Pope Sets Dates for October Synod

Pope Francis has decided that the second session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality will open on Oct. 2 and end on Oct. 27, the General Secretariat of the synod announced today, Feb. 17. It will be preceded by a two-day retreat, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Contrary to expectations, the synod will in fact be more or less the same length as the first session. As already known, almost all the synod’s 365 members (including women and men who are not bishops) participated in last October’s synod. They will continue to focus on the theme: “For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission.”