Maltese and Gozitan delegation join Continental Assembly of the Synod in Europe

Archbishop Charles Scicluna will be leading a Maltese and Gozitan delegation at the European Continental Assembly of the Synod this weekend where more than 200 participants will be congregating in Prague, in the Czech Republic, to discuss synodality.

The Archbishop, who is the President of the Maltese Bishops’ Conference, will be accompanied by Sr Natalie Abela soc, Fr Daniel Sultana and Francesco Pio Attard. There will also be another 10 participants from Malta and Gozo who will be joining online.

Members of the public were invited to submit feedback on the document ‘Enlarge the Space of Your Tent’ up to January 30. The Maltese delegation evaluated the comments received and then prepared their presentation for the Continental Assembly.

The aim of the Assembly is to strengthen a sense of community, participation and mission in the Church by understanding the challenges and opportunities that characterise the European context.

This Assembly is being organised by the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), in collaboration with the Czech Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Prague. It shall be taking place from the 5th to the 12th February 2023. Throughout the Assembly, working groups involving the 200 participants present in Prague, as well as around 390 online participants, will be held for them to reflect together about the synod in the European context, as well as to evaluate its challenges.

The Assembly shall be divided into two parts. During the first part, a wide variety of representatives of the Church will be involved. In fact, the delegations will be made up of lay people, religious and diocesan priests. Over the last two days, the Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences will then work on the recommendations made during the assembly and then pass them on to the General Secretaries of the Bishops’ Synod responsible for the synod.

This is part of the process that the Church in the different continents is undergoing and which will culminate in the bishops’ meeting with Pope Francis in October 2023.