The Catholic Church worldwide is showing good progress and “much joy” after the opening of the synodal process, but there also have been some “uncertainties” and challenges, said the ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops. By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service.

Adelaide Archbishop Patrick O’Regan and Sandhurst Bishop Shane Mackinlay have been elected Australia’s two delegates to the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in 2023. The delegates were confirmed during the recent plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. In March 2020, Pope Francis announced that the theme of the next Synod of Bishops would be “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”. The Holy Father launched the international journey towards the celebration of the Synod in October this year, with local launches and a diocesan consultation phase commencing soon after. That local engagement will support the preparation of national syntheses, which will be followed by continental meetings. Australia’s bishops will collaborate […]

Venezuelan lay theologian and advisor to the Synod of Bishops, Professor Rafael Luciani will share his experience in the inaugural ACI Cardijn Lecture on the theme “The Emergence of Synodality: The Latin American Experience,” which will take place on at 1.00pm AEDT on Saturday 13 November.

The Synod Office, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and the Women’s International Union of Superiors General have joined forces not only to encourage prayers, but to collect them, share them using an updated version of Click to Pray, an app and website run by the prayer network – www.prayforthesynod.va.

Australian lay woman Susan Pascoe AM, who been assisting in the process of the current Synod of Bishops, says the Church in Australia has been a key supporter of the Synod.

Catholics across the world are now being invited to join local consultations about their experience of synodality within the Church as part of a two-year journey towards the next international Synod of Bishops, set for October 2023.

The official logo for the Synod of Bishops. Image: CNS. Dioceses across Australia will this weekend hold launches to mark the commencement of local participation in the two-year journey towards the 2023 Synod of Bishops. Last Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated a Mass to launch the global process for the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which has the theme “For a Synoda...

The Vatican has this week issued the preparatory document and a “handbook” for dioceses as part of the global church’s preparation for the 2023 assembly of the Synod of Bishops, discussing the theme, “For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission.”

Members for two commissions charged with assisting the leaders of the Synod of Bishops’ general secretariat in reviewing documents, drafting resources, and developing best practices for the 2023 Synod of Bishops on synodality have been announced by The Vatican. The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the next synod is “For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission.” By Junno Arocho Esteves.

After issuing revised guidelines for preparing for the next world Synod of Bishops, leaders of the synod’s General Secretariat held online meetings with the presidents and general secretaries of national and regional bishops’ conferences.