The General Secretariat of the Synod has released the third Final Report of the Study Groups established by Pope Francis following the First Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
The report published was that of Study Group No. 5 on Women’s participation in the life and leadership of the Church. The Final Report in Italian and English, together with a brief summary in five languages, is available on the website of the General Secretariat of the Synod: www.synod.va
Last week, the Synod Office published the final reports of Study Group No. 3 on ‘The Mission in the Digital Environment’ and Study Group No. 4 on ‘The Revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in a Missionary Synodal Perspective.’
Pope Leo XIV has directed the publication of these Final Reports to share with the entire people of God the fruits of the reflection and discernment undertaken during the Synod, in a spirit of transparency and accountability. The Final Reports are published in English and Italian, with an indication of the original language and the working translation.
The General Secretariat will continue to release the Final Reports progressively.
The Report
The Final Report is composed of three parts. The first offers a brief reconstruction of the history of Study Group No. 5 and its working method.
The second part presents a reasoned synthesis of the themes that emerged from the synodal study. This section is the fruit of listening to the women consultors of the Dicastery, of the work carried out by its various bodies (Doctrinal Office, Congress, Feria IV), of the reading of the contributions received, and of numerous testimonies solicited by the Dicastery itself.
This section presents a reflection that begins “from below,” listening to the experiences and contributions of women who hold positions of responsibility in the Church, in order to discern what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing and inspiring.
Among the key themes are: the recognition that the “question of women” constitutes a genuine sign of the times, through which the Holy Spirit Himself is addressing the Church; a synodal attentiveness to the local Churches, with their cultures and their diverse and concrete contexts; a relational approach that highlights the charismatic dimension of women’s presence in ecclesial life; and an analysis of the concrete decisions made by Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, whose choice to entrust women with positions of governance in the Roman Curia represents a model on which the entire Church is called to reflect.
Finally, the third part consists of an extensive appendix cataloging the considerable body of material received and collected by the Dicastery, organized into six sections: 1) Female figures in the Old and New Testament; 2) Significant female figures in the history of the Church; 3) Contemporary testimonies of women participating in the leadership of the Church; 4) The Marian Principle and the Petrine Principle: a critical perspective; 5) Ecclesial potestas; 6) The contribution of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV on the role of women in the life and leadership of the Church.
Nature and publication of the Final Reports
Along with the Final Report of Study Group No. 3 last week, the General Secretariat also published a Note outlining the origin and mandate of the Study Groups, the nature of the Reports, and the envisioned operational follow-up.
The Note states that the Final Reports are the fruit of a structured process, which involved the listening to diverse competencies and professional expertise, the analysis of numerous contributions, academic research, dialogue with various ecclesial bodies, from Episcopal Conferences to Catholic universities, and, above all, discernment and prayer.
They are to be understood as working documents.
Pope Leo XIV has directed that the Final Reports be published progressively, as they are presented to the General Secretariat of the Synod, in a spirit of transparency.
In order that the content that has emerged may be translated into concrete orientations, decisions and processes, the Holy Father has requested the competent Dicasteries and the General Secretariat of the Synod to draw up, on the basis of the Final Reports, operative proposals, also giving an account of the choices made and of any elements not received.
This joint effort, the General Secretariat’s note continues, ensures coherence with the synodal dynamism and rootedness in the Church’s missionary perspective.
The operative proposals thus formulated will be submitted to the Holy Father, who will evaluate and may approve them.
With the submission of the Final Report to the General Secretariat of the Synod, the Study Groups that have delivered it conclude the mandate entrusted to them and are therefore to be considered dissolved.
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