In the aftermath of the closing of the second session of the Synod Assembly, from 28 to 30 October 2024, renowned theological experts and canonists will gather for three days at the Pontifical Gregorian University to accompany the new synodal step. Organised in collaboration by the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Collegium Maximum of the Pontifical Gregorian University, the international conference “From the Council to the Synod. Rereading a Church’s journey 60 years after Lumen Gentium (1964-2024)” constitutes in fact the first act of theological reflection after the closure of the second session of the Synod Assembly.

Paul VI, opening the second session of the Second Vatican Council, asked: “Church, what do you say about yourself?”. He echoed the question of the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: “Church, what have you heard about yourself?”. The title chosen for the international congress – “From the Council to the Synod” - tells the story of the Church’s journey, which the congress intends to reread, taking the circularity between the Synod and the Council as the criterion for interpretation: rereading the Synod in the light of the Council and the Council in the light of the Synod. The 60 years of the Church’s journey are a challenge to understand the complexity of the reception process and the question of whether what the Church is experiencing with the Synod process is really the mature fruit of the Council and its ecclesiological proposal.

Speakers will include Card. Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod; Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich, General Rapporteur of the Synod; the Rev. Giuseppe Bonfrate, Delegate President of the Synod Assembly; the Revs. Riccardo Battocchio and Giacomo Costa, Special Secretaries of the Synod Assembly; the theological experts Paul Beré, Christoph Theobald, Roberto Repole, Carlos Galli, Thomas Söding, Antonio Autiero, Eloy Bueno de la Fuente, Gilles Routhier, Myriam Wijlens, Juan Usma, Peter Szabo, Serena Noceti, Rafael Luciani, José San José Prisco, Pasquale Bua; and the Rev. Dario Vitali, Coordinator of the theological experts. Each day will end with a summary of the work entrusted to the doctoral students.

The conference languages are Italian, English, Spanish and French, with simultaneous translation. It is also possible to participate remotely; there is a charge for participation in the conference: https://www.unigre.it/en/events-and-communication/events/events-calendar/dal-concilio-al-sinodo/

 

Accreditation Procedure - Journalists and media operators who wish to participate must apply, no less than 24 hours before the event, through the Holy See Press Office online accreditation System available, or at press.vatican.va/accreditamenti