For a Synodal Church:�Communion, Participation, and Mission
General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops
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From the Synod on Youth and the Synod on the Amazon to the Synod on Synodality
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“Synodality is the way of being the Church today according to the will of God, in a dynamic of discerning and listening together to the voice of the Holy Spirit.”
Pope Francis
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Together, listening �to the �Holy Spirit, �let us be led by God
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We stand before You, Holy Spirit, �as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, �make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.
�We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.�Do not let ignorance
lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions. �
Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together
to eternal life and not stray
from the way of truth and what is right. �
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.
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The Challenge of Synodality
“What the Lord is asking of us is already in some sense present in the very word “Synod.” Journeying together – laity, pastors, the Bishop of Rome – is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice.”
Pope Francis, Address at the Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary
of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops,
October 17 2015
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“The Church of God is convoked in Synod. The path entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” will solemnly open on the 9th – 10th of October 2021 in Rome and on the following 17th of October in each particular Church. One fundamental stage will be the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in October 2023, which will be followed by the implementation phase that will again involve the particular Churches. With this convocation, Pope Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission: “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” This journey, which follows in the wake of the Church’s “renewal” proposed by the Second Vatican Council, is both a gift and a task: by journeying together and reflecting together on the journey that has been made, the Church will be able to learn through Her experience which processes can help her to live communion, to achieve participation, to open herself to mission. Our “journeying together” is, in fact, what most effectively enacts and manifests the nature of the Church as the pilgrim and missionary People of God.”
(PD, 1)
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The aim of the Synod
To learn synodality
Reread and Practice
Putting into practice the Synodal nature �of the entire Church
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Communion, Participation �and Mission
– �3 indispensable keys
at the heart �of a Synodal Church
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From an event to a process
Article 4: Phases of the Synodal Assembly
Each Synodal Assembly unfolds in a series of phases:
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Episcopalis Communio emphasizes the local phase
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Episcopalis Communio emphasizes the local phase
§ 1. The consultation of the People of God takes place in the particular Churches
[…]
In each particular Church, the Bishops carry out the consultation of the People of God by recourse to the participatory bodies provided for by the law, without excluding other methods that they deem appropriate.
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Basic Question of the Synodal Process
A basic question prompts and guides us: How does this “journeying together,” which takes place today on different levels (from the local level to the universal one), allow the Church to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the mission entrusted to her; and what steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church?
(PD, 2)
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The fundamental question for the consultation of the People of God
A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together:” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
(PD, 26)
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“The purpose of the Synod, and therefore of this consultation, is not to produce documents, but “to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to be nourished, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.”
(PD, 32)
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Preparatory Document
+ Appendices, materials, and tools (biblical, liturgical, methodological, and practical resources, etc.)
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Vademecum
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The Objectives of the Synod (PD, 2)
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The Objectives of the Synod (PD, 2)
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Key convictions for a Synodal Church
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Discerning the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel
We are all in the same boat…We are one human family living in our common home.
(Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti)
“The synodal journey unfolds within a historical context marked by epochal changes in society and by a crucial transition in the life of the Church, which cannot be ignored: it is within the folds of the complexity of this context, in its tensions and contradictions, that we are called to ‘scrutinize the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel’ (GS, 4).”
(PD, 4)
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“Within this context, synodality represents the main road for the Church,called to renew herself under the action of the Spirit and by listening to the Word.” (PD, 9)
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Listening to the Scriptures
Jesus, the Crowd, and the Apostles
“The work of evangelization and the message of salvation would not be comprehensible without Jesus’ constant openness to the widest possible audience, which the Gospels refer to as the crowd, that is, all the people who follow him along the path, and at times even pursue him in the hope of a sign and a word of salvation: this is the second actor on the scene of Revelation. The proclamation of the Gospel is not addressed only to an enlightened or chosen few.” (PD, 18)
🡪 In order for the Church to be herself, and for her mission to bear fruit, all three must always be present: Jesus, the crowd, and the apostles!
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Listening to the Scriptures
A Double Dynamic of Conversion:
Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10)
“It is in the encounter with people, welcoming them, journeying with them, and entering their homes, that he realizes the meaning of his vision: no human being is unworthy in the eyes of God, and the difference established by election does not imply exclusive preference but service and witnessing of a universal breadth.” (PD, 23)
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Synodality in action: pathways for consulting the People of God (PD, 26)
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Basic Question of the Synodal Process
A basic question prompts and guides us: How does this “journeying together,” which takes place today on different levels (from the local level to the universal one), allow the Church to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the mission entrusted to her; and what steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church?
(PD, 2)
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The fundamental question for the consultation of the People of God
A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together:” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
(PD, 26)
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Ten Themes to Explore
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Reinvigorating Collegial Bodies
Giving New Life to Synodal Institutions
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A key objective of the Vademecum:�promoting adaptation to the local context
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The Vademecum handbook is offered as a guide to support each local Church’s efforts, not as a rulebook. Those who are responsible for organizing the process of listening and dialogue at the local level are encouraged to be sensitive to their own culture and context, resources, and constraints, and to discern how to implement this diocesan synodal phase, guided by their diocesan Bishop. We encourage you to take useful ideas from this guide, but also to have your own local circumstances as your starting point. New and creative pathways may be found for working together among parishes and dioceses in order to bring this Synodal Process to fruition. This Synodal Process need not be seen as an overwhelming burden that competes with local pastoral care. Rather, it is an opportunity to foster the synodal and pastoral conversion of each local Church so as to be more fruitful in mission.
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FOSTERING WIDE PARTICIPATION IN THE SYNODAL PROCESS
The goal is to ensure the participation of the greatest number possible, in order to listen to the living voice of the entire People of God.
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CREATING A SYNODAL EXPERIENCE AND GATHERING THE FRUITS
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The Diocesan Phase of the Synod
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Unfolding of the Diocesan Phase
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Contact
General Secretariat for Synod of Bishops
Via della Conciliazione 34 - 00120 Città del Vaticano
Phone: (+39) 06 698 84821 / 84324
synodus@synod.va
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Thank you!
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