Speaking during the quadrennial assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania in Fiji last week, the bishops expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and the damage from which it will take years to recover.

In helping set the scene for synodality, not solely in the context of the current process preparing for the Synod of Bishops for a Synodal Church, Undersecretary of the Holy See’s Synod of Bishops General Secretariat Sr Nathalie Becquart XMCJ explained that “we don’t learn synodality in a book, or with a beautiful academic presentation”.

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops, is pictured at the Vatican, 7 October 2019. Photo: CNS/IPA/Sipa USA via Reuters. The National Centre for Pastoral Research is inviting groups of seven to 10 people to express their interest in participating in the next round of consultation for the global Synod of Bishops on Synodality. The Document for the Continental Stag...

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.