SW News:

The Ecumenical Prayer Vigil on September 30 would highlight the importance of prayer in the Synodal process and the relation between Synodality and ecumenism. It focuses on two fundamental aspects of the people of God: The centrality of prayer and the importance of dialogue with others to advance together on the paths of fraternity in Christ and of unity. 
Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, announced the event at a press conference at the Holy See Press Office. She said the Vigil just before the opening of the General Assembly will also highlight the critical theme of commitment to unity and peace in this world torn apart by so many divisions and the importance of prayer for the unity of all Christians while entrusting the Synod to the Holy Spirit. 
Twelve members of diverse Christian traditions, including Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, will accompany Pope Francis. The gathering will also include participation from a number of non-Catholic fraternal delegates who are in attendance at the Synod. 
Youth will play a significant part in the Vigil that will take place as part of the "Together" conference in Rome. The Vigil will bring together 3,000 young adults from more than 40 nations for a weekend of sharing, workshops, testimonies, and praise and worship in Rome. 
Brother Matthew of Taize highlighted that the gathering is meant to convey the reality of the Synod on Synodality, mainly through involving young people, at the press conference held on Friday. 
Paolo Ruffini, who Pope Francis has appointed to lead the Commission for Information, outlined the major themes of the month-long convention, noting that the work of the Synod Assembly will be broken down into "modules" based on the themes of synodality, communion, mission, and participation, with a final module focusing on creating a synthesis of the work completed. The specifics of the General Assembly's program have not yet been finalized. 
“The way we will communicate the Synod is very important for the discernment process and for the whole church. Preserving the confidentiality, the privacy, and even the sacrality of certain spaces to the conversation in the Spirit is consubstantial to the desire to make these moments a true opportunity for listening, discernment, and prayer based on communion,” Ruffini said. He said the Assembly would produce a document summarizing the work of the body. This document will not be the final one as the Synod will continue through the second Assembly in next year.