In the Paul VI Audience Hall, Pope Francis began the Synod with the first meeting of the month-long assembly. He explained that the idea of synodality and having a synod on this theme was not his idea first. It began with his predecessor, Pope St. Paul VI.
POPE FRANCIS
And so slowly, almost 60 years later, the journey has gone towards this direction. Today, we can come to this Synod on Synodality. It is not easy, but it is beautiful. It is very beautiful. A synod that all the bishops of the world wanted. In the survey that was done after the Amazon Synod to all the bishops of the world, the second place preference was this one.
During his message, the Pope also reflected on the previous two synods, remembering the atmosphere of tension surrouding the participants. He encouraged the media to do their work well and warned against adding pressure to the synod assemblies.
POPE FRANCIS
With the synod on the family, there was public opinion—that came not from our worldliness—to give communion to divorcees and that is how we started the synod. With the Amazon synod, there was public opinion and pressure to make viri probati. We started with this pressure. Now there are some hypotheses about this synod—but what are they going to do here: maybe women priesthood? I don't know, these things that are said outside.
This Synod is historic as there are 54 women among the participants and for the first time, they have the ability to vote in the assemblies.
KG
