Synod publishes preparatory document for 2027 assemblies in world’s dioceses

July 28, 2026

As the implementation phase of the 2021-2024 Synod on synodality continues, the General Secretariat of the Synod published a document to guide bishops and synodal teams in preparing for the synodal assemblies that will take place in the world’s dioceses during the first half of 2027.

“Recollecting: Accompanying the Preparation of the Local Church’s Synodal Assembly“ is addressed to bishops and synodal teams. The 19-page document has three sections:

• Preparing the narrative report
• Preparing for and living the evaluation Assembly
• Some reference materials

“In Scripture, remembering means recognizing God’s faithfulness throughout history in order to learn to discern the present and open oneself to the future that He is preparing,” the document’s introduction states. “As such, it consists of far more than simply looking back at the past. Israel learns to reinterpret its own journey by recalling the Lord’s great deeds. Jesus invites his disciples to recognize what God has accomplished through their mission; the early communities recount the events they have experienced in order to discern together the work of the Holy Spirit.”

“The evaluation Assembly belongs to the same spiritual dynamic,” the introduction continued. “It is an occasion for the local Church to gather, to recount what the Lord has brought to maturity throughout its journey, to give thanks for it, and, with renewed trust, to embrace the next steps to which the Lord is calling it.”

Following the diocesan assemblies, national assemblies are scheduled to take place during the second half of 2027, and continental assemblies during the first four months of 2028. The implementation phase culminates in an ecclesial assembly in Rome in October 2028.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Towards the 2027 Assemblies of the Local Churches: “Recollecting” resource published (General Secretariat of the Synod, 7/27/26)
• Recollecting: Accompanying the Preparation of the Local Church's Synodal Assembly: Notes for Bishops and Synodal Teams (General Secretariat of the Synod, 7/27/26)