On Wednesday, October 3, the Synod of Bishops on Youth and Vocation begins with a large ceremony in St. Peter's square. It will conclude at the Vatican on Sunday, October 28.
WHAT IS A SYNOD?
The synod is an assembly of bishops representing their episcopal conferences. It is convened by the pope to talk about specific issues.
The most recent have been on the Eucharist, the Bible, the New Evangelization and the Family.
It was started after the Second Vatican Council. It convened for the first time in 1969, and this is the 15th synod.
Pope Francis has given more importance to preparation for the meeting, during which the bishops have consulted with youth on the synod's themes.
MSGR. FABIO FABENE
Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops
“At this Synod, for the first time a preparatory meeting was held with 300 young people. This has been a very important moment to listen to them. There they were able to speak and from there a document for the Synod was produced.”
WHO WILL PARTICIPATE?
Some 267 bishops and priests are taking part. For the first time, two bishops from Mainland China are attending as well.
Most of the bishops will travel from their native countries or already preside over a department in the Vatican. In addition, the pope has selected 41 more bishops to attend.
There are also 49 experts, 24 men and 25 women from all over the world. Of those, 34 are young people.
WHAT WILL THEY DO?
Over the course of 25 days, they will debate over the basis of the working documents, prepared from 221,000 suggestions sent to the organizers.
At the end, they will write a series of proposals that will be voted on by the participants.
WHAT WILL THEY TALK ABOUT?
The main idea is how to help young people live their faith and discover their vocation.
They will exchange experiences on attitudes and formation useful for showing faith to young people in a credible, attractive and close way.
In addition, they will look at how to help young people make definitive decisions for life: from priesthood or religious life, to marriage or lay celibacy.
WHAT DO THE WORKING DOCUMENTS SAY?
According to the secretary general of the synod, young people want the Church to listen to them and take them into account. However, this is not all.
CARD. LORENZO BALDISSERI
Secretary General, Synod of Bishops 2018
“What do young people want in the Church? They want transparency, honesty, openness, welcome and credibility. These are the questions that have emerged in recent years.”
In short, young people want to participate actively in the Church and in society; they want priests and bishops to be credible and joyful; they want points of reference, but they do not want to feel blocked by rigid norms.
