Letter to the People of God from Synod

The Synod on Synodality has released a Letter to the People of God urging the Church to continue discerning its future by listening to everyone, especially the poorest and excluded.

The letter recounts the spirit and activities of the Synod assembly’s first session held at the Vatican which began on 4 October and concludes on 29 October.

The second session will take place in October 2024. The letter expresses the hope the months leading up to the session next year “will allow everyone to concretely participate in the dynamism of missionary communion indicated by the word ‘synod’”.

The Synod general secretariat said the drafting of the letter was approved b y the Synod assembly, and discussed both during small working group sessions and among the entire assembly at the start of the week.

While the letter does not raise specific topics or questions to be addressed in the assembly’s next session in 2024, it does say that to “progress its discernment, the Church absolutely needs to listen to everyone, starting with the poorest”.

A synthesis report reflecting the work of the first session and next steps is expected to be published at the conclusion of this session.

The complete Letter of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God.