Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the forthcoming Synod of Bishops, gave an overview of the synod to a packed church at Ta’ Pinu, where he said the Synod of Bishops was designed to make Church governance more open and inclusive of all its members, with particular interest in the role of lay persons and of local communities in the worldwide Catholic Church.

On July 7, the Vatican announced the list of the participants to the 16th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod being held in October. For the first time, representatives of lay persons from around the world will attend the first meeting being held between October 4 and 29. The second meeting will be held in October 2024.

The meeting at Ta’ Pinu, on July 8, was attended by a large gathering of priests, religious and lay people. It was introduced by Bishop Anton Teuma, who recited a special prayer, and Francesco Pio Attard, who recollected how in October 2021, Pope Francis launched a special synod with the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”. This showed, Attard said, how the Pope wished all members of the Church reflected more on the concept of Poplu qaddis u fidil ta’ Alla (A holy and faithful people of God) as presented in the Second Vatican Council in the Church Constitution, Lumen gentium, 60 years ago.