Synod 2012 focuses on the Transmission of Christian Faith
June 19, 2012: The 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the synod of Bishops
will take place in the Vatican from 7 to 28 October this year, revealed Archbishop
Nikola Eterovic, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops at a press conference in
Vatican on Tuesday. Presenting the working document of the Synod on the theme: "The new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith’, he said that under the guidance of Pope Benedict XVI, representatives of the episcopate of the whole world, in an environment of prayer, dialogue and fraternal communion, will reflect on the transfer of Christian faith.
The convocation of the Synod is seen as a timely opportunity for the entire Catholic Church to listen, discern and, above all, give a unified response to what we are called to do, noted Archbishop Eterovic in his preface to the document. The Synod's deliberations will be enhanced by the binding with the Year of the faith, beginning on October 11, during the Synod, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Archbishop Eterovi said that ‘the document ‘Instrumentum laboris’ represents an important step in the preparation of the Synod. It is the result of responses to the discussion paper on the theme of the Synod, which was published on 2nd February 2011. This was sent to 13 Synods of Bishops of Eastern Catholic Churches, at 114 Episcopal Conferences, 26 departments of the Roman Curia and the Union of Superiors General. The edited document was released on Tuesday at the press conference.
In addition to the Preface, the document consists of four chapters, preceded by an Introduction and closed by a brief Conclusion. Chapter one is devoted to Jesus Christ, the Gospel of God to man; chapter two to Time for a new evangelization; while chapter three deals with Transmitting the faith; and chapter four deals with Reviving the pastoral action.
The Introduction presents the structure of the document indicating the significance of the synod topic, reference points and expectations on the part of particular Churches. By proclaiming the Year of the faith, Pope Benedict XVI has stressed the importance of Vatican II for the Church's life and also for the Synod. In the Introduction it emphasizes the importance of the Council documents that were points of reference for the Bishops.
The Synod is expected to infuse new energy to the Christian communities and to provide concrete answers to questions about evangelization in the modern world. There is a need for new tools and new expressions to make understandable the word of God in the living environment of modern man. The Synod shall provide an opportunity for discussion and sharing of examples of both analysis and action to be shared with Pastors and Churches. It is hoped that the new evangelization "leads us to rediscover the joy of believing, and helped to find enthusiasm to communicate the faith."
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