Earlier this year, Pope Francis invited each of the seven regions of the world to nominate 20 people who have been involved in local initiatives for the Synod of Bishops for a Synodal Church as possible additions to the Synod’s membership.

ACBC President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB and a member of the Synod’s preparatory commission, said it had been an extraordinary process to get to this point, with Catholics across the world helping shape the working document.

The Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod has approved the Instrumentum Laboris’ (working document) for the first session of the Synod on Synodality, as well as the methodology of the Assembly.

In this episode, we hear from Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB who is part of the team preparing the global synod summit.
As a senior figure in the Australian Catholic Church, he has been deeply involved in synodality, and what it means for the Church.

To begin drafting the working document, the group of experts – including Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB – have met behind closed doors to discuss the continental stage of the Synod on Synodality as a whole and analyse the seven final documents submitted by each of the regional assemblies.

“It’s all about recognising that we all have a part to play,” Archbishop Costelloe said, explaining that Pope Francis, throughout his pontificate, has been striving “to shift the Church’s culture to one of active engagement in this task of being the visible sign that Christ is with us.”

Oceania bishops finalise response to Synod’s working document.

Archbishop Costelloe has emerged as a leading figure in the church’s synodal reform process in Australia and globally. He was part of the Frascati team that synthesised the worldwide synodal dialogues and was recently appointed to the planning committee organising the synod assembly in October.

Facilitated by visiting scholar Fr Eamonn Conway, the talk series Synodality and The Future of The Catholic Church: A Journey Towards Communion, Participation and Mission was held at the Centre for Faith Enrichment on Thursdays 2 March and 9 March attracted more than 40 participants who were able to ask questions throughout the sessions.

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is a member of the commission and brings with him the experience of the four-year process of the Australian Plenary Council, which concluded in July 2022.