Pope to Synod: the Holy Spirit is the protagonist
During the closing session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Saturday in the Vatican, the Pope reminded the Assembly that the Holy Spirit is the gathering's protagonist, and offered his heartfelt thanks to all, as he addressed the closing session of the Assembly. The Assembly concluded with the Holy Mass on Sunday in the Vatican.
The Holy Father began his remarks in Spanish, thanking all those who have played a key role in the gathering.
“I remind you that the protagonist of this Synod is the Holy Spirit, and so I suggest you take away with you the text of St Basil that was prepared for us by Fr Davide Piras: keep meditating on it, it can help us.”
"I thank each and every one of you for your work", he said, adding, "Cardinal Grech did not sleep at night, Cardinal Hollerich was ‘master of the novices’ Nathalie Becquart, Luis Marín de San Martín, Fr Giacomo Costa, Fr Riccardo Battocchio, Giuseppe Bonfrate, Sr Maria Grazia Angelini, Fr Timothy Radcliffe who have shared their spiritual knowledge with us, and to the 'hidden ones', all those who are here behind us, whom we do not see but who have made all this possible."
“Thank you all from the bottom of my heart”, he said.
On Saturday, the Assembly voted on the Synthesis report, and on Sunday this phase of the Synod closed with Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.
The 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is in two sessions, one year apart: the first from 4 to 29 October 2023, the second in October 2024.
Original material by Deborah Castellano Lubov, Vatican News
Synthesis Report
In the late afternoon of Saturday, 28 October 2023, the members of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops adopted the Synthesis Report. The original version is Italian. The English translation is available at the link below.
Synthesis Report from the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (PDF 1.5MB)
Video from the Assembly
The two video links below are a glimpse into the operation of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Saturday, 28 October 2023.
Highlights: 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Conclusion
Before praying together, and receiving the Holy Father's blessing, Pope Francis concluded by offering his heartfelt thanks to all.
In the early part (1:55) of the video below, you will see Kelly Paget of Broken Bay at Table 23.
Concluding session: 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Reports from the Assembly
The link below is a Vatican News concluding report by Salvatore Cernuzio on the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
Synod Report: A Church that involves everyone and is close to world’s wounds
The link below is an extended report by Br Mark O’Connor, Vicar for Communications for the Diocese of Parramatta, delivering his final report on the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
Letter Five from a listening and global Synod
A video version of the "Letter to the People of God" from the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is available at the link below.
Letter to the People of God
Reports on Christopher White speaking in Australia on the Assembly are available at the link below.
Public Forum: Will our faith have children?
In the images below, we see Pope Francis signing a concluding document for the Assembly, the Pope with women of the Assembly and the Broken Bay representatives to the Assembly.