(Vatican, 15 March 2025)
To the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches
To all Bishops and Eparchs
To the Presidents of the Bishops' Conferences
To the Presidents of the International Meetings of Bishops' Conferences
Beatitude, Eminence, Reverend Excellency,
Dear brother in Christ,
In a spirit of communion and co-responsibility, I am writing to you and to the Holy People of God entrusted to you about 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), is given particular attention, 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 11 March, the Holy Father gave his definitive 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 ensure the involvement of 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 Note accompanying 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 that it nevertheless commits the Churches to making coherent choices. In particular, "the local Churches and groups of Churches are now called to apply, in the 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 must therefore be understood not as a simple "application" of directives coming from above, but rather as a process of "reception" of the orientations expressed by the Synod. Final document in a way that is adapted to local cultures and the needs of communities. At the same time, it is necessary to proceed together as a whole Church, harmonising reception in the different ecclesial contexts. This is the reason for the process of accompaniment and evaluation, which in no way diminishes the responsibility of each Church.
In accordance with Final documentThe aim is to give concrete expression to the prospect of the exchange of gifts between Churches and in the Church as a whole (cf. nos. 120-121). During the course of the journey, each person will be able to benefit from the richness and creativity of the journeys undertaken by the local Churches, reaping the fruits in their territorial groupings (Provinces, Bishops' Conferences, International Meetings of Bishops' Conferences, etc.). This journey will also be an opportunity to evaluate together the choices made at local level and to recognise the progress made in terms of synodality (cf. no. 9). Thanks to this process, the Holy Father will be able to listen to and confirm the orientations considered to be valid for the whole Church (cf. nos. 12 and 131). Finally, this process constitutes the framework in which to situate the many initiatives for implementing 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 made their contribution 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 the 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 been less involved in the synodal journey to date the opportunity to catch up on the steps not yet completed and to 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 that you will find attached.
In this context, the convocation of the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, which will take place from 24 to 26 October 2025, is of particular importance. It will be an important opportunity to recognise the value of these bodies and the people who work in them, thus placing the commitment to build an increasingly synodal Church on the horizon of the 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 to plan significant evaluation meetings:
- March 2025Announcement of 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 groups of local churches;
- 24-26 October 2025Jubilee of synod teams and participation bodies;
- first half of 2027Assessment meetings in the Dioceses and Eparchies;
- second half of 2027Evaluation assemblies in national and international Bishops' Conferences, Eastern hierarchical structures and other groupings of Churches;
- first half of 2028Continental Assessment Assemblies;
- June 2028publication of theInstrumentum laboris for the work of the Ecclesiastical Assembly in October 2028;
- October 2028Vatican City: celebration of the Ecclesiastical Assembly.
The General Secretariat of the Synod is already committed to accompanying and supporting the churches on this journey.
Beatitude, Eminence, Excellency,
With this letter, I am announcing the start of this journey before it is made public. Until then, the information contained in this letter must 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 programme.
Without the support of the diocesan and eparchial bishops, a process such as the one described here would be inconceivable. I would therefore 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 together 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
Secretary General of the Synod General Secretariat