Synod to Include Pilgrimage for Participants, Prayer for Migrants and Refugees

Press briefing for the calendar and list of participants for the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops 

At a press conference on Thursday 21 September 2023, confirming details about participation in the Synod and the schedule for the General Assembly, synod organizers revealed plans for a pilgrimage for participants and for a special evening of prayer for migrants and refugees.

By Christopher Wells

Synod organizers on Thursday released the calendar of events for the General Assembly of the Synod, which will be held at the Vatican from 4-29 October.

Among the notable features on the schedule will be a pilgrimage for participants, set for the afternoon of 12 October; details of the pilgrimage have yet to be determined.

On the evening of Thursday, 19 October, His holiness Pope Francis will lead a Prayer for Migrants and Refugees, which will take place in St Peter’s Square. And on Wednesday, 25 October, the Holy Father will preside at the recitation of the Holy Rosary in the Vatican Gardens.

The General Assembly of the Synod will open with a Solemn Mass in St. Peter's Square on 4 October.

The work of the Synod will then be carried out in four “modules” focusing on different aspects of synodality, with a final module dedicated to a Synthesis Report that will be produced with the approval of the Synod.

Each module will involve a presentation of the theme, followed by small group sessions that will report back to the General Assembly. A commission will produce the Synthesis Report, which will then be discussed and modified before being presented to the Synod for approval.

This report was originally published on the website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.