The Holy See Releases the List of Participants for the Upcoming General Assembly of Synod 2023

Abu Dhabi.

The General Secretariat of the Synod 2023 has released the list of participants to the XVIth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, that will reflect on the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission”. The synod will be held in Rome from 4-29 October 2023.

The list of delegates that was released on 7 July consists of 363 participants from six different continents which includes non-bishops for the first time, who will be able to vote in the assembly. There are 70 non- bishop attendees (priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, laity) for this synod, who are directly appointed or approved by Pope Francis.

Bishop Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap. along with Mr. Mathew Thomas from St. Mary’s Dubai will be participating in the Synod from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. Mr. Mathew is among the ten delegates chosen for representing the Middle East region.

The Synodal process, initiated by the Holy Father and which began in October 2021 has three phases; the Diocesan phase, the Continental phase and the Universal phase which is set to take place in October 2023.

According to Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, the Instrumentum Laboris (the working document for the first session of the universal phase of the synod) is “an opportunity for the entire People of God to continue the journey that has begun, and an opportunity to involve those who have not been involved so far".