Every three or four years, bishops from around the world gather with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, to deliberate about a subject of importance to the universal church. The last ordinary Roman Synod of Bishops considered the Word of God in the life and mission of the church. I was a member of that synod, and we began several initiatives to renew and deepen our understanding of Holy Scripture in the archdiocese based on the synod’s deliberations. In the nature of things, these initiatives gather steam slowly, but some elements of the strategic pastoral plan relate to the concerns of the 2008 synod.
At that synod I was one of 10 bishops from around the world elected to serve on the council of the synod, responsible for follow up to the 2008 synod and for preparing this October’s meeting. I was grateful to be elected a member of the 2012 synod, and I deeply regret not being able to attend, because I cannot interrupt the chemotherapy treatments begun last month. The other delegates from the U.S. bishops’ conference have promised to keep me posted, and I have promised to keep them in my prayers. I urge everyone here to pray for the synod, and I express again my gratitude for the many prayers being offered for the restoration of my health. They are life giving.
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