Instrumentum laboris" for the next Synod assembly publishedAfter the morning's work, some members of the Second Session of the Synod of Bishops gave a press conference to talk about the beginning of these days, which will last until the end of October.
During the hearing, the following spoke Giacomo Costa Riccardo Battocchio, both Special Secretaries of the Assembly; María de los Dolores Palencia Gómez and Monsignor Daniel Ernest Flores, both Delegate Presidents of the Assembly; and Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication.
The Prefect was the first to speak and confirm that the members of the Second Session will try to appear daily before the media to comment on the work of the day. Ruffini also explained that the essential elements of this Second Session are spirituality and prayer, as shown by the retreat with which everything began.
The Prefect commented that "the world situation is very much on the minds and in the hearts of those participating in the Synod," so the day began with a prayer for peace.
The Synod is a way
For his part, Giacomo Costa began his speech by assuring that the Second Session is not a mere repetition of what happened in 2023. He assured that "we have learned a lot" and that the members of the Assembly are "called to go one step further than last year".
The Special Secretary then clarified some ideas about the Synod of Synodality, the first of them echoing Pope Francis: "This is not a parliamentary assembly, but a place of listening and communion". Costa developed this by assuring that "the Synod is a place to opt for Life" and to "take a step towards forgiveness", proof of which is the Penitential Act that took place within the framework of the Assembly.
On the other hand, the Secretary General pointed out that these days of work are not "the final destination", but that there is still a long way to go. So much so, that until the month of June 2025 all the People of God can send their contributions to the working groups. The General Secretariat of the Synod "will be in charge of compiling the contributions and delivering them to the interested working groups".
From this stems a fundamental idea that Pope Francis has often repeated: the most important thing about the Synod is not the topics discussed, but learning to work together as a Church.
Synodal, missionary and merciful Church
Monsignor Riccardo Battocchio, also Special Secretary, spoke about the importance of the Penitential Act, which is part of the search for union with the whole Church. "The penitential act"He said "it seeks to set the tone for the whole assembly", "to give a style to the Church", which becomes aware of the reality of sin.
Alongside this wound, he continued, the Church observes that "the love of God does not tire, but makes us capable of living new relationships". This gives us the opportunity to become what Msgr. Battocchio called a "missionary and merciful synodal Church.
Battocchio also highlighted the work of the theologians in this Second Session, during which their task will be to facilitate "attentive listening and theological understanding of the contributions at the individual and group levels. Thanks to them, the Special Secretary stressed, "it will be possible to draw up a final document.
The Synod and the harmony of perspectives
For her part, María de los Dolores Palencia Gómez expressed her joy during the press conference for the opportunity given to the delegate presidents and facilitators to meet beforehand to resolve doubts and create community". Thanks to this, "the Assembly has begun with much encouragement and freedom".
The Delegate President conveyed her feeling "that the journey is made together" and that the idea is not to draft a final document, but to "work" and "deepen" the issues in order to fulfill the objective of "the mission", that is, to evangelize. Palencia Gómez ended his speech by summarizing the Synod as "a service of the Church to the world".
The last to speak was Monsignor Daniel Ernest, who reiterated that the members of the Assembly have not "arrived at the same place as last year" but have grown". He also defended the synodal method as an opportunity for each member of the People of God to offer his perspective.
"Perspective is not an enemy of truth, but the normal way of acting in the Church," said the Delegate President. As an example of this, he pointed to the four Gospels. In the same sense, he affirmed that "it is important for the Church to listen, not to accept everything that others say, but to understand".
