Pope Francis says Synod’s final doc part of his Magisterium, asks ‘that it be accepted’

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Pope Francis says Synod’s final doc part of his Magisterium, asks ‘that it be accepted’
While saying that the document would need 'several mediations,' Pope Francis stipulated that local 'Churches and groupings of Churches are now called upon to implement, in their different contexts, the authoritative instructions contained in the Document.'



Pope Francis
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Nov 25, 2024
(LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis wants the Synod’s final document to be accepted as part of the Magisterium of the Church

This morning Pope Francis released a formal “Note” to accompany his “Final Document of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,” that is, the final document for the Synod on Synodality, which included a significant number of non-bishops.

In his “Note,” the Pope asked that the content of this “Final Document” be accepted as part of his Magisterium, that is, his authoritative teaching as the Successor of Peter, the earthly head of the Christian Church—or, as Pope Francis described himself, the “Bishop of Rome.”

In the Italian original, Pope Francis praised the years of meetings that took place before the Synod, saying that they included “listening to the People of God and the discernment of the Pastors.” He also stated that the Church was “illuminated by the Holy Spirit” during the process.

“Recognizing the value of the synodal journey completed, I now hand over to the whole Church the directions contained in the Final Document, as a return of what has matured over these years, through listening and discernment, and as authoritative guidance for its life and mission,” he added.

“The Final Document participates in the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter (cf. EC 18 § 1; CCC 892) and as such I ask that it be accepted. It represents a form of exercising the authentic teaching of the Bishop of Rome that has novel features but in fact corresponds to what I had occasion to point out on October 17, 2015, when I stated that synodality is the proper interpretive framework for understanding hierarchical ministry.”

While saying that the document would need “several mediations,” Francis stipulated that “[l]ocal Churches and groupings of Churches are now called upon to implement, in their different contexts, the authoritative instructions contained in the Document, through the processes of discernment and decision-making envisaged by law and by the Document itself.”

This story is developing ….