The theme of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is “For a synodal church: communion, participation, and mission.” The synod begins at a local level in October 2021 and culminates in Rome in October 2023.

In an August 28 letter to “brothers and sisters called to the monastic and contemplative life,” Cardinal Mario Grech, the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, emphasized listening, conversion, and communion as he sought their prayers. “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium,” he said.