The Extraordinary General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops was concluded on 19
th October
2014. This is the third ever Extraordinary Synod of the Church; previous
were held in 1969 and 1985. Why an Extraordinary Synod? It
was a preparation for the XIV Ordinary Synod of Bishops, which will be held in
2015. Therefore this Extraordinary Synod was called for a special and
urgent purpose, according to the
Lineamenta (Preparatory
Document) published in 2013, “to define the “
status quaestionis”
[current situation] and to collect the bishops’ experiences and proposals in
proclaiming and living the Gospel of the Family in a credible manner”.
In June 2014, an
InstrumentumLaboris (working instrument) was published. It is
a
Vatican official document that summarises
the response of all
Episcopal conferences,
Eastern Churches, Department of
the Curia and the Union of Superiors General, on the
Lineamenta (Preparatory
Document) of the Pastoral challenges to the Family in the Context of
Evangelization. It says that the III Extraordinary Synod "will
thoroughly examine and analyse the information, testimonies and recommendations
received from the particular Churches in order to respond to the new challenges
of the family."