On Oct. 4, Pope Francis will open the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (Synod 2021-24): For a synodal Church: communion, participation, mission
Ahead of the opening of the general assembly in Rome, the pope along with the General Secretariat of the Synod are inviting the faithful of the Church around the world to pray for the Synod with renewed focus. In a letter to the bishops of the world on Sept. 15, Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary, emphasized that the Synodal Assembly is above all a spiritual event of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit who is the true protagonist of the event.
Read the letter from Cardinal Grech to the Bishops of the World-Carta del Cardenal Grech a los Obispos del Mundo
Without prayer there will be no Synod | Sin oración no habrá Sínodo
Pope’s Prayer Intention for October:
We pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a lifestyle at every level, and allow herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the peripheries of the world. (Read more)
Additional resources
Synod.va website
Instrumentum laboris (Synod working document for the October Synod of Bishops)
Synod updates (Vatican website)
