Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 8) — Pope Francis has opened the doors of the upcoming historic Vatican assembly to 70 non-bishops, including a Filipina theologian who has been appointed by the Holy Father himself to participate.
Out of the 10 non-bishop members coming from Asia, Estela Padilla is the only woman from the Philippines to join the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops set on Oct. 4 to 29.
Padilla is executive secretary of the Office of Theological Concerns at the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and a consultant to the Commission on Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The theologian finished her Ph. D. in applied theology in La Salle. She is also completing her Ph. D. in Organizational Development in the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute.
\”Coming from Asia, I feel honored and humbled to be part of this renewal process towards a Synodal Church,\” Padilla told CNN Philippines.
In the upcoming assembly, the theologian said she will bring with her the synodal processes engaged with in the Philippines.
She also said she will carry in her heart the keywords of her team Bukal ng Tipan: “Kapwa, Simbahan, Bayan.”
The Vatican announced the list of participants at the Synod of Bishops in a press conference on Friday.
The assembly will also host 10 non-bishop members each from the continents of Africa, North America, Latin America, Eastern Churches and the Middle East, Europe, and Oceania.
Padilla will be accompanied by CBCP president and Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP vice president and Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara and Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.
The Synod of Bishops in October is part of a three-year consultative process initiated by the pontiff in a move to make the Catholic Church more inclusive.
The Vatican earlier announced that the Pope would appoint 70 non-bishop members who \”will enjoy voting rights,\” along with around 300 other voting members.
Pope Francis specifically said that 50% of the non-bishop participants should be women and should also include \”several young people.\”
A synod is a gathering of the clergy to discuss main contemporary issues surrounding society and the church. The assembly begins from local parishes and then continues to the national and continental levels.
