​​October 4-25, 2015, Vatican City

​Th​​eme:

The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world

Purp​​​ose:

To continue the work of the III Extraordinary General Assembly (Synod 2014) and ultimately, to seek working guidelines in the pastoral care of the person and the family

Summa​​ry:

The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (Synod 2015) continued the work of Synod 2014 by reflecting further on the points discussed so as to create appropriate pastoral guidelines for the pastoral care of the person and the family.

Main docum​​ents:

December 2014: Lineamenta (preparatory document)​

Contained the final report of the 2014 Synod, together with an​ explanatory preface and a series of questions intended to gather feedback that will guide discussions at the 2015 Synod

"We have gathered together the results of our reflections and our discussions in the following three parts: listening, so as to look at the reality of the family today in all its complexities, both lights and shadows; looking, our gaze is fixed on Christ to ponder, with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revelation, transmitted in the Church’s faith, tells us about the beauty, the role and the dignity of the family; and confronting the situation, with an eye on the Lord Jesus, to discern the ways in which the Church and society can renew their commitment to the family founded upon the marriage between a man and a woman."

June 2015: Instrumentum Laboris (working document)

Contained the final report from the 2014 Synod, along with a summary of the responses to the questions in the Lineamenta​

October 2015: Relatio Synodi (final report)

Final report of the Synod of Bishops to the Holy Fathe​r, Pope Francis in three parts:

1. The Church Listening to the Family
2. The Family in God’s Plan
3. The Mission of the Family​

Attende​es:

Elected by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops:

1. Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau
2. His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto
3. Most Reverend Noël Simard, Bishop of Valleyfield
4. Most Reverend Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton

His Eminence Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec and Primate of the Church in Canada, was also appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the Synod.

Dr. Moira McQueen, Executive Director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute, Toronto, was named by the Holy Father as a Synod auditor.

Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., CEO of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation, was named by the Holy See as press secretary for English-speaking media during the Synod .

Full list of attendees