The General Secretariat of the Synod has published a document entitled Recollecting: Accompanying the Preparation of the Local Church’s Evaluation Assembly, subtitled Notes for Bishops and Synodal Teams. It concerns the stage involving the local Churches - Dioceses and Eparchies - scheduled for the first half of 2027 as part of the Path of Implementation of the Synod, and offers guidance on both the preparation and conduct of that stage.
Context and reference documents
The Notes are intended as a practical supplement to two earlier documents whose contents they expressly presuppose: the Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod 2025–2028, published on 29 June 2025, and Towards the Assemblies 2027–2028: Stages, Criteria and Tools for Preparation, dated 20 May 2026. The principal point of reference, however, remains the Final Document of the 2021–2024 Synod, which is cited repeatedly throughout the text.
The document is addressed primarily to Bishops, who are responsible for the process, and to diocesan or eparchial synodal teams. Where these teams have not yet been established, their creation is identified as an urgent priority.
What is meant by “recollecting”
The text opens with a Gospel episode in which the apostles return and tell Jesus what they have done, using it to introduce the biblical meaning of the expression chosen for the title. In the interpretation offered by the document, recollecting means recognising God’s faithfulness throughout history in order to discern the present and remain open to the future, rather than simply looking back.
The same approach is applied to the evaluation Assembly. It is described as the moment when a local Church recounts what it believes has come to maturity during the journey, gives thanks for it and draws from it a sense of direction for the next steps.
The Notes state that the success of this stage will depend first and foremost on the willingness of communities to allow themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and only then on careful organisation and the quality of the tools used. They also quote from Pope Leo XIV’s address at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Consistory on 27 June 2026, in which synodality is described as a spiritual style that is born of encounter, grows through listening and matures in discernment.
Drafting the narrative report
The first practical section of the Notes deals with the preparation of a narrative report and assigns distinct responsibilities to three parties.
The Bishop convenes the process, appoints the synodal team, accompanies its work throughout the various stages and ultimately recognises the report as an expression of the journey undertaken by the local Church.
The participatory bodies, particularly the diocesan or eparchial Presbyteral Council and Pastoral Council, assist the Bishop in reflecting on the journey and identifying the fruits that have emerged. Wherever possible, Parish Councils should also be involved.
The synodal team is responsible for co-ordinating and facilitating the process. It involves individuals, parishes, communities of consecrated women and men, groups and associations, and gathers the material needed to prepare the report.
The proposed process consists of three stages.
The first, described as “gathering the memory of the journey”, involves collecting testimonies and documents relating to the experience of recent years, with the participation of parish priests and the different parts of the community. The Notes specify that this work should focus on what has developed since the consultation held in 2021, rather than repeating that consultation.
The second stage, entitled “recognising the signs and the dynamics of transformation”, calls for the material to be revisited collectively through conversation in the Spirit. The document deliberately uses the expression “the prayerful revisiting of lived experience” to convey the meaning of the Italian term rilettura.
This reflection is guided by three criteria already identified in paragraph 11 of the Final Document: the conversion of relationships, the conversion of ecclesial processes and the conversion of bonds with other Churches and with the local area.
The third stage concerns the drafting of the report itself. It should be between six and eight pages long, amounting to approximately 3,000 to 4,000 words, and should consist of a brief introduction, a main section and a concise conclusion. Concrete examples or biblical references may be included as appendices.
Final approval rests with the Bishop, who may return the text to the synodal team and specify the changes required.
Preparing and conducting the Assembly
Once the narrative report has been completed, the second part of the Notes turns to the evaluation Assembly itself. Convened by the Bishop, the Assembly is intended to receive, share and interpret the material that has been gathered.
The document recommends setting aside at least one full day, or two half-days. Wherever possible, the preferred option is to hold the Assembly over two separate days, with an interval between them.
The recommended preparations include circulating the narrative report to participants in advance, giving proper attention to the spiritual dimension through silence and listening to the Word of God, training people to facilitate group discussions and drawing up a programme that allows sufficient time both to revisit the report and to prepare a second document, the Letter to the Churches.
During the Assembly, conversation in the Spirit remains the prescribed method. It is used first to revisit the narrative report, which may be expanded before being sent to the national or regional synodal team, and then to draft the Letter to the Churches.
This second document, approximately two pages or 1,000 words in length, is presented as a revival of the early Christian practice of “letters of communion” (litterae communionis).
The Notes suggest imagining the letter as being addressed to a particular sister Church, while still intending it for all the Churches, beginning with those belonging to the same Episcopal Conference. Four main elements are proposed: a presentation of the local socio-cultural context, an account of what has been learnt during the journey, an indication of future steps and a word of hope addressed to the other Churches. Here too, final approval rests with the diocesan or eparchial Bishop.
Submission of the documents and the overall timetable
Once approved, the narrative report and the Letter to the Churches are to be sent to the relevant national or regional synodal team and shared with the General Secretariat of the Synod by 30 June 2027, at [email protected].
The Notes place this deadline within the broader timetable set out in the third section of the document.
Implementation activities in the local Churches, carried out between June 2025 and December 2026, will be followed by diocesan and eparchial Assemblies during the first half of 2027.
Assemblies of national and international Episcopal Conferences and Eastern hierarchical structures will then take place during the second half of 2027.
Continental Assemblies are scheduled for the first four months of 2028. Finally, an Ecclesial Assembly in the Vatican in October 2028 will bring to a close the cycle that began with the 2021–2024 Synod.
Composition and role of the synodal teams
The third section of the Notes brings together extracts from the reference documents concerning the composition of diocesan or eparchial synodal teams. These are presented not simply as operational structures, but as bodies in which listening and shared responsibility are practised.
The criteria set out provide for the participation of laymen and laywomen, priests, deacons and consecrated women and men of different ages and backgrounds. The document also recommends including diocesan leaders, people engaged in apostolic witness beyond explicitly ecclesial settings and, as observers, representatives of other Churches, Christian communities or religions.
The Bishop may either sit on the team directly or be kept regularly informed of its work.
National or regional synodal teams are tasked with supporting local processes, co-ordinating diocesan teams and providing formation. They are also expected to promote theological and pastoral reflection on how the process can be inculturated in different settings.
For its part, the General Secretariat of the Synod states that, as far as possible, it is available to accompany individual local Churches, Institutes of Consecrated Life, associations, movements and new communities that request its support, giving priority to those with fewer resources.
