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 50th Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod and XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Scott 1596-1597 (2015) On September 2, 2015, Vatican City issued two stamps focused on the Synod of Bishops. The first (Scott 1596) commemorated the establishment of the Synod in 1965, and the second (Scott 1597) was issued in conjunction with the 14th Synod being held in 2015. On September 15, 1965, Pope Paul VI issued an Apostolic Letter which officially created the Synod of Bishops. The Synod is designed as an advisory body for the pope, where the bishops provide assistance to the pope in exercising his office. The Synod is a permanent committee and holds assemblies that are classified as eithter 'general' (for matters that concern the universal Church) or 'special' (to address matters of a specific geographical area). The general assemblies are either 'ordinary' (held at fixed intervals) or 'extraordinary' (held to address urgent issues). The stamp issued for the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, shown above, pictures Pope Francis with a family of four. The theme of the Synod was "The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world." Pope Francis issued the post-Synodal exhortation Amoris laetitia ('The joy of love') in early 2016 which addressed the pastoral care of families. The year 2023 saw increased attention and focus on the Synodal process. The Synod that convened in Rome last year was referred to as the Synod on Synodality, with its theme being: "For a Synodal Church: communion, participation and mission". Rather than convening in Rome for one month and addressing a single topic or concern, this Synod began in 2021 as an ongoing project to review a wide range of issues. The work progressed in three phases. Phase 1 was held at the diocesan level (from October 2021 through April 2022) to gather information from local Catholics. During Phase 2, bishops met at the continental level to take the information gathered during Phase 1 to create a draft document, which was released on June 20, 2023, entitled Instrumentum Laboris (roughly translated as meaning 'A tool for work'). Phase 3 represented the convening of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October, 2023. In a second stage, the Synod will reconvene in 2024. Since early in his papacy, Pope Francis has increased both the authority and influence of the Synod in an effort to strengthen the collegial aspects of the Church's governance. His efforts have not been met with universal acceptance and have raised some concerns, particularly among conservative Catholics. A recent publication, The Synodal Process is a Pandora’s Box, warns of the ‘revolutionary threat’ posed by the issues being raised at the Synod, and the potential for ‘grave harm’ to the Church. A link to an article found in the National Catholic Register on the book is provided below. Readers are advised to draw their own conclusions based on available information. REFERENCES: |
