At 11:30am today, in the John Paul II Hall at the offices of the Holy See Press Centre, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General for the Synod of Bishops held a Briefing to furnish some information about the theme and the methodology that will be followed during the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will begin on Sunday, October 4 and continue its work until October 25 on the theme: The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world.
Introduction
Tomorrow night, in Saint Peter's Square, in the presence of the Holy Father, a prayer vigil will be celebrated in preparation for the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod. In attendance will be the Synod Fathers, those participating in the Synod and other faithful from various parts of the world who have been invited by the Italian Episcopal Conference: including families, ecclesial movements and associations. At nightfall, the beauty of the family will shine forth in the light of lit torches. The trusting invocation of the Holy Spirit by the People of God is a prelude to the synodal work; recalling in fact the important tone given to the last Extraordinary General Assembly by the Holy Father in his insightful homily which was delivered on the vigil of its beginning.
The concelebrated Eucharist on Sunday morning, presided over by the Holy Father, will mark the opening of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod on the theme: The vocation and the mission of te family in the Church and in the contemporary world, which will allow all the faithful throughout the world to be united on the journey with their Pastors with Peter and under Peter (cum Petro et sub Petro).
This Assembly represents the concluding moment of the synodal process which was begun two years ago, with the distribution of the first questionnaire which was sent to all the particular Churches, through which it was possible to establish the profile of the family in the world, of its riches and its challenges. Later, the Extraordinary General Assembly elaborated a final report (Relatio Synodi) which was the result of further questions, responses to which were transformed into the current Instrumentum Laboris. With this text in hand, composed of the Synodal Relation and contributions received from the particular Churches, the Fathers are preparing to begin their comparison by listening to the challenges facing the family in regard to the discernment of its vocation for the proclamation of its mission.
Composition of the Ordinary General Assembly
According to the Ordo Synodi Episcoporum (Article 5, § 1), the following shall take part in an Ordinary General Assembly: Heads of the Catholic Oriental (Eastern Rite) Churches sui iuris, Bishops elected by the Synod of Bishops and by the Councils of the Hierarchy of the Oriental (Eastern) Catholic Churches, Bishops elected by the various Episcopal Conferences, ten Religious elected by the Union of Superiors General and the Heads of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia. In addition, the Holy Father names some Members, according to the same norms as are followed by the Synod (Art. 5, § 4).
The Synod Fathers who will participate in this Assembly total 270, subdivided into the following three categories: 42 ex officio, 183 elected and 45 who were appointed by the Pontiff. The division of the Fathers according to the various continents is as follows: 54 from Africa, 64 from America, 36 from Asia, 107 from Europe and 9 from Oceania.
Among the ex officio members, there are: the Heads of the 15 Synods of Bishops from the Oriental (Eastern) Catholic Churches sui iuris, the Heads of 25 Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Secretary General and the Under-secretary.
Among the 270 Synod Fathers, there are: 74 Cardinals (among which are 1 Patriarchal Cardinal and 2 Major Archbishops), 6 Patriarchs, 1 Major Archbishop, 72 Archbishops (3 of whom are titular Archbishops), 102 Bishops (including 6 Auxiliary Bishops, 3 Apostolic Vicars and 1 Bishop emeritus), 2 parish priests and 13 Religious.
In addition, other invited guests will be taking part in this Assembly (cf Article 7 of the Ordo Synodi) representing various cultures and nations: 24 Experts and staff working with the Special Secretary, 51 Auditors and 14 Fraternal Delegates. Worthy of note is the fact that, since this is an Assembly that will deal with the subject of the family, we wanted to give particular importance to spouses, parents and heads of families, which together count 18 (17 who are Auditors and one who considered an Expert). Finally, we are pleased to welcome some Fraternal Delegates who, as representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities, certainly share with the Catholic Church their solicitude for evangelization and the pastoral care of the family in the modern world.
Synodal methodology
Beginning with the experience gained during the III Extraordinary General Assembly last October, and taking account of the various suggestions which have come from various sources, especially the Synod Fathers, the Secretary General of the Synod has developed a new methodology which will be applied to the Ordinary General Assembly, which the Holy Father approved during the meeting of the Ordinary Council of the Secretariat held on May 25 and 26, 2015.
1. Considering the methodology followed during previous Synods, the majority of the Fathers suggested that the Ordinary General Assembly should be made more dynamic and participatory through the distribution of interventions by individual members at various times, so that they could pay more attention to each intervention. Moreover, the Fathers requested an enhancement of the work carried out in Circuli Minores (small groups), where there is more active participation in the discussions, a more direct and immediate connection between the Fathers in their own languages, in which Auditors and Fraternal Delegates can also eventually present their own interventions.
2. The result of the first stage of the Synod, acquired during the most recent Extraordinary General Assembly, was the Relatio Synodi (Synodal report), which was combined with a series of subsequent questions to form the Lineamenta of the Ordinary General Assembly. This Lineamenta was then sent to the particular Churches (dioceses) and to all the other concerned groups. The Instrumentum Laboris, the result of the combination of the Relatio Synodi and the responses to its related questions, forms the basic document for the synodal work of this Assembly.
3. During the inaugural session, the President Delegate will address his greetings to the Holy Father, who will officially begin the work. Presentations by the Secretary General and the Relator General will follow with their respective reports. Subsequently, the Relator General will present the themes of the First Part (Listening to the challenges facing the family, cf Instrumentum Laboris, 6-36). Following the witness presented by a married couple, interventions will then be presented by Synod Fathers in the General Congregations. These reports will then be integrated into the basic text.
Small group sessions will follow, in which the Fathers will reflect on the basic text, enriched by contributions that have emerged in the General Congregations, in order to explore the ways in which the text might be further matured. At the conclusion of the sessions, a relator from each of the small groups will present a brief report of the work accomplished and suggestions will then be inserted into the basic text. The small group reports will then be published.
The same process will be repeated for the Second Part (The discernment of the family vocation; cf Instrumentum laboris, 37-68) and the Third Part (The mission of the family today; cf Instrumentum laboris, 69-147), during the two successive weeks.
The Commission for Development of the Final Report, appointed by the Holy Father, including representative members from each of the five continents, is made up of: His Eminence, Cardinal Péter Erdõ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary), Relator General; His Eminence, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the Secretary General; His Excellency, Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy); His Eminence, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay (India); His Eminence, Cardinal Donald William Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington (USA); His Eminence, Cardinal John Atcherley Dew, Archbishop of Wellington (New Zealand); His Excellency, Victor Manuel Fernández, Titular Archbishop of Tiburnia, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (Argentina); His Excellency, Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan, Bishop of Mouila (Gabon); His Excellency, Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of Albano (Italy); and Father Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, SJ, Postulator General of the Company of Jesus, representing the Union of Superiors General.
The Commission has the task of following every phase of the project; therefore, it meets at the conclusion of the work done on every part in order to do final editing. At the conclusion of the three stages of work, the Commission will oversee the preparation of the draft copy of the final report, which will be presented to the entire assembly. Bearing in mind that this draft will be the result of the composition of three texts which have already indicated the collective work of the small groups - whose reports will already have been presented to the assembly and published - further interventions will necessarily be presented in respect to the collective work accomplished thus far.
Then, the Commission will oversee the preparation of the definitive text of the Relatio finalis, which will be presented on the morning of October 24 to the assembly, and in the afternoon, will be submitted to the scrutiny of the Assembly.
In conformity with the nature of the Synod, this document, the fruit of the collegial efforts of the Fathers (cf Codex Iuris Canonici, 343), will be presented to the Holy Father (cf Ordo Synodi Episcoorum, Art. 23 § 4), who is ultimately responsible for any resulting decisions.
4. Considering the large number of those who are entitled to speak (318 Fathers, Fraternal Delegates and Auditors) and the extra space reserved for working groups (13 sessions), each speaker will have the right to speak for three minutes and to intervene more extensively in working groups. As it was in the past, in the General Congregations, some time will be provided, lasting for one hour each time, dedicated to free interventions by the Synod Fathers. In addition, it will be possible for reports to be submitted to the Secretary General apart from paper versions and computer generated texts of the speeches presented to the Assembly.
5. Considering that the communication and information methods employed during the last Extraordinary General Assembly was abundant and comprehensive, during this Ordinary General Assembly as well, the same methods will be employed. In this regard, we keep in mind the fundamental criteria mentioned several times by the Holy Father: the Synod should be a safe space where the Holy Spirit can act, and where the Fathers have the freedom to express themselves with parresia (holy courage).
During the next three weeks, as a basis for sharing information, a series of Briefings will be held, considering the great number of Synod Fathers who are present, using all the methods of communication at our disposal. The Fathers are free to communicate with the media at their discretion and subject to their own responsibility. The various phases of development of the basic document will remain reserved, considering the fact that the texts, during the synodal process, are subject to continual development up to the point of the final edition. Instead, the reports of the working groups relating to the three parts of the Synod work will be published. A special Commission, together with the Press Office, will disseminate information concerning the Synod, as it usually does.
Additional information
On Saturday, October 17 from 9:00am to 12:30pm, there will be a special Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, held at the Paul VI Hall. In addition to the participants in the Synod, this event is open to all those who wish to participate. In the mind of Blessed Paul VI, who established it on September 15, 1965, the Synod should continue in the Church the spirit of Vatican II, so that even after the conclusion of this session the large abundance of benefits, which during the Council, happily sprang from the living union between the Supreme Pontiff and the Bishops, might continue to reach the Christian people (Blessed Paul VI, Motu Proprio Apostolica sollicitudo, 15 September 1965, Preface).
Following the introduction of the Secretary General, the commemorative Relation will be conducted by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Episcopal Conference of Austria. Following the communications of five Prelates in attendance from all the continents (Cardinal Vincent Gerald Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, representing Europe; His Excellency, Francisco Chimoio, Archbishop of Maputo, representing Africa; Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, Archbishop of Santiago del Chile and President of the Bishops of Chile, representing the Americas; His Beatitude, Louis Raphael I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and Head of the Synod of the Chaldeans, representing Asia; and Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi, Bishop of Tonga and President of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific, representing Oceania).
On Sunday, October 18, at 10:30am, in the Vatican Basilica, there will be a Mass celebrated for the Canonization of four new saints including the Blessed married couple Ludovico Martin and Maria Azelia Guérin, parents of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus.
In the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the People of God are invited to accompany the work of the Synod with their prayers, invoking the protection of the Salus Populi Romani and the Blessed husband and wife, Ludovico Martin and Maria Azelia Guérin, whose relics are on display there. Every day, the Holy Rosary will be recited at 5:00pm and the Mass will be celebrated at 6:00pm. During the first week, we will pray for children; during the second, for parents and in the third, for grandparents.
Near to the Synod Hall, there is prepared, as usual, a chapel for prayer by those participating in the Synod, where the relics of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus are displayed, along with those of her parents, and those of the married couple Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini.
Intervention prepared by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri
for the Press Conference about the forthcoming Synod
Introduction
Tomorrow night, in Saint Peter's Square, in the presence of the Holy Father, a prayer vigil will be celebrated in preparation for the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod. In attendance will be the Synod Fathers, those participating in the Synod and other faithful from various parts of the world who have been invited by the Italian Episcopal Conference: including families, ecclesial movements and associations. At nightfall, the beauty of the family will shine forth in the light of lit torches. The trusting invocation of the Holy Spirit by the People of God is a prelude to the synodal work; recalling in fact the important tone given to the last Extraordinary General Assembly by the Holy Father in his insightful homily which was delivered on the vigil of its beginning.
The concelebrated Eucharist on Sunday morning, presided over by the Holy Father, will mark the opening of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod on the theme: The vocation and the mission of te family in the Church and in the contemporary world, which will allow all the faithful throughout the world to be united on the journey with their Pastors with Peter and under Peter (cum Petro et sub Petro).
This Assembly represents the concluding moment of the synodal process which was begun two years ago, with the distribution of the first questionnaire which was sent to all the particular Churches, through which it was possible to establish the profile of the family in the world, of its riches and its challenges. Later, the Extraordinary General Assembly elaborated a final report (Relatio Synodi) which was the result of further questions, responses to which were transformed into the current Instrumentum Laboris. With this text in hand, composed of the Synodal Relation and contributions received from the particular Churches, the Fathers are preparing to begin their comparison by listening to the challenges facing the family in regard to the discernment of its vocation for the proclamation of its mission.
Composition of the Ordinary General Assembly
According to the Ordo Synodi Episcoporum (Article 5, § 1), the following shall take part in an Ordinary General Assembly: Heads of the Catholic Oriental (Eastern Rite) Churches sui iuris, Bishops elected by the Synod of Bishops and by the Councils of the Hierarchy of the Oriental (Eastern) Catholic Churches, Bishops elected by the various Episcopal Conferences, ten Religious elected by the Union of Superiors General and the Heads of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia. In addition, the Holy Father names some Members, according to the same norms as are followed by the Synod (Art. 5, § 4).
The Synod Fathers who will participate in this Assembly total 270, subdivided into the following three categories: 42 ex officio, 183 elected and 45 who were appointed by the Pontiff. The division of the Fathers according to the various continents is as follows: 54 from Africa, 64 from America, 36 from Asia, 107 from Europe and 9 from Oceania.
Among the ex officio members, there are: the Heads of the 15 Synods of Bishops from the Oriental (Eastern) Catholic Churches sui iuris, the Heads of 25 Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Secretary General and the Under-secretary.
Among the 270 Synod Fathers, there are: 74 Cardinals (among which are 1 Patriarchal Cardinal and 2 Major Archbishops), 6 Patriarchs, 1 Major Archbishop, 72 Archbishops (3 of whom are titular Archbishops), 102 Bishops (including 6 Auxiliary Bishops, 3 Apostolic Vicars and 1 Bishop emeritus), 2 parish priests and 13 Religious.
In addition, other invited guests will be taking part in this Assembly (cf Article 7 of the Ordo Synodi) representing various cultures and nations: 24 Experts and staff working with the Special Secretary, 51 Auditors and 14 Fraternal Delegates. Worthy of note is the fact that, since this is an Assembly that will deal with the subject of the family, we wanted to give particular importance to spouses, parents and heads of families, which together count 18 (17 who are Auditors and one who considered an Expert). Finally, we are pleased to welcome some Fraternal Delegates who, as representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities, certainly share with the Catholic Church their solicitude for evangelization and the pastoral care of the family in the modern world.
Synodal methodology
Beginning with the experience gained during the III Extraordinary General Assembly last October, and taking account of the various suggestions which have come from various sources, especially the Synod Fathers, the Secretary General of the Synod has developed a new methodology which will be applied to the Ordinary General Assembly, which the Holy Father approved during the meeting of the Ordinary Council of the Secretariat held on May 25 and 26, 2015.
1. Considering the methodology followed during previous Synods, the majority of the Fathers suggested that the Ordinary General Assembly should be made more dynamic and participatory through the distribution of interventions by individual members at various times, so that they could pay more attention to each intervention. Moreover, the Fathers requested an enhancement of the work carried out in Circuli Minores (small groups), where there is more active participation in the discussions, a more direct and immediate connection between the Fathers in their own languages, in which Auditors and Fraternal Delegates can also eventually present their own interventions.
2. The result of the first stage of the Synod, acquired during the most recent Extraordinary General Assembly, was the Relatio Synodi (Synodal report), which was combined with a series of subsequent questions to form the Lineamenta of the Ordinary General Assembly. This Lineamenta was then sent to the particular Churches (dioceses) and to all the other concerned groups. The Instrumentum Laboris, the result of the combination of the Relatio Synodi and the responses to its related questions, forms the basic document for the synodal work of this Assembly.
3. During the inaugural session, the President Delegate will address his greetings to the Holy Father, who will officially begin the work. Presentations by the Secretary General and the Relator General will follow with their respective reports. Subsequently, the Relator General will present the themes of the First Part (Listening to the challenges facing the family, cf Instrumentum Laboris, 6-36). Following the witness presented by a married couple, interventions will then be presented by Synod Fathers in the General Congregations. These reports will then be integrated into the basic text.
Small group sessions will follow, in which the Fathers will reflect on the basic text, enriched by contributions that have emerged in the General Congregations, in order to explore the ways in which the text might be further matured. At the conclusion of the sessions, a relator from each of the small groups will present a brief report of the work accomplished and suggestions will then be inserted into the basic text. The small group reports will then be published.
The same process will be repeated for the Second Part (The discernment of the family vocation; cf Instrumentum laboris, 37-68) and the Third Part (The mission of the family today; cf Instrumentum laboris, 69-147), during the two successive weeks.
The Commission for Development of the Final Report, appointed by the Holy Father, including representative members from each of the five continents, is made up of: His Eminence, Cardinal Péter Erdõ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary), Relator General; His Eminence, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the Secretary General; His Excellency, Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto (Italy); His Eminence, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay (India); His Eminence, Cardinal Donald William Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington (USA); His Eminence, Cardinal John Atcherley Dew, Archbishop of Wellington (New Zealand); His Excellency, Victor Manuel Fernández, Titular Archbishop of Tiburnia, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (Argentina); His Excellency, Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan, Bishop of Mouila (Gabon); His Excellency, Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of Albano (Italy); and Father Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, SJ, Postulator General of the Company of Jesus, representing the Union of Superiors General.
The Commission has the task of following every phase of the project; therefore, it meets at the conclusion of the work done on every part in order to do final editing. At the conclusion of the three stages of work, the Commission will oversee the preparation of the draft copy of the final report, which will be presented to the entire assembly. Bearing in mind that this draft will be the result of the composition of three texts which have already indicated the collective work of the small groups - whose reports will already have been presented to the assembly and published - further interventions will necessarily be presented in respect to the collective work accomplished thus far.
Then, the Commission will oversee the preparation of the definitive text of the Relatio finalis, which will be presented on the morning of October 24 to the assembly, and in the afternoon, will be submitted to the scrutiny of the Assembly.
In conformity with the nature of the Synod, this document, the fruit of the collegial efforts of the Fathers (cf Codex Iuris Canonici, 343), will be presented to the Holy Father (cf Ordo Synodi Episcoorum, Art. 23 § 4), who is ultimately responsible for any resulting decisions.
4. Considering the large number of those who are entitled to speak (318 Fathers, Fraternal Delegates and Auditors) and the extra space reserved for working groups (13 sessions), each speaker will have the right to speak for three minutes and to intervene more extensively in working groups. As it was in the past, in the General Congregations, some time will be provided, lasting for one hour each time, dedicated to free interventions by the Synod Fathers. In addition, it will be possible for reports to be submitted to the Secretary General apart from paper versions and computer generated texts of the speeches presented to the Assembly.
5. Considering that the communication and information methods employed during the last Extraordinary General Assembly was abundant and comprehensive, during this Ordinary General Assembly as well, the same methods will be employed. In this regard, we keep in mind the fundamental criteria mentioned several times by the Holy Father: the Synod should be a safe space where the Holy Spirit can act, and where the Fathers have the freedom to express themselves with parresia (holy courage).
During the next three weeks, as a basis for sharing information, a series of Briefings will be held, considering the great number of Synod Fathers who are present, using all the methods of communication at our disposal. The Fathers are free to communicate with the media at their discretion and subject to their own responsibility. The various phases of development of the basic document will remain reserved, considering the fact that the texts, during the synodal process, are subject to continual development up to the point of the final edition. Instead, the reports of the working groups relating to the three parts of the Synod work will be published. A special Commission, together with the Press Office, will disseminate information concerning the Synod, as it usually does.
Additional information
On Saturday, October 17 from 9:00am to 12:30pm, there will be a special Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, held at the Paul VI Hall. In addition to the participants in the Synod, this event is open to all those who wish to participate. In the mind of Blessed Paul VI, who established it on September 15, 1965, the Synod should continue in the Church the spirit of Vatican II, so that even after the conclusion of this session the large abundance of benefits, which during the Council, happily sprang from the living union between the Supreme Pontiff and the Bishops, might continue to reach the Christian people (Blessed Paul VI, Motu Proprio Apostolica sollicitudo, 15 September 1965, Preface).
Following the introduction of the Secretary General, the commemorative Relation will be conducted by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Episcopal Conference of Austria. Following the communications of five Prelates in attendance from all the continents (Cardinal Vincent Gerald Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, representing Europe; His Excellency, Francisco Chimoio, Archbishop of Maputo, representing Africa; Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, Archbishop of Santiago del Chile and President of the Bishops of Chile, representing the Americas; His Beatitude, Louis Raphael I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and Head of the Synod of the Chaldeans, representing Asia; and Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi, Bishop of Tonga and President of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific, representing Oceania).
On Sunday, October 18, at 10:30am, in the Vatican Basilica, there will be a Mass celebrated for the Canonization of four new saints including the Blessed married couple Ludovico Martin and Maria Azelia Guérin, parents of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus.
In the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the People of God are invited to accompany the work of the Synod with their prayers, invoking the protection of the Salus Populi Romani and the Blessed husband and wife, Ludovico Martin and Maria Azelia Guérin, whose relics are on display there. Every day, the Holy Rosary will be recited at 5:00pm and the Mass will be celebrated at 6:00pm. During the first week, we will pray for children; during the second, for parents and in the third, for grandparents.
Near to the Synod Hall, there is prepared, as usual, a chapel for prayer by those participating in the Synod, where the relics of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus are displayed, along with those of her parents, and those of the married couple Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini.
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