Pope Francis approves from the hospital a calendar until 2028 to consolidate past Synod

Pope Francis approved from the Gemelli Hospital, where he has been admitted since February 14, a calendar of meetings that will lead to an assembly of bishops and laity in the Vatican in October 2028 to give continuity and consolidate the ‘Synod of Sinodality’, which was held in the past years to reform the Church.

Francisco looks forward calling this assembly in October 2028 to consolidate what was done so far and without calling a new Synod, as Saturday Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, announced in a letter sent to all the top representatives of the Church.

These «accompaniment» meetings were approved by the Pope from the Gemelli on March 11 and will look at the implementation of the Synod that concluded, after a triennium, in 2024 and focused on the theme “For a Synodal Church. «Communion, participation, mission.»

The final document written after the three years of works «is part of the ordinary teaching of the successor of Pedro» and «as such it requires to be welcomed» and «this implies for local churches and church groups, the commitment to put into practice» the indications, through «discernment and decision» processes.

For this action process, the involvement of all people who have given their contribution during the Synod has been renewed to fruit the “listening of all the churches.

The basic instruments will therefore be the «synodal teams formed by priests, deacons, consecrated and consecrated, lay and secular, accompanied by their bishop» and these teams should be «reinforced» and, if necessary, «renewed, reactivated and integrated properly,» recommends the Secretary General.

Cardinal Grech indicated that in May a specific document will be published to indicate its concrete implementation and subsequently, between the first and second semester of 2027, evaluation assemblies will be held in the dioceses, Eparquías and Episcopal Conferences.

The first and second semester of the year 2028 will be destined, on the other hand, to the continental evaluation assemblies and the publication of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028.

The Synod to reform the Church concluded with recommendations for greater listening to the faithful and greater reception, but without giving women more equality to women, who asked among other things to open the diaconate. EFE