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PHILIPPINES: Synod Should Usher In A ‘New Church’
As dioceses opened the synodal process, Archbishop Socrates Villegas (in photo) asked for prayers so that the Synod will lead the church to renewal. “Let us pray that the two-year consultations in preparation for the Synod on Synodality will truly bring about the new Church,” said Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan in his homily during a Mass at the Dagupan Cathedral.
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Dec 2021On October 10, Pope Francis formally opened for the entire Church the Synod of Bishops with the theme, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The diocesan phase begins the synodal process and will include consultations with local clergy and laity.
After the local consultations, the bishops will prepare for a three-day assembly on the national level on March 7 to 9, 2022 so that they can submit a national report to the Synod General Secretariat by April 2022. This will be followed by a continental phase from September 2022 to March 2023, leading on to the “universal phase,” to be held in Rome in October 2023.