Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has been appointed as a member of the preparatory commission for the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October. Source: OSV News.
Synod secretary-general Cardinal Mario Grech named the Perth archbishop and six others to be members of the preparatory commission, the Vatican announced yesterday. All seven met yesterday with Cardinal Grech and with Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, general relator of the upcoming synod.
According to the apostolic constitution for the synods, the secretary-general establishes the commission “for further exploration of the theme and for the redaction of any documents that may be issued prior to the Synod Assembly”.
The theme Pope Francis chose for the synod is: “For a Church that Journeys Together: Fellowship, Participation and Mission.”
It will meet at the Vatican from October 4-29. A second assembly has been scheduled for October 2024.
Mercedarian Sr. Shizue “Filo” Hirota from Tokyo was the only woman named to the preparatory commission. She is a consultant for the Catholic Council for Justice and Peace of the Japanese bishops’ conference.
The other members are: Jesuit Fr. Giacomo Costa, who will serve as coordinator; Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas; Bishop Lucio A Muandula of Xai-Xai, Mozambique; Fr Dario Vitali, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; and Polish Msgr Tomasz Trafny, a member of the synod secretariat staff, who will serve as secretary of the commission.
FULL STORY
Bishop Flores named to synod preparatory commission (CNS via OSV News)
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Preparatory Commission for General Assembly of Bishops established (Vatican News)
