The Vatican has confirmed the next phase of the global Synod on Synodality, announcing a sequence of preparatory meetings and continental assemblies that will extend the process through 2028. The plan, approved during a session of the Synod’s governing council in April, signals the continuation of a reform initiative first launched under the previous pontificate but now being implemented under the direct oversight of Pope Leo XIV.
The announcement was issued by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops following an online meeting of its XVI Ordinary Council chaired by Cardinal Mario Grech. The session opened with prayer led by Nathalie Becquart XMCJ, a Religious sister with the Congregation of Xavières, before turning to practical planning for the implementation phase of the Synod’s final document approved in 2024.
A preparatory gathering is scheduled to take place at the Vatican from June 23 to 25, bringing together representatives of patriarchates, bishops’ conferences and international Catholic bodies. According to the Secretariat, Leo XIV will personally participate in a working session – a detail that has drawn attention because papal involvement in mid-level preparatory meetings has historically been limited. Since the establishment of the Synod of Bishops by Paul VI in 1965, the institution has generally functioned as a consultative forum, with final authority resting with the Roman Pontiff.
The June meeting will prepare for continental evaluation assemblies planned for early 2028, which will assess how local Churches have received and implemented the Synod’s recommendations. A further global assembly in Rome is expected later that year, marking the conclusion of what Church officials describe as a multi-stage process of consultation, discernment and pastoral application.
The current phase follows a series of synodal gatherings between 2021 and 2024 that introduced an unusually broad consultative structure. For the first time in the Synod’s history, lay men and women – including Religious sisters and theologians – were given voting rights alongside bishops during the 2023 and 2024 assemblies. The decision, approved by Francis, represented a procedural development intended to reflect the Synod’s emphasis on listening to the experiences of the faithful.
Those earlier assemblies also produced moments that have since become reference points in discussions about synodality. During the 2023 session, several bishops from Africa publicly stressed the need to maintain doctrinal clarity on moral teaching while engaging in pastoral dialogue, a position later echoed in written interventions submitted by bishops’ conferences in Nigeria and other countries. In another widely reported episode, participants paused proceedings to pray for peace following the outbreak of violence in the Middle East, underscoring the Synod’s role as a forum for global Catholic solidarity in times of crisis.
The Vatican has emphasised that the forthcoming meetings are focused on implementation rather than doctrinal change. A new guidance document is currently being prepared to accompany the process, building on the text Pathways for the Implementation Phase published in 2025. During the April council session, Giacomo Costa SJ presented the proposed structure of the document, which was discussed and approved in principle by members of the council. The final version is expected to be published by early summer.
In a related development, the Holy See has confirmed that presidents of bishops’ conferences will gather in Rome from October 7 to 14 for a consultative meeting marking the 10th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia. The meeting will be organised by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, with logistical support from the Synod Secretariat. Officials have stressed that the October gathering is not itself a synodal assembly but a consultation intended to review pastoral initiatives supporting families.
The structure of the Synod process has evolved significantly since its origins in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, when the Synod of Bishops was conceived as a periodic advisory body. Over time, the process has expanded to include extended phases of consultation at parish, diocesan and continental levels. The present timetable – extending consultation and evaluation over several years – reflects that gradual institutional development rather than a single legislative reform.
Observers have noted that the explicit inclusion of leaders from North American bishops’ conferences in the June preparatory meeting reflects ongoing attention to the reception of synodal initiatives in regions where bishops have previously emphasised the importance of doctrinal continuity. During the 2024 assembly, for example, several interventions from bishops in the United States and Central Europe called for clear safeguards to ensure that pastoral adaptation remains consistent with established Church teaching.
By setting out a structured timetable through 2028 and confirming the Pope’s personal involvement in key stages, the Holy See has indicated that it hopes synodality will be incorporated into the ordinary mechanisms of Church governance, with implementation proceeding through established canonical and pastoral channels.
