Receiving the questionnaire

The Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops met on February 24 and 25 of this year to discuss the results of the questionnaire which had been sent to all dioceses across the world through the various Episcopal Conferences in November 2013 concerning various matters related to the family.

This meeting of the Council was presided over by the Holy Father, Pope Francis on the afternoon of Monday, February 24.  The Pope's presence demonstrated the importance that is attributed to the structure of the Synod as an expression of episcopal collegiality and to the theme of its next Extraordinary Assembly in 2014, and also to that of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod which will take place in 2015.

The draft summary of the responses to the questionnaire received was unanimously appreciated. From it we can hear the voice of the Church in all its components and see the variety of contextual situations both with regard to the urgency of proclaiming the gospel of the family with new and fresh vigour, and the challenges and difficulties associated with family life and its potential crises.

The observations raised during this week's discussions will be used to elaborate the draft of the Instrumentum laboris (the working document) which will be used to guide the deliberations of the Synod.  It is important to bear in mind that this Instrumentum will be used to guide the discussions of both the Extraordinary Synod of 2014 and the Ordinary Synod of 2015.  Together, these deliberations will then inform the Holy Father's preparation of his Apostolic Exhortation.

Present for this meeting were the Relator General, His Eminence, Péter Cardinal Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary); and the Special Secretary of the Synod, His Excellency, Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy).

While he was present for these meetings, the Holy Father, Pope Francis blessed the new wing of the headquarters, the chapel and the offices of the General Secretariat of the Synod.