VATICAN: Highlights Role of Episcopal Conferences on Forthcoming Synod of Bishops on Synodality
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops has released a document highlighting the role of Episcopal Conferences in preparation for the upcoming XVI Ordinary General Assembly scheduled for October 2023.
In the diocesan phase, Episcopal Conferences are expected to “disseminate information to ecclesiastical provinces from the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, offer support, coordination, and accompaniment for the diocesan phase, collect the diocesan syntheses, and elaborate a national synthesis on the basis of these diocesan syntheses and organize a National Synodal meeting as a synodal experience to discern together on the basis of what has emerged from the dioceses,” reads an excerpt of the document shared with AMECEA online.
Highlighting the objectives of the Episcopal Conference in the Synodal process, the General Secretariat noted that the conferences need to “designate a National Synodal team to support the dioceses and episcopal conference in the Synodal Process, promote the Synodal Process and accompany the Dioceses in getting fully engaged in the diocesan phase of the Synod, provide necessary guidance, formation, training, resources and any other assistance to Dioceses in the planning and execution of the diocesan phase of the Synod.”
Additionally, the document reads, Conferences are to “plan and provide adequate formation to the Bishops on the purpose, objective, and spirit of this Synod in order to understand what God is calling the People of God to experience in the local Churches, help Bishops in their role of leading the listening process in their Dioceses, to discern how the Holy Spirit is calling the local Church to walk together in the present and future, towards new Synodal paths.”
The Bishops Conferences are expected to “collaborate and network with all the various pastoral organizations, institutions, and movements within the country throughout the Synodal Process, plan initiatives, programmes, and events both in person and online, taking into account the local situation and the resources available (and) draw up a National strategy and plan based on the Preparatory Document and Vademecum (handbook), to promote the widest participation possible and a fruitful synodal experience in dioceses, utilizing all means possible, including technology, social media, etc. for an effective synodal journey in the country,” members of the general Secretarial said.
Besides, Conferences are called upon to “highlight the fruits of synodal paths in various dioceses as well as in other countries as a model for others, sharing best practices and recommendations among dioceses and countries, and to gather and summarize all the diocesan syntheses in order to prepare an overall synthesis to be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.”
The General Secretariat team recommended that National Synodal Teams gather the diocesan syntheses and formulate a draft national synthesis on the basis of what has been experienced in dioceses, which will then be used as the working document for the National Synodal Meeting of the entire episcopal conference additionally the conferences are to “organize a National Synodal Meeting for the episcopal conference to gather to discern together on the basis of draft national synthesis and the experience of the dioceses in order to produce the final synthesis for the entire episcopal conference.”
The Diocesan Pre-Synodal Meeting should also be conducted in a spirit of prayer, communion, and mutual listening to the Holy Spirit and also be a time to celebrate what has occurred in the local Churches and entrust the synodal journey to God.
Concerning the agenda for the Synodal Meeting, Episcopal are to “reflect on the draft synthesis prepared by the National Synodal Team, To elaborate a final version of the synthesis of the Synod that would represent Synodality in the particular country, best practices, and future goals of the episcopal conference for journeying together with its people and the universal Church on the path of synodality towards deeper communion and wider participation for a more fruitful mission and to share the final document with the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops as well as drafting a simplified version that can be communicated to Dioceses and the People of God throughout the territory covered by the episcopal conference.”
