The first press briefing of the second session of the Synod of Bishops was held on the afternoon of October 3. The briefing discussed the working methods of the working group, the role of women in the Church and female deacons, among other topics. Cardinal Grech confirmed that all members of the General Assembly responded to the Pope’s invitation to participate in the public recitation of the Rosary and the day of prayer and fasting in the Basilica of Our Lady.
(Vatican News Network)The first press briefing of the second session of the Synod of Bishops was held in the Holy See Press Room on the afternoon of October 3. Attending the meeting were: Father Giacomo Costa and Monsignor Riccardo Battocchio, two special secretaries of the Synod of Bishops, and Maria De Los Dolores, two presidents of the conference representing the Sisters of St. Joseph. Palencia Gómez), Bishop Daniel Ernest Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, USA, and Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Congregation for Communication and Chairman of the Information Committee of the Synod of Bishops. The themes of the afternoon’s press briefing were peace, forgiveness, the role of women and the working group approach.
There were 365 representatives who were supposed to attend the meeting that day, but 356 actually attended the meeting. Spokespersons for each working group were selected at the meeting. The first of the five discussion sessions of the conference began, dedicated to the first chapter of the “Working Document” (Instrumentum Laboris).
Ruffini: Spirituality and Prayer
Ruffini first introduced that that morning, the conference began with a prayer for peace, echoing what the Pope said during the Angelus prayer on last Sunday: “Every effort must be made to stop violence and open the way to peace.” Ruffini then emphasized that the 10 working groups established by the Pope operate “within” the Collegiate process, coordinated by the Secretariat of the Synod, and that their work is “by no means alien to the Collaborative process.”
Costa: Working groups are “laboratories” where colleagues live together
Father Costa also echoed what the Pope has said many times, that is, “the Synod is not a parliament, but a place of listening and communion.” This is not “a directive of fancy words, but a lived experience.” He emphasized that the working group should be regarded as a “laboratory of living together” and that all believers should support it and they can contribute to the conference before June 2025.
Fr Costa added that these working groups are not “closed committees, but open groups, occasions where we learn to work together as a Church in which everyone is involved”. The Working Groups are real “traveling companions” of the Synod and have the task of using the Working Documents to carry out “small” collegial processes on a number of related but distinct themes.
Differences in working methods between the two sessions
Father Costa then explained the differences in working methods between the two sessions of this Synod. He said that the purpose of the first session in 2023 is to listen to different perspectives, that is, the “church stories” that should be presented. In its second session in 2024, the General Assembly will have another function: to propose to the Pope as a whole the Church some guidelines, as a result of the General Assembly process so far, aimed at promoting harmony rather than uniformity.
Today’s approach is not to ask questions, but to help identify some points that need analysis through an in-depth “spiritual conversation,” always leaving open space so as not to fall into a “cage.”
Mgr Bartocchio: The importance of theologians
Later, Bishop Bartocchio, Special Secretary of the Synod, talked about the role of theologians in the Synod, expressed his appreciation for the “valuable” contributions made by theologians to the Synod, and emphasized that their task is to use “theological wisdom” Listen carefully to what is being discussed in the conference hall. Their importance is also underlined by the fact that their workstation is located more centrally in the conference hall this year compared to the first session in 2023.
Sister Maria: Progress for Women
Responding to a reporter’s question about the role of women in the Church, Sister Maria stressed that this has already yielded results in different contexts and continents. Based on her experience in Latin America, she believes that “the role of women, their talents, their contributions are increasingly recognized in a church that works together”. She also emphasized the need to “accept new experiences and new suggestions so that women’s roles can be discovered and further deepened.”
Regarding women deacons, the President, on behalf of Sister Maria, referred to the speech made the previous day by Cardinal Fernandez, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that the time had not yet come and that it would be good to explore this topic in depth in the journey of the Church’s common life.
Pay attention to the voice of the local church
Bishop Flores mentioned the understanding of the views of the local churches, saying that “they are not enemies of the truth, but allow the church to listen in an orderly and patient manner in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world in which we live.” Face of Christ”. The task of the Synod of Bishops, he added, is to “find a coherent voice that expresses the voice, life and experience of the Church today”.
Finally, the briefing concluded with special mention of two peace initiatives decreed by Pope Francis. All participants of the Congress are invited to participate in the recitation of the Rosary in the Basilica of Our Lady on October 6, and the meeting will resume normally with prayer and mortification on Monday, the 7th.
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