Earlier today, the Holy See’s General Secretariat of the Synod issued the Instrumentum Laboris for the Second Session of the 2021-2024 Synod: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission. This document will form the basis for discernment and discussion for participants of the second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held this October.

Following an interim stage that included local listening sessions worldwide and subsequent discernment from local bishops’ conferences, reports were shared with the Holy See earlier this year. These reports served as the foundation for the Instrumentum Laboris.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, who has been guiding the synodal process in the United States, welcomed the document. He stated, “The Instrumentum Laboris presents the delegates and the People of God with the occasion to reflect deeply upon the grace of our relationship to God, the Most Holy Trinity, and to one another as incorporated into Trinitarian life in Christ by the Spirit. These relations are practically lived out in our local communities and in the Universal Church and are at service of Mission. The quality of our relations, rooted in charity, their theological and practical shape at all levels are at heart of synodal discernment and renewal in Church. This document’s primary purpose is to inform ongoing discernment that will continue in Rome this October. I encourage everyone to read and discern this document within your community in conversation with insights and fruits from earlier local, national, continental Synodal consultations.”

The Instrumentum Laboris consists of five sections: an Introduction followed by a section dedicated to understanding synodality's foundations; three interwoven parts covering relationships that sustain Church; paths supporting dynamism relationships; places or concrete contexts lived relationships. Each section will be subject prayer exchange discernment modules marking work Second Session.

Begun October 2021 “Synod on Synodality” extended Pope Francis through October 2024 allow more time reflection discernment both local universal Church first part Universal Phase held October 2023 second October 2024 More information regarding 2021-2024 Synod including U.S National Synthesis North American Final Document US Synthesis Interim Stage available usccb.org/synod.

Source: United States Conference Catholic Bishops

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