Courtney McGrailSmall changes made ahead of next year’s meeting
Pope Francis named the leaders of the October 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, adding Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa, to a roster otherwise unchanged from that of last month’s extraordinary synod on the same subject.
The move means that Africa will be represented at the highest level of the 2015 gathering alongside Asia, Europe and the Americas. The appointment also gives a leading role to a bishop who openly criticised some workings of the 2014 synod.
The Vatican announced that Cardinal Napier will serve as one of four synod presidents, joining Cardinals André Vingt-Trois of Paris, Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila and Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil, the three presidents of the October 2014 assembly.
Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdö of Esztergom-Budapest will reprise his role as relator, with the duty of guiding discussion and synthesising its results, and Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto will again serve as special secretary, assisting the general secretary, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri.
Asked about his appointment, Cardinal Napier said that the “reason given was quite clearly that Africa should be represented, and when you think of the vitality of the Church in Africa, that does make sense”.