Pope: The Synod Document is a gift to the People of God
Rose Miller
WelCom November 2024
Pope Francis, seated centre, is pictured with all the Synod participants at the conclusion of the work of the General Assembly. In his final address at the Synod Assembly on Saturday evening, 26 October, Pope Francis presented the Synod’s Final Document as a ‘threefold gift’. He highlighted how the Document, written over the course of the 2nd Session of the Synod on Synodality, which began on 2 October following a process of listening and dialogue, is the fruit of over three years of listening to the People of God. It reveals, he noted, a shared path forward toward a ‘synodal Church’ that embodies the Gospel not merely through words but through every act and interaction. Pope Francis described the Document as a gift with multiple dimensions, serving as both guidance for the Church and as a symbol of unity and shared mission. The Pope announced he has chosen to not write an Apostolic Exhortation following the Synod, but he said, the Synod Document will be immediately available to all. The XVIth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops officially concluded on Sunday, 27 October, with the celebration of Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica presided over by Pope Francis. Photo: Vatican Media
