Mpika, 22 September, 2023 / 9:55 pm (ACI Africa).
Bishop Edwin Mwansa Mulandu of Mpika Diocese in Zambia has called on the people of God in his Episcopal See to pray for the success of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops set to begin on October 4 in Rome.
In a Thursday, September 21 statement, Bishop Mulandu says, “The process that began with the consultation of the people of God has now reached another stage.”
“The Synod is above all an event of prayer that involves every baptized person and every particular Church,” the Zambian Catholic Bishop says.
He adds, “It is for this reason that we all have been called upon to unite in communion of prayer and insistent invocation of the Holy Spirit to pray for the Holy Father, Pope Francis and all the members of the Synodal Assembly for guidance in discerning what the Lord is asking of his Church today.”
In a break with past custom that allowed laypeople to participate in the Synod of Bishops without the right to vote, the Vatican indicated on April 26 that lay delegates to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly that was announced in March 2020 and later extended to October 2024 will participate as voting members.
