“Let us pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a style of life at every level, allowing herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the world’s peripheries.”

In The Pope Video for October, produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, he reflected on how the synodal dynamic carries forward the Church’s missionary vocation.

“Through prayer and discernment, the Holy Spirit helps us carry out the “apostolate of the ear,” that is, listening with God’s ears in order to speak with the word of God,” he said, noting that, “Thus, we draw near to the heart of Christ. Our mission and the voice that draws us to him spring from him.”

Pope Francis concludes saying that “This voice reveals to us that the heart of mission is to reach out to everyone, to seek everyone, to welcome everyone, to involve everyone, without excluding anyone” and inviting all believers to pray for the Church during the Synod “that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a style of life at every level, allowing herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the world’s peripheries.”

Synod on Synodality

The General Assembly of the Synod on Synodality begins on Wednesday, October 4 2023, following a two-year process that started in September 2021 when the Vatican released a preparatory document and instructions on preparing for the gathering. Hundreds of Catholics from around the world then met in their parishes to discuss the questions posed by the synod. The syntheses of those conversations were then sent to their respective Bishops’ Conferences that are tasked with bringing all voices to the table.

Finally, representatives of the episcopal conferences met at the continental level, the final stage before the General Assembly, which itself will take place in two parts, beginning with the gathering in 2023 and concluding with a second meeting in October of 2024.

The Synod will see the participation of 363 voting members, including women. Some participants will be attending as representatives of Bishops’ Conferences, others have been appointed personally by Pope Francis, and some will  be attending as “fraternal delegates,” “spiritual assistants,” or “experts and facilitators.”