Synod leaders present details of October General Assembly
Cardinals Grech and Hollerich, along with Father Costa and Bishop Battocchio, presented details of the October Synod General Assembly at a briefing at the Vatican hosted by the prefect of the dicastery for communication. The pope will preside over a penitential celebration with testimonies from victims of abuse, war and indifference toward migrants. Notable new features include four public forums and the presence of two Chinese bishops.
By Tiziana Campisi and Salvatore Cernuzio
The Synod is a time of prayer, “it is not a congress,” but an “ecclesial assembly that prays,” a time of listening to the Word of God and the Spirit, and an opportunity to implore God’s forgiveness of the Church’s sins. Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, presented the second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be held in Rome from October 2 to 27, during a press conference on Monday, September 16. He recalled that Pope Francis, at the opening of the synodal journey on October 9, 2021, stressed that “the main protagonist of the Synod is the Holy Spirit.”
Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication and President of the Information Commission of the Synod, presented to the Press Office of the Holy See the contributions that illustrated the synodal assembly.
Spiritual retreat and penitential vigil
Cardinal Grech explained that, like the first session, this second and final session of the Synod on Synodality will be preceded by two days of spiritual retreat, on September 30 and October 1 at the Vatican, guided by the meditations of Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe and Benedictine Mother Ignazia Angelini. They will lead the prayers during the Synod, together with Camaldolese Father Matteo Ferrari, who will be responsible for the liturgies, and the monks of Camaldoli.
New this year will be the penitential vigil that will follow the retreat, on the evening of Tuesday, October 1, in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Pope Francis. Organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Diocese of Rome, in collaboration with the Union of Major Superiors (USG) and the International Union of Major Superiors (UISG), it will be broadcast by the Vatican media and open to all, especially young people, “because the message of the Church is entrusted to them,” Cardinal Hollerich said. He stressed that “young people suffer because of our sins and the sins of the Church.” The celebration will be enhanced by testimonies from three people who have experienced the sins of abuse, war and indifference in the face of the growing migration crisis. There will then be confessions of specific sins to “recognize ourselves as part of those who, by omission or action, become responsible for the suffering and harm suffered by the innocent and defenseless,” Grech stressed.
Among the sins that will be confessed are sins against peace, creation, indigenous peoples, migrants, women, the family, young people; the sin of using doctrine as a stone against others; sins against poverty and synodality (such as the lack of listening, or sins that compromise communion or the participation of all). The Pope will conclude by asking forgiveness from God and from all humanity in the name of all the faithful.
Ecumenical prayer
An ecumenical prayer ceremony will also take place on the evening of October 11 at the Vatican, in the Protomartyrs Square, where according to tradition Saint Peter was martyred. This date marks the 62nd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Finally, on October 21, another day of spiritual retreat will be organized to prepare for discernment on the draft final document. As Cardinal Grech emphasized, there will be “an alternation between personal prayer, dialogue and fraternal communion in mutual listening and love.”
Four forums open to all
Another new feature will be the holding of four theological and pastoral forums, open to all, including accredited journalists. Two forums will take place on October 9, one on “The People of God, Subject of Mission” in the Hall of the Jesuit Curia, the other on “The Role and Authority of the Bishop in a Synodal Church” at the Augustinianum. The other two forums will take place on October 16. The themes will be “Mutual Relations between the Local Church and the Universal Church” in the Hall of the Jesuit Curia and “The Exercise of Primacy and the Synod of Bishops” at the Augustinianum. These forums will bring together theologians, canonists, bishops and others, with the opportunity for dialogue. The forums will also be available online upon request.
Synod Numbers
Cardinal Hollerich explained that the number of participants in this second session is similar to that of the first, with 368 voting members, including 272 bishops and 96 non-bishops. There were 26 changes, mainly substitutions. There were 8 special guests, while the number of fraternal delegates increased from 12 to 16, reflecting the growing interest of sister Churches in the synodal path. He also confirmed the presence of two bishops from China.
