ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ JOINS BISHOPS FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR SYNOD ON YOUNG PEOPLE OCT. 3-28 IN ROME; CALLS ON LA FAITHFUL TO JOIN POPE FRANCIS AND CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD TO PRAY ROSARY FOR THE CHURCH
October 1, 2018  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Archbishop José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and Vice President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), will join Catholic bishops from around the world for the Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, Oct. 3-28, 2018, in Rome.  Archbishop Gomez is one of five delegates from the USCCB chosen to represent the United States at the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which was convened by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, along with the Vatican Synod Office.

“I look forward to joining Pope Francis and my brother bishops for the Synod,” said Archbishop Gomez. “I ask the faithful of our Archdiocese to answer the Holy Father’s call for all Catholics around the world to pray the Rosary for our Church this October, and to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to guide all bishops attending the Synod so that together we might find new ways to proclaim the Gospel to our young people.”

The other delegates from the United States are: Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, President of the USCCB; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, Diocese of Bridgeport, member of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.

In preparation for this Synod, the USCCB and other episcopal conferences, as well as ecclesial movements, associations, and experts in the field, were consulted throughout 2017 on the topic of “young people, the faith, and vocational discernment.” In addition, the Vatican collected responses from an online questionnaire aimed at youth and young adults conducted last year. In March 2018, over 300 young adult delegates gathered in Rome, where Pope Francis convened a pre-synod gathering to listen directly to the voice of young people from around the world. The gathering produced a Final Pre-Synodal document. The Working Document (“Instrumentum Laboris”) for the October Synod was released in late June 2018 and includes a summary of all the Synod consultations to date. It describes the purpose of the 2018 Synod of Bishops as an opportunity for the Church “to accompany all young people, without exception, towards the joy of love,” realizing that “taking care of young people is not an optional task for the Church, but an integral part of her vocation and mission in history.”

The official Vatican website for the Synod, which is inclusive of the Pre-Synod gathering, is http://www.synod2018.va/content/synod2018/en.html. The official USCCB webpage for the Synod is www.usccb.org/synod-2018.

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