PANAJI
Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, the Archbishop of Goa and President of the CCBI to a committee tasked with drafting the final document for the Synod on Synodality. This Synod began its second session in the Vatican on October 2 and will conclude on October 27, 2024.
Along with Cardinal Ferrão, Pope Francis also appointed Sister Leticia Salazar from California and Fr. Giuseppe Bonfrate from Rome.
Among the elected members are Catherine Clifford, a theologian from St. Paul University in Ottawa; Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; Bishop Shane Mackinlay of Sandhurst, Australia; Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio of Bogota, Columbia; Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille; Father Clarence Davedassan of Malaysia; and Bishop Mounir Khairallah, a Maronite Bishop.
Ex officio members include Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops, Msgr. Riccardo Battocchio, and Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa.
Cardinal Ferrão, who was made a Cardinal by Pope Francis on August 27, 2022, has served as the President of the CCBI since his election at the 31st Plenary Assembly in 2019 and was re-elected during the 33rd Assembly in 2022.
