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SYNOD OF BISHOPS

[Updated: 10.10.2012]

 
The Synod of Bishops was established by Pope Paul Vl by Motu proprio "Apostolica sollicitudo" of 15 September 1965.  Pope Paul Vl gave the definition of the Synod of Bishops at the Sunday Angelus of 22 September 1974: "It is an ecclesiastic institution, which, on interrogating the signs of the times and as well as trying to provide a deeper interpretation of divine designs and the constitution of the Catholic Church, we set up after Vatican Council II in order to foster the unity and cooperation of bishops around the world with the Holy See. It does this by means of a common study concerning the conditions of the Church and a joint solution on matters concerning Her mission. It is neither a Council nor a Parliament but a special type of Synod".
  • ASSEMBLIES OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

Presidents Delegate
 H. Em. Card. John TONG HON, Bishop of Hong Kong (CHINA)
H. Em. Card. Francisco ROBLES ORTEGA, Archbishop of Guadalajara (MEXICO)
H. Em. Card. Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, Archbishop of Kinshasa (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)
Secretary General
 H. Exc. Mons. Nikola ETEROVIĆ, Tit. Archbishop of Cibale(VATICAN CITY)
Relator General
 H. Em. Card. Donald William WUERL, Archbishop of Washington (USA)
Special Secretary
 H. Exc. Mons. Pierre-Marie CARRÉ, Archbishop of Montpellier (FRANCE)

Presidents Delegate
 H. B. Card. Nasrallah Pierre SFEIR, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Bishop of Joubbé, Sarba and Jounieh of the Maronites (LEBANON), ad honorem
H. B. Card. Emmanuel III DELLY, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans (IRAQ) , ad honorem
H. Em. Card. Leonardo SANDRI, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (VATICAN CITY)
H. B. Ignace Youssif III YOUNAN, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians (LEBANON)
Secretary General
H. Exc. Mons. Nikola ETEROVIĆ, Tit. Archbishop of Cibale (VATICAN CITY)
Relator General
 H. B. Antonios NAGUIB, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts (ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT)
Special Secretary
 H. Exc. Mons. Joseph SOUEIF, Archbishop of Cyprus of the Maronites (CYPRUS)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and for the Discipline of the Sacraments (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Théodore-Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar (Senegal)
H. Em. Card. Wilfrid Fox Napier, O.F.M., Archbishop of Durban (South Africa)
Secretary General
H. E. Most Rev. Mons. Nikola Eterović, Tit. Archbishop of Sisak (Vatican)
Relator General
H. Em. Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast (Ghana)
Special Secretaries
H. E. Most Rev. Mons. Damião António Franklin, Archbishop of Luanda (Angola)
H. E. Most Rev. Mons. Edmond Djitangar, Bishop of Sahr (Ciad)

  • 22 - XII ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY (5-26 OCTOBER 2008)
    "The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church"

    Presidents Delegate
    H. Em. Card. William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican)
    H. Em. Card. George Pell, Archbishop of  Sydney (Australia)
    H. Em. Card. Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo (Brazil)
    Secretary General
    H. E. Most Rev. Mons. Nikola Eterović, Tit. Archbishop of Sisak (Vatican)
    Relator General
    H. Em. Card. Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec (Canada)
    Special Secretary
    H. E. Most Rev. Mons. Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa (Dem. Rep. of Congo)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Mexico)
H. Em. Card. Telesphore Placidus Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi (India)
Secretary General
H. E. Most Rev. Mons. Nikola Eterović, Tit. Archbishop of Sisak (Vatican)
Relator General
H. Em. Card. Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice (Italy)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most Rev. Mons. Roland Minnerath, Archbishop of Dijon (France)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation of  Bishops (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Bernard Agré, Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
H. Em. Card. Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Bombay (India)
Secretary General
H. Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M. (Vatican)
Relator
H. Em. Card. Edward Michael Egan, Archbishop of New York (USA)
Relator Adjunct
H. Em. Card. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.I., Archbishop of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of Oria (Italy)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Franciszek Macharski, Archbishop of Kraków (Poland)
H. Em. Card. Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Köln (Germany)
H. Em. Card. Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture (Vatican)
Secretary General
H. Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M. (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid (Spain)
Special Secretaries
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Józef Mirosław Życiński, Archbishop of Lublin (Poland)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Vincent Nichols, Tit. Bishop of Othona, Auxiliary of Westminster (Great Britain)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Pio Taofinu’u, S.M., Archbisop of Samoa-Apia (Samoa)
H. Em. Card. Edward Idris Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Thomas Stafford Williams, Archbishop of Wellington (New Zealand)
Secretary General
H. Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M. (Vatican)
General Relator
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Barry James Hickey, Archbishop of Perth (Australia)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Michel-Marie-Bernard Calvet, S.M., Archbishop of Nouméa (New Caledonia)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Stephen Kim Sou-Hwan, Archbishop emeritus of Seoul (Korea)
H. Em. Card. Jozef Tomko, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Julius Riuyadi Darmaatmadja, S.I., Archbishop of Jakarta (Indonesia)
Secretary General
H. Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M. (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Paul Shan Kuo-Hsi, Archbishop of Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Thomas Menamparamil, S.D.B., Archbishop of Guwahati (India)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Eugênio De Araújo Sales, Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janiero (Brazil)
H. Em. Card. Roger Michael Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles (USA)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy (Vatican)
Secretary General
S.Em.R. il Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M. (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Secretari Speciali
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Francis Eugene George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago (USA)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Estanislao Esteban Karli, Archbishop of Paraná (Argentina)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites (Lebanon)
H. Em. Card. Achille Silvestrini, Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches (Vatican)
Secretary General
H. Em. Card. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M. (Vatican)
General Relator
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Cyrille Salim Bustros, M.S.S.P., Archbishop of Baalbek for the Greek-Melkites (Lebanon)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Guy Paul Noujaim, Tit. Bishop of Cesarea di Filippi, Patriarchal Vicar for Sarba of  the Maronites (Lebanon)

  • Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation A New Hope for Lebanon (10 May 1997)
    [French, Italian]

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Prefect of  the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated  Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. John Joseph O’Connor, Archbishop of  New York (USA)
H. Em. Card. Edward Bede Clancy, Archbishop of  Sydney (Australia)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., Tit. Archbishop of  Silli (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. George Basil Hume, O.S.B., Archbishop of  Westminster (Great Britain)
Special Secretary
Rev. Marcello Zago, O.M.I, Superior General of the Missionary Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate B.V.M. (Italy)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Francis Arinze, President of  the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Christian Wiyghan Tumi, Archbishop of  Garoua (Cameroon)
H. Em. Card. Paulos Tzadua, Archbishop of  Addis Abeba (Ethiopia)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., Tit. Archbishop of  Silli (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Hyacinthe Thiandoum, Archbishop of  Dakar (Senegal)
General Relator Adjunct
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of  Abuja (Nigeria)
Special Secretaries
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jaime Pedro Gonçalves, Archbishop of  Beira (Mozambique)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Robert Sarah, Archbishop of  Conakry (Guinea)

  • Synodus Episcoporum (Bulletin of the Commission for information on the Special Assembly for Africa)
    [English: http://www.afrikaworld.net/synod/index.html]

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of  Paris (France)
H. Em. Card. Józef Glemp, Archbishop of  Gniezno and Warsaw (Poland)
H. Em. Card. Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Prefect of  the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., Tit. Archbishop of  Silli (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Camillo Ruini,Vicar General of  His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome (Italy)
Special Secretaries
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop of  Prague (Czechoslovakia)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Karl Lehmann, Archbishop of  Mainz (Germany)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Simon Ignatius Pimenta, Archbishop of  Bombay (India)
H. Em. Card. Christian Wiyghan Tumi, Archbishop of  Garoua (Cameroon)
H. Em. Card. Antonio Innocenti, Prefect of  the Congregation for the Clergy (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., Tit. Archbishop of  Silli (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Lucas Moreira Neves, O.P., Archbishop of  São Salvador da Bahia (Brazil)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Henryk Musziński, Bishop of  Włocławek (Poland)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Eduardo Francisco Pironio, President of  the Pontifical Council for the Laity (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Joseph Marie Trinh Văn Căn, Archbishop of  Ha Nôi (Vietnam)
H. Em. Card. Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, Archbishop Major of  Lviv of  the Ukrainians (Ukraine)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., Tit. Archbishop of  Silli (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Hyacinthe Thiandoum, Archbishop of  Dakar (Senegal)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Pierre Eyt, Archbishop Coadjutor of  Bordeaux (France)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. John Krol, Archbishop of  Philadelphia (USA)
H. Em. Card. Joseph Malula, Archbishop of  Kinshasa (Zaire)
H. Em. Card. Johannes Willebrands, President of the Secretariate of  Christian Unity (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., Tit. Archbishop of  Silli (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Godfried Danneels, Archbishop of  Mechelen-Brussel (Belgium)
Special Secretary
Rev. Prof. Walter Kasper, Professor of  Theology at the University of  Tübingen (Germany)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Joseph Cordeiro, Archbishop of  Karachi (Pakistan)
H. Em. Card. Timothy Manning, Archbishop of  Los Angeles (USA)
H. Em. Card. Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of  the Faith (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jozef  Tomko, Tit. Archbishop of  Doclea (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Carlo M. Martini, Archbishop of  Milan (Italy)
Special Secretary
Rev. José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F., Chancellor of the Pontifical University "Urbaniana" (Italy)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Raúl Francisco Primatesta, Archbishop of  Córdoba (Argentina)
H. Em. Card. Lawrence Trevor Picachy, S.I., Archbishop of  Calcutta (India)
H. Em. Card. Bernardin Gantin, President of the Pontifical Commission Iustitia et Pax and of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jozef  Tomko, Tit. Archbishop of  Doclea (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Joseph Ratzinger, Archbishop of  München und Freising (Germany)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Javier Lozano Barrangán, Tit. Bishop of  Tinisa di Numidia, Auxiliary of  Mexico (Mexico)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Johannes Willebrands, Archbishop of Utrecht (Paesi Bassi)
H. Em. Card. Godfried Danneels, Archbishop Mechelen-Brussel (Belgio)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Jozef  Tomko, Tit. Archbishop of  Doclea (Vatican)
General Relators and Special Secretaries
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Albert Descamps, Tit. Bishop of Tunes, Secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission (Vatican)
Rev. Fr Joseph Lescrauwaet, M.S.C., Member of the International Theological Commission (Vatican) and Professor at the University of Leuven (Belgium)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Sebastiano Baggio, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of  Bishops (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Antonio Ribeiro, Patriarch of  Lisbon (Portugal)
H. Em. Card. Hyacinthe Thiandoum, Archbishop of  Dakar (Senegal)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Władisław Rubin, Tit. Bishop of  Serta (Vatican)
General Relator
H. Em. Card. Aloisio Lorscheider, O.F.M., Archbishop of  Fortaleza (Brazil)
Special Secretary
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. José Manuel Estepa Llaurens, Tit. Bishop of  Tisili, Auxiliary of  Madrid (Spain)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Franz König, Archbishop of  Vienna (Austria)
H. Em. Card. Juan Landázuri Ricketts, O.F.M., Archbishop of  Lima (Peru)
H. Em. Card. Paul Zoungrana, Archbishop of  Ougadougou (Upper Volta)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Władisław Rubin, Tit. Bishop of  Serta (Vatican)
General Relators
H. Em. Card. Joseph Cordeiro, Archbishop of Karachi (Pakistan)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Roger Etchegaray, Archbishop of Marseille (France)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. James D.Sangu, Bishop of Mbeya (Tanzania)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Eduardo Pironio, Bishop of Mar del Plata (Argentina)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Joseph Bernardin, Bishop of Cincinnati (USA)
H. Em. Card. Karol Wojtyła, Archbishop of Kraków (Poland)
Special Secretaries
Rev. Fr Duraisamy Simon Amalorpavadass, Director of the National Biblical Catechetical and Liturgical Center in Bangalore (India)
Rev. Fr Domenico Grasso, S.I., Professor at the Pontifical University "Gregoriana" in Rome (Italy) and Consultor of the Sacred Congregation of the Clergy (Vatican)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Léon Étienne Duval, Archbishop of Alger (Algeria)
H. Em. Card. Pablo Muñoz Vega, S.I., Archbishop of  Quito (Ecuador)
H. Em. Card. John Joseph Wright, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Władisław Rubin, Tit. Bishop of  Serta (Vatican)
General Relators
H. Em. Card. Joseph Höffner, Archbishop of Köln (Germany)
H. Em. Card. Vicente Enrique y Tarancón, Archbishop of Toledo (Spain)
H. Em. Card. Teopisto Alberto y Valderrama, Archbishop of Cáceres (Philippines)
Special Secretaries
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Ramón Torrella Cascante, Tit. Bishop of Minervino Murge, President of the Consilium de laicis and of the Pontifical Commission Iustitia et Pax (Vatican)
Rev. Mons. Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, Professor in theology at the Catholic University of Santiago del Cile (Chile) and Member of the International Theological Commission (Vatican)
Rev. Mons. Alberto Bovone, Head of Department at the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (Vatican)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Carlo Confalonieri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Valeriano Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay (India)
H. Em. Card. Agnelo Rossi, Archbishop of São Paulo (Brazil)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Władisław Rubin, Tit. Bishop of Serta (Vatican)
General Relators
H. Em. Card. Franjo Šeper, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. François Marty, Archbishop of Paris (France)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Marco Gregorio McGrath, C.S.C., Archbishop of Panamá (Panama)
Special Secretaries
Rev. P. Angelo Anton, S.I., Professor in Ecclesiologia at the Pontifical University "Gregoriana" in Rome (Italy)
Rev. Mons. Guglielmo Onclin, Secretary adjunct of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law (Vatican) and Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law of the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Roger Etchegaray, Tit. Bishop of Gemelle di Numidia and Secretary of the Bishop's Conference (France)

Presidents Delegate
H. Em. Card. Jean Villot, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. William Conway, Archbishop of Armagh (Ireland)
H. Em. Card. Pericle Felici, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Interpretation of the Decrees of the II Vatican Council (Vatican)
Secretary General
H.E. Most. Rev. Mons. Władisław Rubin, Tit. Bishop of Serta (Vatican)
General Relators
H. Em. Card. Pericle Felici, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Interpretation of the Decrees of the II Vatican Council (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Michele Browne, O.P., President of the Roman Academy of  S. Tommaso d’Aquino and of Catholic Religion (Italy)
H. Em. Card. Gabriel-Marie Garrone, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Paolo Marella, President of the Secretariate for non Christians (Vatican)
H. Em. Card. Card. Giacomo Lercaro, Archbishop of Bologna (Italy) and President of the Consilium ad exsequendam Costitutionem de Sacra Liturgia (Vatican)
Special Secretaries
Rev. Mons. Flaminio Cerruti, Head of Department for Universities of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education (Vatican)
Rev. Mons. Jozef Tomko, Officer of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican)
Rev. Fr Raimondo Bidagor, S.I., Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law (Vatican)
Rev. Fr Edoardo Dhanis, S.I., of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican)
Rev. Fr Annibale Bugnini, C.M., Undersecretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Rites (Vatican)

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