Pope Francis’ love of the God of Jesus Christ was the motivating heart of his life and work. He lived simply and humbly, residing in Domus Sanctae Marthae, a guest house within the Vatican, forgoing the papal suite. He reached out to and embraced those on the margins, memorably washing prisoners’ feet each Holy Thursday, and welcoming refugees on the Mediterranean coast at Lampedusa.
Communion is one of the three key themes for the Synod on Synodality meeting in Rome this October and next year. The other two themes – mission and participation – are so closely related to communion that one can’t be properly understood without the others.
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The second assembly of the Plenary Council is rapidly approaching. It is less than a month away and will be held in St Mary’s Cathedral College Hall, adjacent to Hyde Park in Sydney, July 3-9.
The first general assembly of the Plenary Council, meeting October 3-10, was an extraordinary experience. About 300 members of the Catholic community in Australia engaged in a process of communal discernment involving people from almost every sphere of Church life including laity, deacons, bishops and priests.
There’ll be lots of talking at the upcoming Diocesan Assembly – of course! It’d be a dull event without conversation.
For decades now, diocesan assemblies have been part of the repertoire of the Archdiocese of Adelaide, yet there’s something strikingly new about the 2021 Diocesan Assembly.
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