Synod
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"The church of god is convoked in synod."With this call, Pope Francis has begun a worldwide process to include all the faithful—yes, you as well! —in discerning how the Catholic Church will make our way into the future. The pope has initiated a two-year “Synodal Process” of consulting the People of God that will lead to a meeting of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. In every diocese, the Catholic faithful (lay people and clergy) are called to meet, speak boldly and listen deeply, and open ourselves to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
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worldwide synod documents
"Enlarge the Space of Your Tent"
In late September 2022, an international group of experts were summoned to Frascati, Italy, outside Rome, and given the task of sifting through synod reports from all over the world. They have produced a "Working Document for the Continental Stage" entitled "Enlarge the Space of Your Tent." You can download it HERE (+).The Working Document (Instrumentum Laboris or IL) for the October 2023 Synod Assembly
The General Secretariat of the Synod released the IL in June 2023. After "Enlarge the Space of Your Tent" was issued, seven Continental Assemblies met to consider the "insights and tensions that resonate most strongly with the experience of the Church on each continent," and to identify priorities to be addressed at Synod Assembly at the Vatican in October. The document also includes worksheets that will help focus the assembly's discernment of steps to be taken in response to the worldwide consultation and all the further reflections upon it. You can find the IL HERE (+).
Other resources related to the Synod are available at the Synod website HERE (+). -
Diocese of Pittsburgh Synod Synthesis
After compiling input from more than 3,600 people, who, for the past months have gathered in parishes, schools, healthcare institutions, religious houses, private living rooms, and more, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has released results of the local phase of the two-year worldwide Synod for a Synodal Church.
The Diocesan Synthesis was compiled by a team of diocesan officials, with input from many of the faithful across the diocese. Bishop David Zubik approved the document, and it has been forwarded to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as part of the synodal process begun by Pope Francis in October 2021.
You may read or download the Synod synthesis report for the Diocese of Pittsburgh on the Synod page of the diocesan website HERE (+).
A summary of the diocesan synthesis report is available HERE. -
National Synthesis
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a national synod synthesis report on September 19, 2022. An estimated 700,000 Catholics participated in thousands of listening sessions in the United States. You can read or download the national synthesis HERE (+).