Overview
World Synod of Bishops "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church" This three week long gathering was the twenty second since Pope Paul VI established this body in 1965. Cardinal DiNardo, one of four prelate delegates from the United States, participated with more than 250 bishops and heads of religious orders, appointed advisers and observers from around the world. Among the topics discussed was the need to increase familiarity with Scripture, guidance in interpretation, improvement of preaching on Scripture and more.
Vatican Synod Information
Index
This page is an index to the various Vatican resources for the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Lineamenta
The Lineamenta includes a list Questions which are responded to by collegial bodies. These responses are studied and will use it to build the Instrumentum Laboris, which will become the agenda for the Synod of Bishops.
Instrumentum Laboris
The Instrumentum Laboris is the agenda for the Synod of Bishops Address of Pope Benedict XVI at the Opening of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Interventions by Members of the Synod
Message to the People of God at the Conclusion of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
U.S.C.C.B. Synod Resources The website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has a section on the Synod. This includes a list of the U.S. delegates, experts, and auditors who were part of the Synod, links to other key sites, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and other background informatio.
Go to the USCCB Synod Section
Catholic News Service Special Report
The Catholic News Service has a section on the Synod, including many headlines and reports.
Go to the Catholic News Service Synod Section
Bishop Kicanis Blog During the Synod Throughout the duration of the Synod, the USCCB provided reports from the Synod authored by the Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson. Bishop Kicanas is the Vice President of the USCCB and a delegate to the Synod. Read Bishop Kicanas' Blog
Back to Top | History of World Synods of Bishops - Twelfth Ordinary Synod, October 5-26, 2008:
The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church - Eleventh Ordinary Synod, October 2-23, 2005:
The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church - Tenth Ordinary Synod, September 30-October 27, 2001: The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World
- Ninth Ordinary Synod, October 2-29, 1994:
The Consecrated Life and Its Role in the Church and in the World - Eighth Ordinary Synod, September 30-October 28, 1990: The Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the Present Day
- Seventh Ordinary Synod, October 1-30, 1987:
The Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World - Sixth Ordinary Synod, September 29-October 29, 1983: Penance and Reconciliation in the Mission of the Church
- Fifth Ordinary Synod, September 26-October 25, 1980: The Christian Family
- Fourth Ordinary Synod, September 30-October 29, 1977: Catechesis in Our Time
- Third Ordinary Synod, September 27-October 26, 1974: Evangelization in the Modern World
- Second Ordinary Synod, September 30-November 6, 1971: The Ministerial Priesthood and Justice in the World
- First Ordinary Synod, September 29-October 29, 1967: The Preservation and Strengthening of the Catholic Faith, its Integrity, its Force, its Development and its Doctrinal and Historical Coherence
Cardinal DiNardo Synod Intervention
October 11, 2008
His Eminence Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
The Eternal Word emptied himself for our salvation. In an analogous way the Holy Spirit has also given and "humbled" himself in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. With great courtesy he has adapted the divine "language" with thought towards our human nature (Dei Verbum, 9 and 11). The record of even small, seemingly trivial events in Sacred Scripture, are taken up into the very economy of our salvation and deification.
I speak in behalf of Catholics who live in the famous Bible Belt of the Southern United States. It is a genuine location, but it is also a frame of mind, diffused through many places in the world. There are surely issues and problems with this mind set, but it has kept alive a Biblical imagination and vocabulary and a sense of divine agency in the world that is important for us. In the Instrumentum Laboris, #18 a-g and 22 c-d, the Word of God is spoken about in a deeply rich christological way. The pneumatology however is more discrete. Catholics in the Bible Belt need a pneumatology that can help them in reading Scripture.
I would recommend the publication of a Compendium, similar to other such documents, that would be directed to the faithful. It would be a clear and direct guide that would highlight the rich and useful methods of the Church for reading and sharing the Sacred Scriptures. Such a Compendium would be an immeasurable help for personal bible reading, for Bible Study groups etc. Totally ecclesial and Catholic, it would also be of great help in ecumenical bible studies in which many of our people are enrolled. It would help retrieve a vivid and excellent sense of the Catholic understanding of the Holy Spirit' s inspiration in the Sacred Scriptures.
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