Following a two-year period of preparation, the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops opened on October 4 with Mass in St. Peter’s Square, an Italian-language greeting by Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Sedrak, an address by Pope Francis, and an Italian-language report by Cardinal Mario Grech, before the longer introductory talk delivered by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ.
The official theme of the Synod, which will continue with a second session in October 2024, is “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.”
“Let the centrality of Christ be the guiding thread of this Synod,” said Patriarch Sedrak, one of the Synod’s presidents-delegate, who preside over the deliberations in the place of Pope Francis. “May He be the Alpha and Omega of our discussions, may He be the light that enlightens us our debates, may He be the final goal of all our efforts. Only in this way the Synod will be able to achieve his own goals.”