On 14 July 2018, Pope Francis appointed four cardinals as presidents delegate to the synod on youth, which will meet at the Vatican this October.

Those appointed are Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon; Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana of Toamasina; Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon; and Cardinal John Ribat of Port Moresby.

The presidents delegate will take turns presiding over the synod on the Pope’s behalf. They will guide the synod’s work, delegate special tasks, and sign the synod’s documents.

The 3‒28 October Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and the Discernment of Vocation will address questions of sexuality and gender, the role of women, and the desire for a Church which knows how to listen.

The synod’s instrumentum laboris (working document) was issued in June and highlighted increasing cultural instability and conflict, and that many young people, both inside and outside of the Church, are divided when it comes to topics related to sexuality, the role of women, and the need to be more welcoming to members of the LGBT community.

Published in WelCom August 2018