A new document from the Synod of Bishops released yesterday is intended “to provide an interpretive key” for bishops to implement synodality in their dioceses in the next phase of the Synod, which will culminate in a whole Church assembly in 2028. Source: Vatican News.
The Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod offers “local Churches throughout the world the world a shared framework that will make it easier to walk together” and promotes “the dialogue that will lead the whole Church to the Ecclesial Assembly,” set for October 2028, that will mark the culmination of the synodal process begun by Pope Francis in 2020.
In the document, Cardinal Mario Grech, the Secretary General of the Synod, noted that “the synodal form of the Church is at the service of its mission … it is the urgency of this mission that drives us to implement the Synod, a task for which all the baptised share responsibility.”
He said that the General Secretariat of the Synod, which prepared the new document, is at the service of the local Churches, ready “to listen to them, support their efforts, and, above all, contribute to animating the dialogue and exchange of gifts between the Churches”.
The document begins with an outline of the implementation phase and its objectives, then describes the participants involved, including their tasks and responsibilities.
It also suggests how to engage with the Synod’s Final Document, which serves as the main reference point for this stage of the Synod journey.
Finally, it offers advice on methods and tools that “can help shape our path during the implementation phase.”
“We convey” these pathways, Cardinal Grech said, “to the entire People of God, who are the subjects of the synodal journey, and in particular to the Bishops and Eparchs, to the members of the synodal teams, and to all those who are involved in various ways in the implementation phase.”
The full text of Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod can be found on the website of the Synod on Synodality, www.synod.va.
FULL STORY
Vatican offers new guidance for Synod’s implementation phase (By Christopher Wells, Vatican News)
RELATED COVERAGE
Vatican’s synod office postpones reports on controversial issues (CNA)
