The permanent council of the Italian bishops' conference held an extraordinary meeting, where they exchanged ideas about the peace mission in Kiev and Moscow, as well as the next stop on the synodal road. The meeting was chaired by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.
Ten bishops were present in Rome, while 21 senior pastors took part in the meeting online, two of whom were absent. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, president of the conference, led the meeting.
In his opening speech, he expressed his gratitude for the love with which he was received during his visits to Kiev and Moscow, which he carried out as an envoy of the Pope.
The cardinal was moved by the prayers and participation of the church communities and many others. All this confirms that the church recognizes everyone's desire for peace as its own, said the president of the Italian bishops.
In the current conflict, the priority is the humanitarian aspect, which without any manipulation is the only way to protect the weak and promote the rhetoric of dialogue and peace.
The Italian bishops pray for the success of the mission, thus expressing their solidarity with Cardinal Zuppi, they wish to be instruments of peace and reconciliation through prayer, acceptance and active service of love.
The Permanent Council of the Italian Bishops' Conference then turned its attention to the document on the next stage of the synodal journey, which highlights the beauty of the pilgrimage and the fact that it must be done on the basis of clear instructions in order to follow the direction desired by Pope Francis.
At the extraordinary meeting of the permanent council of the Italian bishops' conference, it was said in several speeches that the most important fruit of the past years is precisely that we have rediscovered the beauty of the Christian community, that it is good to belong to God's people, who make a pilgrimage together to proclaim the Gospel. This beauty should increasingly become a common conviction and serve evangelization, the Italian chief pastors believe.
