Synod Office Announces Implementation Phase
The end of the Synod Assembly was an emotional moment. 400+ people had spent a month together, praying, discerning, writing proposals, for Pope Francis to take the Final Synod Document into church teaching. At the same time, they knew that the hard work was just beginning. The document would need to be received and enacted by the local church, with that differing from place to place around the world.
On Saturday 15th March, Cardinal Grech, head of the Synod Secretariat, wrote to the bishops announcing the implementation phase of the Final Synod document, so that the global church could walk its synodal journey in step, sharing the learning and creativity across different contexts and communities. You can read the full letter from Cardinal Grech to the bishops here.
To help with sharing ideas, he has announced a series of Assemblies running through 2027-28, from diocesan to national and continental, culminating with an Ecclesial Assembly in Rome autumn 2028.
Cardinal Grech also gave an interview to Vatican News, explaining aspects of the process, saying “It is a process aimed at fostering dialogue among Churches about the insights developed in the implementation phase. After a period of work at the local level (until 2026), the goal is to create, in a synodal style, spaces for dialogue and exchange of gifts among Churches”. You can read the interview in full here.