might make, but will “work all for the good of those who love God.” He reassured listeners, “we need not be afraid of disagreement, for the Holy Spirit is at work in it…and even if you are disappointed by the results of the Synod, God’s providence is at work in this assembly, bringing us to the Kingdom in ways that God alone knows. His will for our good cannot be frustrated.”

October 21st (Day 15): The fifteenth day of the Synod session began with a Mass that was celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica. The homily was given by Cardinal Grech. Participants were later given copies of the draft of the Final Document which was presented by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich. He emphasized that the text of the document is provisional and that it is currently confidential. This confidentiality is necessary so that discussions can continue freely as the assembly works on the document. The document is understood to be based on both discussions from the current session of the Synod and those that occurred during previous sessions in the past years. The morning session ended with prayer for Fr. Marcelo Perez, who was murdered on Sunday in Chiapas, Mexico. In the afternoon, participants met in their small groups to discuss their initial responses to the document. During the daily briefing, Cardinal Zuppi stated that dialogue is “foundational to the Church itself” and Bishop Manuel Nin Guell, Apostolic Exarch for Byzantine Rite Catholics in Greece, explained that the Synod has raised awareness of Eastern Catholic Churches within the Assembly.

October 22nd (Day 16): Today, the assembly focused on discerning changes to the final document which, while written in Italian, has been unofficially translated into multiple languages. Participants and groups made proposals for modifications that were then voted on. Those proposals that received an absolute majority of votes were accepted. So far, the topics addressed have included youth, women, the laity, those in consecrated life, Bishops’ conferences, priests, and a rejection of war. Poor Francis attended the meeting of the General Congregation. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Beskngu offered the reminder that the Synod was not focused on addressing a particular problem, but rather on “imagining a new way of being Church” which can then be applied to the specific challenges we face. During the daily briefing, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon spoke about the contributions that African Catholics have made to the Synod. He noted that the current focus in Africa is on keeping Churches full. Franz-Josef Overbeck, Bishop of Essen in Germany then spoke about the challenges he sees in a country that is largely not religious. He expressed the need for a “new evangelization” within post-secular nations. Finally, Fr. Clarence Sandanaraj Davedassan from Malaysia shared that the minority status of Catholics in Asia makes dialogue “a matter of survival…within a pluralist culture.” He noted that a particular challenge is learning how to evangelize in places where speaking publicly about faith is illegal.

October 23rd (Day 17): As of today, more than 1,000 modifications to the Final Document have been proposed. Nine hundred of these changes were recommended by small working groups and roughly one hundred by individuals participating in the Synod. The assembly will vote on the Final Document at the end of the session on Saturday of this week. During the day, members voted for new members of the Ordinary Council. The new council members will begin their work after the conclusion of the current session and will help to implement the synodal process going forward and prepare for the next Synod. During the daily briefing, speakers discussed the bishops’ role as pastors and the need to serve local parishes, the importance of bishops welcoming the marginalized to participate in the Church, relationships and building bridges, accountability and transparency within the Church, and hope for an end to the war in the Holy Land. Additionally, the role of Bishops’ Conferences was clarified as one in which Bishops concretely apply the teachings of the Church to the specific needs and circumstances of a particular group of people, not to make or propose new dogmas.

October 25th – There was no news briefing today, however, the Vatican released the audio of a meeting regarding women in ministry that occurred yesterday afternoon. The contents of the audio suggests that the goal of the Church is to enrich the role of women in ministry and to explore options for expanding the role of women within the Church. To do this, the Church must consider various cultures and opinions. Additionally, it must examine women who are already engaged in ministry and leadership roles, particularly in places like the Amazon, Africa and Asia. Moving forward, one avenue that the Church is considering involves allocating more powerful roles to women without clericalizing these roles. Additionally, the possibility of woman deacons will continue to be explored. In the meantime, the Church can begin to move forward by taking concrete steps to empower women within the Church.

October 26th and 27th (Final Days of the Synodal Assembly): On Saturday, October 26th, the Assembly adopted the Final Document. It is composed of five parts:

    1. An exploration and explanation of the synodal process as well as its necessity
    2. The importance of relationships at all levels of Church and the need to renew them and subject them to the teachings of the Gospel
    3. The importance of trust and discernment in the decision making processes that exist within the Church – this involves accountability
    4. The shared journey of the diverse and changing people of the Church who are bonded together through relationship and communion
    5. The importance of spiritual formation within the Church, specifically the shared responsibility for this formation among all Church members, making the Church a safe place for all people, and sharing Church social doctrine more widely

The document concludes with a prayer entrusting its implementation to the Virgin Mary. In its article describing the document, the Vatican described it as a step towards the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. It shared the Assembly’s vision of the Church having the sole purpose of making an encounter with Jesus possible. Everything else (Church structures, bureaucracies, world standing, etc.) are valuable only for the ways that they advance this purpose. The Vatican also made it clear that the document embraces a Church community in which all are welcome and there is space for everyone within “a community of forgiven sinners who experience God’s love and want to communicate it to everyone.”

In his final address to the Assembly, Pope Francis described the document as a gift to the Church that has a “threefold” nature: guidance, a symbol of unity, and a shared mission. He emphasized the need to listen to one another and the role of the Church as a people who open doors, rather than erecting walls. He called the church to be a witness to peace through listening and reconciliation and noted that the Holy Spirit is the force that drives unity within the Church.

At the Vatican Press Conference that followed the release of the document, Synod leaders said that the document requires of a shift in our understanding of the Universal Church from a “multinational corporation” to a “communion of Churches.” They acknowledged that the document calls for greater roles for women and the laity but cautioned that the idea of a female diaconate remains under consideration. The leaders clarified that the document is part of the magisterium and, therefore, serves as guidelines for the Church moving forward. They also explained that, while the Synod’s ten study groups are expected to finish their work by June of next year, there will be an additional time of discernment following the conclusion of their work.

The Synodal Assembly was finally concluded on Sunday, October 27th with a Mass officiated by Pope Francis. Now that this aspect of the synodal process has concluded, the synod moves onto the implementation phase. At the present time, the Final Document is only available in Italian.


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Ariane Sroubek is a writer, school psychologist and mother to two children here on earth. Prior to converting to Catholicism, she completed undergraduate studies in Bible and Theology at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. She then went on to obtain her doctorate in School and Child Clinical Psychology. Ariane’s writing is inspired by her faith, daily life experiences and education. More of her work can be found at medium.com/@sroubek.ariane and at https://mysustaininggrace.com.

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