The Instrumentum Laboris (Work Document) of the Synod of Bishops was designed as a practical tool to facilitate this major ecclesial event, scheduled for October 2023. It does not, therefore, provide answers to the stages of the synodal process, but rather raises questions to help promote listening and dialogue both within the Church and outside it.
The document pinpoints three fundamental issues for today’s Church: communion, mission and participation. For each of these three areas, it offers outlines that include questions and prayers to foster discussion and identify concrete steps the Church can take to remain “leaven” in the contemporary world. The summary of this input will then be submitted to the Pope.
This very rich and well-organized Work Document talks about ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, the role of women, the figure of the bishop, the laity, environmental concerns and the common good. It concludes by saying that the Holy Spirit is the real protagonist of the Synod and that nothing has already been established by its preparatory documents, which only provide the Synod “fathers” (and “mothers”) with paths that can foster discernment.