Synod on Synodality

In the late afternoon of Saturday, October 28, 2023, the members of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops adopted the “Synthesis Report of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.” The report, which summarizes discussions at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, said the church may need more welcoming pastoral approaches, especially to people who feel excluded, but also acknowledged fears of betraying traditional church teachings and practices.  Among the topics addressed in the report were clerical sexual abuse, women’s roles in the church, outreach to poor and the concept of “synodality” itself.

After the voting on the synthesis concluded, the pope said he wanted to remind everyone that “the protagonist of the synod is the Holy Spirit.” He briefly thanked the synod officers and joined members of the assembly in giving thanks to God…

“What just happened in Rome and what it means for us.”

On Sunday, November 5 from 12:30 – 2:00 pm, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross  (1400 Washington Street, Boston, MA) will host a special conversation on the historic Synod on Synodality with Sebastian Gomes, Executive Editor for Audio and Video at America Magazine.

This event is free and includes a light lunch. To register, please visit…

Dear sisters, dear brothers,

As the proceedings of the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops draw to a close, we want to thank God with all of you for the beautiful and enriching experience we have lived. We lived this blessed time in profound communion with all of you. We were supported by your prayers, bearing with you your expectations, your questions, as well as your fears. As Pope Francis requested two years ago, a long process of listening and discernment was initiated, open to all the People of God, no one being excluded, to “journey together” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, missionary disciples engaged in the following of Jesus Christ…

The voting delegates participating in the Synod on Synodality began work on Wednesday, October 18 on the fourth Module of the Assembly, the last one dedicated to examining the contents of the Instrumentum laboris.

The fourth Module deals with the themes of Section B3 of the Instrumentum laboris, the one dedicated to participation – “Participation, governance and authority. What processes, structures and institutions in a missionary synodal Church?”

Please join your prayers to theirs in the beautiful, exciting albeit exhausting work. Pray the Holy Spirit will inspire and guide their Conversations in the Spirit. 

On Monday, October 9, the Synod’s General Rapporteur, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, reflected on the previous week’s work on Module A of the  Instrumentum Laboris, and introduced Module B.

“In the first module, we reconnected with the experience of the ‘journeying together’ of the People of God over the past two years. We worked to bring the synodal Church into sharper focus as a comprehensive vision… We gained experience in using the methodology of Conversation in the Spirit and can thus feel more at ease in a way of walking together that we will continue to practice. Above all, we have begun to weave relationships and build bonds. We have begun to move from the ‘I’ to the ‘we’.” 

Prior to the opening of the Synod on Synodality, voting delegates gathered at Fraterna Domus in Sacrofano for a three day retreat in spiritual preparation for the Synod. A series of meditations were prepared for the retreat by Rev. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., a Dominican Friar and former Master of the Order of Preachers.

In the meditation titled “Friendship”, Fr. Radcliffe shared:

Preaching the gospel is never just communicating information. It is an act of friendship…

In a letter addressed to bishops and eparchs from all over the world, Cardinal Mario Grech, General Secretary of the Synod, invites the faithful from around the world to prayerfully participate in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that opens in the Vatican this Wednesday, October 4. 

The Cardinal reminds everyone that the Synodal Assembly is above all an event of prayer and listening that involves not only the members of the Assembly, but every baptized person.  All of us are called to unite in prayer and invocation of the Holy Spirit to guide us in discerning what the Lord is asking of the Church today…

October 2023 will begin a process of communal discernment in a month-long Vatican assembly of Bishops, Cardinals, Priests, Consecrated, and Lay People representing the experiences of the whole People of God at the Synod on Synodality. Throughout this two year process, their guiding document will be the Instrumentum Laboris, a document which was compiled from the sharing of millions of Catholics worldwide participating in the Continental Stage of the Synod… For the first time in history, women (more than 50!) will be voting delegates of the Synod. A significant area of focus for the Synod will be the equal baptismal dignity of Women in the Church…