The Archbishop of Wellington, John Dew has been selected as a participant in the of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
The Synod will examine the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the context of Evangelisation.
More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world, are expected to attend the Synod.
It will take place in Rome 5- 19 October.
As well as being the president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference Dew is also president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania (F.C.B.C.O).
Other participants from Oceania are Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga and Bishop Arnold Orowae of Wabag, Papua New Guinea.
Lay people representing Oceania include:
- Joan Clements, director of the managing board of the World Organisation Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB), Australia, auditor (observer)
- Romano and Mavis Pirola, directors of Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council, Australia, auditor (observers)
- Christopher Laurence Meney, director of the Centre for Life, Marriage and the Family of the archdiocese of Sydney has been appointed as collaborator(expert) to the special secretary
More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world, are expected to attend the Synod.
In addition to 114 presidents of national bishops’ conferences, 13 heads of Eastern Catholic churches and 25 heads of Vatican congregations and councils, the pope appointed 26 synod fathers.
Almost all of the 26 papally appointed voting members are from Europe. Of these, none of the 14 cardinals, eight bishops and four priests appointed by the pope is from North America or other English-speaking countries.
Among the nonvoting members of 38 observers and 16 experts appointed by the pope, the majority are laymen and laywomen, including 14 married couples, and they are more geographically diverse, with several coming from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, as well as Europe.
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