TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Six Indians, including four prelates, are among the 253 participants in the upcoming Synod on ‘Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of Evangelisation’ in the Vatican in October 2014.
The Indian participants are Cardinal George Alencherry (major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of Syro-Malabar Church), Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal (Major Archbishop of Trivandrum of Syro-Malankar Church), Cardinal Oswald Gracias, (Archbishop of Bombay), Archbishop Anil Joseph Couto (Delhi), Fr Arul Raj Gali (national director of the Holy Cross Family Ministries in India) and Cajetan Menezes (Director of the Apostolate for the Family in Bombay).
In a statement by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, the 253 people from all over the world will take part in the extraordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 5-19) on the theme, pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization.
“The aim of the meeting is to propose to today’s world the beauty and the values of the family, which emerge from the proclamation of Jesus Christ Who disperses fear and supports hope,” said Cardinal Baldisseri.
The list is made up of representatives from the five continents, subdivided as follows: 114 presidents of Episcopal Conferences, 13 heads of the ‘sui iuris’ Eastern Catholic Churches, 25 heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, 9 members of the Ordinary Council of the Secretariat, the secretary general, the under-secretary, 3 nominees from the Union of Superior Generals, and 26 pontifical nominees. Other participants include 8 fraternal delegates, 38 auditors, including 13 married couples, and 16 experts. The total number of participants in the Synod Assembly is 253.
The itinerary of the next Synod will be divided into two phases: the Extraordinary General Assembly of 2014 and the Ordinary General Assembly of 2015. A new working methodology will be applied, rendering the process more dynamic and participatory, with speeches and testimonials, always with a view to continuity towards the second stage, after which the Synod document will be published.”
