Wednesday and Thursday 17^th, 18^th October 2001, the discussions in the Working Groups continued. There were 231 Fathers present at the Ninth Session, 195 in the Tenth, 231 in the Eleventh and 131 in the Twelfth.

The second phase of the debate of the Working Groups concluded with the approval of the collective Propositions of each Group, which were given last night to the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops.

• Election of the Post-Synodal Council - Presentation of the voting criteria

• Election of the Post-Synodal Council - Distribution of voting cards for the first vote

• Election of the Post-Synodal Council - Composition of the Balloting Commission

• Presentation of the First Draft Message

Today, Friday 19 October 2001, in remembrance of Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Joques, priests and Companions, Jesuits, Canadian martyrs and in remembrance of Saint Paul of the Cross, priest and founder of the Passionists, in the presence of the Holy Father, the Twenty-first General Congregation began at 09.00 a.m. with the prayer of the Third Hour, for the First Vote of the Tenth Ordinary Post-Synodal Council of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops and for the presentation of the First Draft of the Message. The President Delegate on duty was His Em. Card. Bernard AGRE, Archbishop of Abidjan.

This General Congregation concluded at 12.30 with the prayer Angelus Domini; 228 Fathers were present.

The General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, His Em. Card. Jan Pieter SCHOTTE, C.I.C.M. gave the following communication:

We have two tasks to carry out in this twenty-first General Congregation. It is of course the first ballot for the Council of the General Secretariat, including the presentation and examination of the Message.

1. Two lists of names have been distributed for the First Voting of the Council. The first list has twenty (or more) names suggested from the previous ad hoc poll, just to offer some help in the effective choice - in full freedom - of the members of the Council. The second one is a list in alphabetical order according to continent and names of each continent, from where to draw three voting names.

As I already mentioned, I invite those who envisage not being able to participate in future in Council meetings to state from now their renouncing to be voted by passive right. Therefore the votes, which they may have received in the voting, do not count.

Those Fathers, who refuse to be elected, can manifest their wish by putting up their hand.

2. Now we can proceed to the roll call of the Synod Fathers who, when they hear their name called, are invited to take their voting cards to the assistants in the Hall.

3. Afterwards, the ballot counters will meet to carry out the ballot.

[00330-02.06] [nnnnn] [Original text: Latin]

Then, the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops presented the voting criteria of the Tenth Ordinary Post-Synodal Council of the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, which is secret and according to Art. 67, c., of the Vademecum Synodi occurs as follows: in the first vote the Synod Fathers elected will be those having absolute majority; whenever an absolute majority is not reached by the first vote, then a second vote is necessary, whereby the ones to be elected must obtain the greatest number of votes, relative majority.

Then the voting cards for the first vote of the Tenth Ordinary Post-Synodal Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops were distributed.

Election of the Post-Synodal Council - Composition of the Balloting Commission

Then, the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops informed that card balloting will be carried out by a Commission formed by younger Synod Fathers according to category.

The Post-Synodal Balloting Commission is formed as follows:

1. H.E. Most Rev. Stefan SOROKA, Archbishop of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians (United States of America)

2. H.E. Most Rev. Tarcisius Gervazio ZIYAYE, Archbishop of Blantyre, President of the Episcopal Conference(Malawi)

3. H.E. Most Rev. Joseph Serge MIOT, Coadjutor and Apostolic Administrator "sede plena" Port-au-Prince (Haiti)

4. H.E. Most Rev. Tomé MAKHWELIHA, S.C.I., Archbishop of Nampula (Mozambique)

5. H.E. Most Rev. Pierre NGUYÊN SOAN, Bishop of Quy Nhon (Vietnam)

6. H.E. Most Rev. Malcolm Patrick McMAHON, O.P., Bishop of Nottingham (England)

7. H.E. Most Rev. Martin ROOS, Bishop of Timişoara (Romania)

8. H.E. Most Rev. Cherubim DAMBUI, Titular Bishop of Subbar and Auxiliary Bishop of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)

9. H.E. Most Rev. Štefan VRABLEC, Titular Bishop of Tasbalta and Auxiliary Bishop of Bratislava-Trnava (Slovakia)

10. H.E. Most Rev. Mathieu MADEGA, Titular Bishop of Zallata and Auxiliary Bishop of Libreville (Gabon)
11. Rev. Fr. Antonio PERNIA, S.V.D., Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word
12. Rev. Fr. Virginio Domingo BRESSANELLI, S.C.I., Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Presentation of the First Draft of the Message

After voting, at this Twenty-first general Congregation there was a presentation by the President and the Vice-President of the Commission for the preparation of the Message, H.E. Most Rev. Estanislao Esteban KARLIC, Archbishop of Paraná (in Italian for the first part) and H.E. Most Rev. Oliver DE BERRANGER, Bishop of Saint-Denis, France (in French for the second part), for the presentation of the First Draft of the Message, drawn up in 5 languages, which the Synod Fathers will address to the People of God on concluding the Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

A general debate was held in the Hall after the break. 27 Fathers intervened.

The Synod Works will continue according to the Calendar of Synodal Works, published in Bulletin No. 2, for the preparation of the Integrated List of Propositions,by the General Relator and the Vice General Relator, the Special Secretary and the Relators of the Working Groups.

The Twenty-Second General Congregation for the presentation of Integrated List of Propositions will take place on Monday morning 22^nd October 2001.

The twelfth information pool for the Synod Hall will be formed for the opening prayer of the Twenty-second General Congregation of Monday morning, 22nd October 2001.

The list for registration to the pool is available to the editors at the Information and Accreditation Office of the Holy See Press Office (at the entrance, on the right).

We would like to recall that the audio-visual operators (cameramen and technicians) and photographers are kindly requested to apply to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications to participate in the information pool for the Synod Hall.

We would also like to remind the participants in the Information Pool that they are kindly requested to be at the Press Area at 8:30 a.m., outside the entrance of the Paul VI Hall, when they will be called by name to enter the Synod Hall, always accompanied respectively by an officer of the Holy See Press Office and from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

The second briefing for the Language Groups with the Press Officers accompanied by a Synod Father for each language, will take place on Monday 22nd October 2001 at 13:00 (in the locations and with the Press Officers indicated in Bulletin no. 2). Follows the list of the Synod Fathers for each language group:

• H. Em. Card. Carlo Maria MARTINI, S.I., Archbishop of Milan (Italy)

• H.E. Most Rev. Raymond John LAHEY, Bishop of Saint George’s (Canada)

• H.E. Most Rev. Michel-Marie-Bernard CALVET, S.M., Archbishop of Nouméa, (New Caledonia), President of the Episcopal Conference Pacific (C.E.PAC.)

• H. Em. Card. Pedro RUBIANO SÁENZ, Archbishop of Bogotá (Columbia)

• H.E. Most Rev. Amédée GRAB, O.S.B., Bishop of Chur (Switzerland), President of the Council of the European Episcopal Conferences (C.C.E.E.)

We would like to remind the audio-visual operators (cameramen and technicians) to request the access permit (restricted) from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

The next Bulletin No. 26 will be available for the accredited journalists on Monday morning October 22nd 2001, at the end of the Twenty-second General Congregation.

• Friday, October 19th: 9 - 15
• Saturday October 20th 2001: 9 - 14 and 17.30-19.30
  Meeting of the Holy Father with the Families [17.30-19.30]
• Sunday, October 21st 2001: 9 - 13
  Beatifications
• Monday, October 22nd 2001: 9 - 16
• Briefing with a Synodal Father
  Tuesday, October 23rd 2001: 9 - 15
• Wednesday, October 24th 2001: 9 - 16
  Briefing with a Synodal Father
• Thursday, October 25, 2001: 9 - 15
• Friday, October 26, 2001: 9-16
  Press Conference
• Saturday, October 27, 2001: 9 - 14
  Closing Holy Mass [9.30]
• Sunday, October 28, 2001: 11-13

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