The Holy See Press Office held a briefing on the Synod of Bishops on October 25, informing participants that the Letter to the People of God had been distributed and voted on. Minister Ruffini clarified that the episcopal character of the Synod is not compromised by the presence of non-episcopal members.
(Vatican News) On the morning of October 25, in the 17th session of the first session of the 16th Ordinary Session of the Synod of Bishops, each participant received the manuscript of the Letter to the People of God, and in the afternoon was discussed at the 18th General Assembly. Ms. Pires, secretary of the Information Committee, reported the news at a press briefing that day. She quoted Cardinal Grech as saying that the letter was “simple and easy to understand” and collected “the positive experiences that we live out these days.” “.
Ruffini, director of the Dicastery for Communications and chairman of the Information Committee of the Synod of Bishops, said that at the conference on the morning of the 25th, “the final comprehensive document of this first session was also introduced and distributed,” which was 40 pages long. In addition, the meeting “also explained the manner in which the document would be discussed and voted upon.” In the afternoon session of the General Assembly, after the vote on the Letter to the People of God, the discussion of the Final Act began. “Only members of the General Assembly, that is, participants with the right to vote, can speak.” The document will continue to be discussed in the group discussion on the morning of the 26th and the general meeting in the afternoon.
In addition, Ruffini mentioned that the nature and powers of this Synod of Bishops were reaffirmed at the meeting, which also involved the presence of non-bishops. It was reminded at the meeting that the Synod of Bishops has only a consultative nature. The presence of non-episcopal persons is regulated in the Apostolic Constitution on Episcopal Communion. The synodal stage we are in is not a new beginning, but another stage of discernment in the entire process of collegiality established in the Constitution on Episcopal Communion. The episcopal character of the meeting was not compromised by the participation of non-episcopal members.
Ruffini further explained that the presence of non-episcopal members does not change the nature of the Synod, which remains episcopal in nature. From the logic of their testimony, their presence makes sense: they remind everyone that this meeting is not an isolated event, but an integral and necessary part of the process of collegiality, which continues and deepens the Pope’s 2021 initiative at the level of the entire Church. Listening and church discernment started on October 10th. “The process of working together will continue in the second session.”
At the meeting on the afternoon of the 25th, opinions were solicited on the methods and stages of the next stage of working together. Ruffini said, “In order to have more room for discussion, it was decided to add an additional conference, which will be held on the morning of Friday the 27th, which was originally a rest day. The conference on Friday morning will collect suggestions and provide guidance to colleagues before next year’s conference. We will work together to propose plans for the next stage of the process.”
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2023-10-26 14:59:32
