In March 2020, Pope Francis announced that the theme for the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023 would be “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”.
Pope Frances invited dioceses from around the world to reflect on this theme for the life and mission of our church.
The fundamental question that continues to guide this consultation of the People of God is the following: A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together:” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your particular Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has been reflecting on Synodality as a group since the Diocesan Synod of 1992/93, attempting to discover the best way to journey together.
Each Diocese from across Australia was asked to put in a submission to assist in an Australian synthesis which will be sent to the Secretariat of Synod of Bishops. These diocesan reports can be found at https://www.catholic.org.au/synodalchurch
The members of our diocesan Synod Working Party reviewed the material from our own synod processes to compile this report. Our diocesan report reflects our ongoing synodal journey and lists twelve key points around the theme of Communion, Participation and Mission. Thank you to all who have contributed to and continue to contribute to this holy and messy journey.
Read the full report here.
