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Participants at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican on Saturday (CNS/Vatican Media)

Members of the Synod of Bishops will issue a “Letter to the People of God” at the close of the first session of the Synod assembly, which ends on Sunday. Source: OSV News.

The letter, the drafting of which was approved by the Synod assembly, will be discussed both during small group working sessions and among the entire assembly today after a Mass for Synod participants in St Peter’s Basilica, the Synod general secretariat announced.

It added that additional time will be made for Synod participants to discuss the methodology and steps for the next phase of the Synodal process to take place between the first session’s close on October 29 and the second session scheduled to take place at the Vatican in October 2024. 

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the assembly, will present the outline for the Synod’s synthesis document to participants on Wednesday, which will be read by each participant individually before being discussed both in small groups and at a general congregation on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

The entire Synod assembly will meet in a general congregation on Thursday afternoon “to gather proposals on methods and stages for the months between the first and second sessions” of the Synod assembly rather than hold small group working sessions to discuss the synthesis document, as was originally scheduled.

The Synod general secretariat announced that working sessions originally scheduled for this afternoon and tomorrow will not be held.

FULL STORY

Synod assembly to issue ‘Letter to the People of God’ at session’s end (By Justin McLellan, OSV News)