Reiterating his position that the ongoing synod is not a parliament or a church meeting, Pope Francis has charged participants at the synod to ignore gossips which is one of the most common sins of the church, and empty words which saddens the holy spirit.
The Holy Father further called on all to desist from giving attention to public words, so as not to defeat the purpose of the synod.
Addressing the media, the Bishop of Rome, recalled the pressure at the 2019 Amazon synod for the ordination of married men to the priesthood, so-called viri probati, and the public opinion at the two synods on the family, about allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion and added that these will form the hypotheses about this synod.
Consequently, Pope Francis emphasized that the church through the participants at the synod have paused to listen and deliberate on the survey sent to world Bishops at the Amazon synod in 2019.
The 2023 synodal assembly is utilizing new technology, including tablets, for participants. Video cameras and microphones are positioned at every table which allows speakers’ contributions to be shared on screens at the tables of other members.
Simultaneous translations are also available in the principal languages, and unlike other synods, participants are sitting at round tables in the large hall where Pope Francis often holds audiences with members of the public, instead of the conventional auditorium-style room called the “New Synod Hall.”
