Meeting of the XVI Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod 27-28 Oct 2025
PRESS RELEASE
| With Jubilee enthusiasm toward the 2028 Ecclesial AssemblyMeeting of the XVI Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod (Vatican City, 28 October 2025). At the conclusion of the Jubilee of Synodal teams and Participatory bodies, the meeting of the XVI Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod took place on the afternoon of Sunday, 26 October 2025, at the Secretariat’s headquarters. All members of the Council were present, except Cardinal Luis José RUEDA APARICIO, Archbishop of Bogotá (Colombia), who joined the session online. The proceedings, led by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General, opened with a moment of prayer and meditation on the Gospel of the day, guided by Fr. Matteo Ferrari, OSB Cam. Evaluation of the Jubilee of Synodal teams and Participatory bodies The Council began its session with an assessment of the Jubilee, carried out using the methodology of conversation in the Spirit. The experience was judged overall to be extremely fruitful, both for the content presented and for the method adopted, which alternated plenary sessions with small linguistic group work, fostering shared prayer, dialogue among participants, and formative reflections. One of the most appreciated moments was the encounter-dialogue with Pope Leo XIV, during which representatives from all continents shared the progress made, the challenges encountered, and the initiatives undertaken to grow as a synodal Church. Each delegate then addressed a question to the Holy Father relating to his or her local context. The Pope’s attentive listening — sitting at the same table, taking notes, and responding directly — was recognized as a concrete sign of the synodal style he was speaking about. The Council also underlined how, despite the intensity of the program, participants were able to experience a genuinely synodal atmosphere of fraternity and listening, living a deep spiritual encounter sustained by conversation in the Spirit and culminating in the pilgrimage through the Holy Door. They valued the formative moments, such as the input from the three speakers on Friday, and highlighted the importance of linking workshops on themes of synodality with the sharing of experiences. In its evaluation, the Council also recognized the magisterial value of the Holy Father’s homily delivered on Sunday, 26 October, during the closing Mass of the Jubilee, which, together with other addresses, is beginning to form a significant body of the Pope’s teaching on synodality. The Council also indicated some possible areas for improvement and, at the same time, expressed sincere gratitude to the staff of the General Secretariat of the Synod for the work carried out, despite its limited size. The fruitfulness of this time of mutual enrichment, exchange of experiences, powerful testimonies, work, and communal discernment was clearly reflected in the enthusiasm gathered by the Council from the participants’ testimonies and in the many messages arriving at the General Secretariat. Continuing the journey The Council then reflected on the fruits of the meeting held on the morning of Saturday, 25 October, when the leaders of the General Secretariat together with most members of the Council met with the bishops and coordinators of the synodal teams and participatory bodies present. It was a time for dialogue and exchange on positive experiences and difficulties in the implementation phase of the Synod. In light of the contributions that emerged both in the plenary and during exchanges with participants, the Council identified several priority themes and aspects for the journey of the synodal teams. Among these were: formation in synodal spirituality; the link between listening to the People of God and pastoral and operational discernment; attention to cultures in different contexts and their evangelization; accompaniment of those experiencing fears or disappointments regarding the synodal process; the valuing and formation of priests and deacons; the collection and sharing of good practices globally; the theological deepening of certain themes; and greater attention to the pastoral and missionary dimension of synodality. The members of the Council also shared experiences, challenges, and initiatives launched in their respective dioceses and episcopal conferences, helping to broaden the shared vision of the ongoing journey. The Council entrusted the General Secretariat with the task of developing an operational proposal capable of integrating the needs and themes that emerged, helping everyone, personally and collectively, to keep the focus on synodality and on the objectives of the journey toward the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly. The proceedings of the Council concluded on the afternoon of Monday, 27 October. |
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There is a video of Pope Leo XIV presently of quoting his mother, “You want to be equal to men? No, because we are already better”. He argues that the culture of prejudices around women in the Church need to be challenged. He doesn’t seem to get it that the teachings of the Church on preventing women priests and deacons is supporting and keeping these prejudices going. The opening up all ministries within the Church to women and men is central to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The formation of priests in seminaries with this teaching is keeping all these prejudices going. It seems as if the Synod and Pope Leo are content to open up and expand the ministries to women that are already there is enough and will never entertain women priests or deacons.
Yes Roy, Leo’s response showed that the patriarchal mindset is alive and well in Rome.
The “women are better than men” trope (unevangelical) functions usefully to distract from the continuing pervasive subordination of women in the Church. The men in charge will continue discerning and deciding what women can and can’t do, and when. Why? Because they are men.
And a lot of women, indoctrinated in this patriarchal mindset, support it. There was no shortage of clapping for the Pope’s mother’s statement…among these Synodal teams representatives from around the world.
As South American Rafael Luciani stated, “there is no true synodality without the radical equality between women and men”. It looks like many in the church will happily settle for the oxymoron that is patriarchal synodality.
As long as it continues to be deemed necessary to discuss “women’s role in the Church”, women are neither full nor equal members of the institutional Church.
Well spoken Miriam. I completely agree. We need to rediscover the Good News of Galatians 3:28 and
make it a lived reality.