Final Document of the Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment

The Synodal event that we experienced

1. “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17; cf. Joel 3:1). This is what we experienced during the Synod, walking together and listening out for the voice of the Spirit. He astonished us with the wealth of his gifts, he filled us with his courage and his strength so as to bring hope to the world. We journeyed together, with the Successor of Peter, who strengthened us in faith and gave us fresh vigour and enthusiasm for the mission. Even though we came from widely differing backgrounds in cultural and ecclesial terms, we were aware from the outset of a spiritual bond uniting us, a desire for dialogue and a real empathy. We worked together, sharing our deepest concerns, communicating our anxieties, not concealing our burdens. Many of the interventions touched us deeply and awakened our evangelical compassion: we felt as one body, suffering and rejoicing together. We want to share with everyone the grace that we experienced and we want to pass on the joy of the Gospel to our Churches and to the whole world. The presence of young people was a new departure: through them the voice of a whole generation was heard loud and clear at the Synod. Journeying with them as pilgrims to the tomb of Peter, we experienced how coming together in this way creates the conditions for the Church to become a space for dialogue and a witness to a life-giving fraternity. The strength of this experience overcomes all weariness and weakness. The Lord continues to say to us again and again: Do not be afraid, I am with you.

The process of preparation

2. We drew great benefit from the contributions of the episcopates and from the insights of pastors, religious, laypersons, experts, teachers and many others. From the outset the young people were involved in the synodal process: the online questionnaire, the large number of personal contributions and above all the Presynodal Meeting were an eloquent indication of this. Their contribution was essential, just as in the story of the loaves and the fish: Jesus was able to perform the miracle thanks to the helpful actions of a boy who generously offered what he had (cf. Jn 6:8-11).
All the contributions were summarized in the Instrumentum Laboris, which provided a solid basis for discussion throughout the weeks of the Assembly. Now the Final Document gathers together the results of this process and launches it into the future: it expresses what the Synod Fathers recognized, interpreted and chose in the light of God’s Word.

The Final Document of the Synodal Assembly

3. It is important to clarify the relationship between the Instrumentum Laboris and the Final Document. The former is the comprehensive and synthetic frame of reference that emerged from two years of listening; the latter is the fruit of the discernment that followed and it draws together thematically the key discussion points that the Synod Fathers focused on with particular intensity and passion. So we recognize the diversity and the complementarity of these two texts.
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