The 75^th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) will be dedicated primarily to the Synodal Journey. The meeting of the Italian Bishops will be held at the Ergife Palace Hotel in Rome, from November 22-25, 2021. The works will open with a private meeting of the Bishops with Pope Francis.

On Tuesday, November 23 at 9:00 am, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve and President of CEI will direct the reflection with his introduction. It will be possible to follow the Report in streaming through the YouTube channel and the Facebook page of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

Cardinal Mario Grech’s Intervention

 The Assembly will be dedicated to the Synodal Journey of the churches in Italy, which started last May. Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops, will present his report, which will be followed by a plenary debate. The works will then continue with study groups, which will confront one another on the points offered by the intervention of Monsignor Erio Castellucci, Archbishop-Abbot of Modena-Nonantola, Bishop of Carpi, and CEI’s Vice-President on the topic “To Proclaim the Gospel in a Time of Regeneration: The Synodal Journey in Italy.”

The Assembly follows the meeting of the Permanent Episcopal Council, which was held at the end of September. On that occasion, the Council approved two documents: A Message to Priests, Deacons, Consecrated Women and Consecrated Menand and Pastoral Workers, and a Letter to Women and Men of Good Will. Presented as well was a chrono-program for the five-year period 2021-2025. The whole with the awareness that the Synodal Journey is an opportunity to take up, for the good of the ecclesial communities and the entire society.

Other Topics

 Included also in the Assembly’s order of the day will be a reflection on the Reform of Book VI of the code of Canon Law and on the adjustment of the Guidelines and Rules for CEI’s Seminaries in the light of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis.

 On Thursday, November 25, at 1:00 pm, Cardinal Bassetti will illustrate the final press release.

Translation by Virginia M. Forrester