(Vatican, March 15, 2025)
To the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches
To all Bishops and Eparchs
To the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences
To the Presidents of the International Meetings of Bishops' Conferences
Beatitude, Eminence, Excellence Révérendissime,
Dear brother in Christ,
In a spirit of communion and co-responsibility, I write to you, and to the Holy People of God entrusted to you, concerning the implementation phase of the Synod". For a synodal Church. Communion, participation, mission ". The Holy Father hopes that this phase, provided for in the Apostolic Constitution Episcopalis Communio (no. 7, art. 19-21), so that synodality is increasingly understood and lived as an essential dimension of the ordinary life of local Churches and of the Church as a whole.
On March 11, the Holy Father gave his final approval to the launch of a process of accompaniment and evaluation of the implementation phase by the General Secretariat of the Synod. This process is aimed at the Dioceses and Eparchies, the Bishops' Conferences and the Hierarchical Structures of the Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as their continental groupings, which will also involve institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities present in their territories. It will culminate in the celebration of an Ecclesial Assembly in the Vatican in October 2028. For the time being, therefore, there are no plans to convene a new Synod, but to opt for a process of consolidation of the ground already covered.
Already in the Final document At the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father stated that it "forms part of the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter, and I ask that it be welcomed as such". He explained that it is not strictly normative, but nevertheless commits the Churches to making coherent choices. In particular, "local Churches and groups of Churches are now called upon to apply, in their various contexts, the authoritative indications contained in the Documentthrough the discernment and decision-making processes provided for by law and by the Document itself".
Following these indications, the implementation phase of the Synod should therefore be understood not as a simple "application" of directives from above, but rather as a process of "reception" of the orientations expressed by the Synod. Final document adapted to local cultures and community needs. At the same time, it is necessary to proceed together as a whole Church, harmonizing reception in different ecclesial contexts. This is the reason for the process of accompaniment and evaluation, which in no way diminishes the responsibility of each individual Church.
In accordance with Final documentThe aim is to give concrete expression to the exchange of gifts between Churches and within the Church as a whole (cf. nos. 120-121). In the course of the journey, each participant will be able to benefit from the richness and creativity of the journeys undertaken by local Churches, reaping the fruits in their territorial groupings (Provinces, Episcopal Conferences, International Meetings of Episcopal Conferences, etc.). This journey will also be an opportunity to evaluate together the choices made at local level, and to recognize the progress made in synodality (cf. no. 9). Thanks to this process, the Holy Father will be able to listen to and confirm orientations considered valid for the whole Church (cf. n° 12 and 131). Finally, this process provides the framework for the many initiatives to implement the Synod's orientations, in particular the results of the work of the Study Groups and the contributions of the Canon Law Commission.
It is essential to ensure that the implementation phase is an opportunity to involve once again those who have contributed, and to restore the fruits of the listening of all the Churches and of the discernment of the Pastors of the Synodal Assembly: in this way, the dialogue already begun in the listening phase will continue. The process will make use of the work of synodal teams made up of presbyters, deacons, consecrated men and women and lay people, accompanied by their bishop: these are fundamental instruments for accompanying the synodal life of the local Churches in an ordinary way. For this reason, existing teams need to be strengthened and possibly renewed, and suspended teams need to be reactivated and appropriately integrated. This process will also offer dioceses that have so far been less involved in the synodal journey the opportunity to catch up on unfinished business and form synodal teams themselves. I invite you to communicate to the General Secretariat of the Synod the composition and references of the synodal team of your Diocese or Eparchy, using the form you will find attached.
In this context, the convocation of the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, which will take place from October 24 to 26, 2025, is of particular importance. It will be an important opportunity to recognize the value of these bodies and the people who work in them, and to place the commitment to building an increasingly synodal Church on the horizon of hope that does not disappoint and that we celebrate in the Jubilee.
The path that will lead the whole Church to the celebration of the Ecclesial Assembly in October 2028 will be mapped out in such a way as to offer an adequate and lasting time to begin implementing the indications of the Synod, and then provide for meaningful evaluation appointments:
- march 2025Announcing the support and assessment process;
- may 2025Publication of the support document for the implementation phase, with guidelines for its implementation;
- June 2025 - December 2026Implementation in local churches and church groups;
- October 24-26, 2025Jubilee of synodal teams and participation organizations;
- first half of 2027Assessment meetings in dioceses and eparchies;
- second half of 2027Evaluation assemblies in national and international Bishops' Conferences, Eastern hierarchical structures and other church groupings;
- first half of 2028Continental Assessment Assemblies;
- June 2028publication of theInstrumentum laboris for the October 2028 Ecclesiastical Assembly;
- october 2028Vatican City: celebration of the Ecclesiastical Assembly.
From now on, the General Secretariat of the Synod is committed to accompanying and supporting the churches on this journey.
Beatitude, Eminence, Excellence,
With this letter, I am announcing the start of this journey before it is made public. Until then, the information contained in this letter is to be treated as confidential. Between now and the end of May, we will be sending further communications to the churches with more details on the methodology and operational details of the course.
Without the support of the diocesan and eparchial bishops, a process such as the one described here would be inconceivable. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, your collaborators and your synod team for your commitment to advancing a process that is particularly close to the heart of the Holy Father, for whose health we are all praying during these weeks.
I greet you fraternally in the Lord, wishing you and the Church you shepherd a fruitful journey towards Easter.
Mario Card. Grech
General Secretary of the Synod General Secretariat