Vatican Releases Full List of October Synod Participants, Pope Appoints 45 Members

CANAA || 17 September 2015

On Tuesday, the Vatican officially released the full and definitive list of participants, auditors and collaborators in the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held in Rome from 4 to 25 October 2015 on the theme “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World.” 

The Holy Father also appointed 45 members to the Synod, consisting of a diverse group of prelates from Europe and Africa.

Below is a summary message about the list of participants, prepared and submitted to CANAA by Father Joseph Healey of the Maryknoll Society.

There are 279 bishops, prelates and priests announced as voting participants coming from countries and regions all over the world. These include the elected representatives of the episcopal conferences from the nine AMECEA counties (already announced).

The full list in English can be found in the Zenit News Service:  

Pope Francis has now appointed 45 members to the Synod on his own authority (PONTIFICAL APPOINTMENTS), selecting a diverse group of prelates from Europe and Africa. These include: 

FROM THE ORIENTAL CATHOLIC CHURCHES

Ex officio: Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM, president of the Episcopal Conference, Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa, President of the Council of the Ethiopian Church and Chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).

Ex officio: Archbishop Menghesteab Tesfamarian, MCCJ., metropolitan of Asmara, president of the council of the Eritrean Church.

There will also be 34 auditors taking part in the discussions who are allowed to attend and participate in the discussions but not to vote on any final document or issues. Among those auditors are 17 individuals/single (including auditors from Egypt, Nigeria and Rwanda) and 17 married couples (including auditors from Cameroon and South Africa). Thirteen of the individual auditors are women including three religious sisters. The total of auditors from Africa is seven (four laywomen, two laymen and one priest).

I highlight the names of some of the participants who have special ties to Eastern Africa:

Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa Sr. Carmen Sammut, MSOLA, the head of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG).

Fr. Richard Kuuia Baawobr, MAfr, Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers).

Fr. Boniface Mungai, Kenya (Collaborators of the General Secretariat, Assistant).

As Pope Francis urges, let us pray daily for the fruits of the Synod especially practical, concrete pastoral solutions to the challenges of family and marriage in Africa and the world today.

There are 12 bishops participating in the synod from the AMECEA Region.

We pray that the important voice of Africa will be heard in Rome.

We also pray that the communications media will get Africa’s message out to the world.