On the days 5 and 6 December, a session of the Council of Cardinals took place at Santa Marta.

It was attended by Their Eminences Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Giuseppe Bertello, Óscar A. Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., Reinhard Marx, Seán Patrick O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Oswald Gracias and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., and the secretary of the Council, Bishop Marco Mellino. Pope Francis took part on both days.

On the day of 5 December, the Council participated in the Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica for the repose of the Ghanian Cardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr, M.Afr. Beforehand, with the Pope, the cardinals focused on the work of the COP27 in Egypt, introduced by reports from Cardinals Parolin and Ambongo Besungu.

On Tuesday 6 December, together with the Pope, the cardinals were able to reflect on the continental phase of the Synod currently underway, on the theme: “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission”, on the basis of a report from Cardinal Mario Grech and the outcomes of the digital synodal process carried out in collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication. At the end, Cardinal O’Malley introduced the recent efforts of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the service of the episcopal conferences and the Roman Curia and, in the afternoon, Cardinal Gracias reported on the Conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences held in Bangkok last October.

The meeting was an opportunity for a reciprocal update on some current affairs in the various geographical areas of reference and an overall assessment of the Council's progress in recent years.

The meeting ended last night at 19.00 and the next meeting is scheduled for April 2023.