The General Assembly of the Synod, consisting of 368 religious and lay members — including women — from around 100 countries, will engage in private discussions at the Vatican until October 27.
The synod, which already convened for a month in October 2023 following a three-year global consultation among Catholics, is a central initiative of the 87-year-old pope. He will ultimately decide on any potential changes to Church doctrine.
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Last year’s assembly tackled diverse subjects, including attitudes towards LGBTQ individuals, polygamy, the ordination of married men, and the fight against sexual abuse by clergy.
While the body resisted calls to allow women to serve as deacons — clergy permitted to perform baptisms, marriages, and funerals but not masses — there is continued pressure for greater visibility and leadership opportunities for women in the male-dominated Church hierarchy.
The synod takes place amid controversy over the pope’s recent trip to Belgium, where he faced criticism for his stance on women and his condemnation of abortion as a “murderous law.”
No immediate decisions are expected, with sensitive issues such as same-sex blessings — which sparked conservative backlash after the pope allowed them under certain circumstances last December — deferred to working groups set to report back in June.
Since becoming head of the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics in 2013, the Jesuit has sought to reform the Church’s governance — but has encountered major internal resistance.
Launching the assembly with a mass in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday morning, Francis urged participants to enter the discussions with an open mind.
“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” he said, warning of the risk of “locking ourselves into dialogues among the deaf”.
He added that the meeting was “not a parliamentary assembly, but rather a place of listening in communion”.
The assembly will deliver their conclusions on October 26.
On the eve of the talks, Francis held a “penitential” vigil attended by around 2,500 people in St Peter’s Basilica.
There, he again asked forgiveness and expressed his “shame” for the abuse by priests that has overshadowed the Church’s work across the world.
People at the vigil heard from a South African former choirboy who was assaulted by a priest when he was just 11.
The victim denounced a lack of transparency and responsibility in and by the Church that he said had shaken the faith of millions of people.
“We are here as beggars of the Father’s mercy, asking for forgiveness,” Francis said.
“How could we be credible in our mission if we do not acknowledge our mistakes and stoop to heal the wounds we have caused by our sins?” he added.
Seven cardinals echoed the pope’s words, among them Sean O’Malley, until recently archbishop of the US city of Boston, who expressed his “shame” for “abuses that have stolen innocence”.
The assembly process was launched by Pope Paul VI in 1965. Last year’s meeting was the first time women were allowed to vote.
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