In what is being seen as another ‘revolution’ in Pope Francis’s Church, the pontiff has decided to open up bishops’ synods to “all the people of God”, the Vatican said Friday.
A synod, henceforth, will not be “just an event but a process that involves the People of God in synergy with the episcopal College and the Bishop of Rome (the pope) , each according to their function”, the Holy See said.
The next synod will be organised in three stages, between October 2021 and October 2023, with a diocesan phase, a continental one, and the conclusive one at the level of the Universal Church, it said.
On the subject, Vatican News carries a lengthy interview with Cardinal Mario Grech, the General Secretary for the Synod of Bishops,
In it he explores the new synodal process, saying the changes were made so that “every voice might be heard, the decision-making process in the Church always begins with listening… because only in this way can we understand how and where the Spirit wants to lead the Church.”
Main Photo: EPA-EFE/REMO CASILLI / POOL
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