In a press release on the 15th day of the Synod, correspondents said that the final document of the Synod has been presented to the Synod of Bishops.
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The final document was distributed to all Dharma Sabha participants today, October 21. “We have reached a critical situation,” Dr. Paulo Ruffini, president of the Pontifical Council for the Media and head of the Synod’s Information Commission, said in a Vatican news release.
Moments of prayer and synodal initiatives
Dr. Ruffini expressed his joy at the canonization of 14 new saints during the Holy Father’s Mass in the courtyard of St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday. He said this important event took place during World Mission Sunday, which is the centerpiece of the Synod visit. Ruffini also mentioned a prayer session held on Sunday afternoon that brought digital missionaries together online, part of the “listening” initiative in the Church that takes priority in the Instrumentum Laboris.
He specified that on Monday, at 5 p.m., in the Sant’Este Calisto auditorium, Athletic Vaticano and the Holy See Limited for Culture and Education will organize a “Synod of Sports.” Several Synod participants have registered to take part in the event, which will include discussions with athletes (refugees, Paralympians and Olympians) on issues of peace and interfaith service.
Presentation of final documents.
“We are now in the final week of the Synod,” said Shiela Pierce, Secretary of the Synod’s Media Commission, summarizing the Oct. 21 proceedings. Our day’s activities began with a Eucharistic Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Cardinal Mario Grec. In his sermon he stressed that the Synod must be seen as a new beginning, whose objective is to announce the Word of God to all. Subsequently, the Synod Conference, attended by 351 members, began with a reflection by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, where he drew the attention of all participants to the two important themes: freedom and responsibility. Later, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerique presented a draft of the final document. It was described as a “provisional article,” emphasizing that it required secrecy, not for lack of transparency but to maintain a positive environment for debate. Each participant received a copy of the draft, which is the result of collaborative work.
Regarding the Provisional Article, it was reiterated that “it is not simply the result of the discussions held in the Assembly, but is based on a rich process and includes all the work carried out over the years during the different stages of the Synod path. ”. Is.”
Pires also noted that “special rapporteurs and experts worked hard to listen carefully to what was being said, while also investigating reports from smaller groups.” The contributions of the theologians “were important both for the document and for the forums.”
Brainstorming in a small community.
“This afternoon, the participants, in small groups, will have a true exchange of the gifts of their thoughts,” said Pierre, “a mutual exchange of the challenges, the dreams, the inner dimensions and the new inspirations that have arisen from reading . the articles. “She is coming.” “It will be about experiencing spiritual practice in a new way, perhaps in an unknown way.” Thus, Monday will be dedicated to prayer, meditation and sharing the draft of the final document. Pires said the morning session concluded with a prayer for Jesuit priest Marcelo Pérez, who was murdered yesterday in Chiapas, Mexico, while celebrating Mass in his parish.
Therefore, Monday will be spent prayerfully reflecting and reflecting on the final form of the document.
Cardinal Juppi: Talk “Fundamental for the Church”
The press release also includes the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Matteo Juppi, the spiritual advisor of the Synod, Father Timothy Peter Radcliffe, who will be elevated to the rank of cardinal on December 7, Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Secretary General of the Synod and the Apostolate of Byzantine Rite Catholics in Greece. The exarch of Manyavar Manuel Nin Guel was included.
Cardinal Juppi reflected on the experience of dialogue during the Synod, calling it “not only useful, but fundamental for the Church.”
He pointed to tables where participants sit and talk, listen and meet, a process he emphasized is always spiritual.
Father Radcliffe: “Images of the Kingdom” in the final document
Father Radcliffe reflected on the path of renewal that the Church is currently undertaking, a journey that will emerge in the final document. He stressed that the document should not be seen as decisions or statements that end up in the headlines. In the face of social disintegration, war and difficult times facing the world, the Church has a special vocation: it calls us to be symbols of Christ, symbols of peace and to remain in communion with Christ, he said. Father Radcliffe said that through this synod a new way of imagining the Church is emerging and that the final document will present it in images, just as Jesus used parables to announce the Father’s kingdom.
Sister Becquart: Synod and ecumenical dialogue
Sister Nathalie Becquart, Assistant to the Secretary General of the Synod, shared information about the atmosphere of fraternity among the delegates of the Ecumenical Dialogue.
It is included in the Integration Dialogue Commission of the Synod. The Synod gives us a new image of what it means to be Church. Referring to the image of the Pope sitting among the participants, listening to him, and to the ecumenical prayer, where the participants prayed together remembering the martyrdom of Saint Peter.
He said that the Synod has opened a new dimension for ecumenical relations and the unity of Christians, because the Synod offers a new way of understanding the primacy and episcopal work of the Holy Father and the community of God’s wisdom.
Cardinal Fernández’s clarification
On October 21, 2024, Cardinal Fernández, president of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, highlighted during the General Assembly of the Synod that the Pope considers that the issue of women deacons is not yet ready to be addressed.
However, the discussion on the role of women in the Church was the main topic of the closing session of the press release. Father Radcliffe urged people not only to focus on the ordination of women, but also to consider the high positions that women have held throughout history as leaders of the Church. He said that if we reduce everything to the anointing, we risk getting trapped in a priesthood mentality. Sister Becquart reinforced these points by underlining that women already occupy high-level positions in the Church, such as presidents of Catholic universities, leaders of organizations such as Caritas or section heads within the Episcopal Conference.
He said there are many ways to promote women’s leadership, and many bishops are now appointing women as diocesan representatives, giving them a role in administration.
Sister Becquart said social and cultural barriers still remain because the Church is part of society. For example, he said, talking to Anglican bishops makes it clear that a man’s contribution to the church is valued more than that of a woman, even if the women hold different positions.
Therefore, a true transformation of mentality is necessary, and this will take time. Becquart said that we inherit the mentality not only of the church but also of the society in which we live.
