Communiqué of the General Secretariat of the Synod
This afternoon, at the opening of the 13th General Congregation of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, gave some information regarding the calendar for the coming days.
The Synthesis Report Commission has indicated new criteria for the drafting of the text:
1. The outline will not be presented in two parts (A and B) as indicated in the calendar;
2. Furthermore, the Secretary General and the Presidency intend to offer the Assembly some time to decide on the methods and stages for the next phase of the synodal process in view of the second session;
3. Finally, the Assembly has already approved the proposal to publish a Letter to the People of God at the end of the session.
For these three reasons, it was necessary to make some changes to the programme.
On Monday 23 October, as planned, the participants will gather in Saint Peter’s Basilica for the Eucharistic celebration at the Altar of the Cathedra.
Subsequently, in the General Congregation, before the Circuli minores and then all together, the Letter to the People of God will be presented and discussed. This will be followed by a vote.
The work of the Assembly will be suspended on the afternoon of Monday 23 October and for the entire day of 24 October.
The participants will meet again on Wednesday 25 October for the presentation and submission of the outline of the Synthesis Report by the General Rapporteur. The text will first be the object of personal reading, and then discussed in the General Congregation and the Circuli minores, for the elaboration of the “methods”, on Wednesday afternoon and in the morning of Thursday 26 October.
- In the afternoon of Thursday 26 October, contrary to what was previously indicated, the participants will meet in the General Congregation for the collection of proposals on methods and stages for the months between the first and second session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
- On Friday 27, a free day, all participants of the Assembly are invited to participate in the prayer for peace that will take place in Saint Peter’s Basilica at 18.00.
