Vatican City - On 3 March 2026, the General Secretariat of the Synod published the first two Final Reports of the Study Groups established after the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: Study Group No. 3 on mission in the digital environment and Study Group No. 4 on formation for the priesthood. Pope Leo XIV ordered the publication of the texts for reasons of transparency and accountability.
With the presentation of the Final Reports, Study Groups Nos. 3 and 4 have completed their mandate and are to be considered dissolved.
How the work of Group 3 began
In the Report, the process is traced back to the indications that emerged during the synodal journey: in February 2024, Pope Francis tasked the General Secretariat of the Synod with establishing Study Group 3 to formulate concrete recommendations on the theme of mission in the digital environment, with reference to Chapter 17 of the Synthesis Report from the first session of the synodal Assembly. The mandate is described as aiming to identify operational approaches by which the Church’s digital mission can be carried forward within a digital culture in which digital and physical environments are closely interconnected, with particular attention to dynamics involving young people.
The document also notes that, despite an extensive consultation, the conclusions presented are considered preliminary, both because of the evolving nature of digital culture and because of the need for progressive adaptation at the different ecclesial levels.
Methodology and consultations
The Methodological Appendix sets out an approach described as synodal, grounded in listening, dialogue and discernment, with the aim of treating the digital environment as a lived environment rather than merely a set of tools. The Group’s composition includes, among others, an academic coordinator and figures linked to various dicasteries of the Roman Curia and to the General Secretariat of the Synod (among the names listed: Kim Daniels, Paul Tighe, Rino Fisichella, Nathalie Becquart, Paolo Ruffini, Lucio A. Ruiz, Antonio Spadaro, Joseph Borg).
The Report notes the establishment of three thematic working groups: a group of scholars and “pastoral experts” (33 members from several continents), a group linked to the initiative “The Church listens to you” (12 leaders), and an Alumni group, “Communicating the faith in the digital world” (11 participants aged 25 to 35, from different countries). Among the milestones mentioned are an in-person synodal meeting in March 2025 and, after an extension granted in April 2025, a further listening session in August 2025 with coordinators and selected members of the working groups. The Appendix also highlights the interdisciplinary character of the consultations (theology, canon law, digital culture, pastoral ministry, education, evangelisation, communication) and the cultural diversity of the voices involved.
Structure and content of the Report
The text is divided into four parts, with a Methodological Appendix. Part I introduces the theme; Part II follows five guiding questions, each organised into three steps: “what we heard”, “what it means”, “recommendations”; Part III gathers operational proposals across three levels (Holy See, episcopal conferences, dioceses); Part IV closes the document. In its press release, the General Secretariat summarises the framework of the Report as the outcome of a consultation involving pastoral workers, experts and ecclesial realities across several continents, with indications on integrating the digital mission into ordinary structures, further reflection on jurisdiction and formation in digital culture, as well as operational proposals structured across the three levels mentioned.
The five guiding questions
In Part II, the Report describes digital culture as an environment in which people not only communicate but live, seek meaning and build community; it is therefore treated as a “real” space in which encounter and evangelisation can take place, also drawing on practices already in use such as broadcasts, moments of prayer and online communities. Within this perspective, the recommendations call for recognising the digital environment as an ordinary sphere of mission and for weaving the first proclamation (kerygma) between digital communities and physical communities, specifying that online action is conceived in relation to in-person encounters. The same approach supports the view that the digital dimension should not remain a separate sector, but should be integrated into the Church’s ordinary life and structure, linking online initiatives with local ecclesial life and developing practices of listening and criteria for formation and accompaniment. The text then addresses implications regarding jurisdiction, observing that a mission carried out in digital spaces may require forms not exclusively tied to territory, grounded in pastoral relationships and accompaniment, and it points to further consultations and possible canonical adaptations for supraterritorial digital realities.
On the operational side, several recurring points are identified: the spiritual formation of digital missionaries, their link with local Churches to avoid isolation, attention to the peripheries and the management of the risks of online communication, from polarisation to abuses of authority, and on to manipulation and sensationalism. In the final sections, references also emerge to the authenticity of content, the involvement of people on the margins and the building of belonging and dialogue, together with the request to include digital safety and digital wellbeing and media literacywithin educational pathways and in seminary formation.
Operational proposals on three levels
In Part III, the Report concentrates its proposals across three levels.
At the level of the Holy See, it proposes the creation of an office, department or dedicated commission (the text gives the example of a Pontifical Commission for Digital Culture and New Technologies) tasked with monitoring theological, pastoral and canonical issues, preparing documents and guidelines, defining formation strategies for different audiences and supporting episcopal conferences; among the functions listed is also the convening of working groups on canonical adaptations linked to the supervision of the digital mission.
At the level of the episcopal conference, the text lists actions including national-level accompaniment and formation, the production of formation pathways, integration into pastoral plans, the launch of coordination committees and diocesan commissions, initiatives on ethics, safety and the prevention of abuse, the creation of networks and national gatherings of digital evangelisers, as well as a resource centre, evaluation tools and models of funding and sustainability for digital initiatives, with attention to economic, geographical and cultural exclusion.
At the diocesan level, the operational lines highlighted include integrating digital culture into initial and ongoing formation, collaboration between evangelisers and pastors for a mission connected to diocesan life, indications on ethics and digital safety, listening sessions and pastoral discernment with experienced digital missionaries, links between digital ministry and social mission, local funding practices and tools for evaluation and accountability in digital projects.
p.L.V.
Silere non possum