Pope Francis announced on Sunday that the Synod of Bishops’ meetings in the Vatican, originally scheduled for October 2023, will now be extended to October 2024 as part of a two-part process. The Pope said that much has already been gained from the Synod, but that more time is needed “for extended discernment” to “favour the comprehension of synodality as a constitutive element of the Church, and help everyone to live it as a journey of brothers and sisters who bear witness to the joy of the Gospel”.