Young people grateful for being active members of the Synodal process

We had an opportunity to raise our voices as young people and be a part of synodality in the Universal Church. This experience will forever be in our hearts and has inspired greatly our work in youth ministry – say members of the International Youth Advisory Body. In October 2021, invited by the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops and accompanied by our Dicastery, these young delegates participated in the opening ceremony of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, having as its theme: For a synodal Church: communion, participation, and mission. 

They were invited not only to observe, but also to share their testimony and experience during both: the plenary session and working groups. Apart from the participation in the Synod of Bishops, they handled also their first presence gathering in Rome and met with various offices of our Dicastery to discuss some current and future commitments of the IYAB. In hindsight, they emphasize that their journey to Rome was not an isolated event, but an important step on their personal and community path. To the point that during one of their recent online meetings, during the Christmas period, they decided to come back to these days lived together and share their gratitude for the opportunity given to them by the Holy See, with a particular commitment of different offices of the Roman Curia.

International Youth Advisory Body is made up of 20 young people from different regions of the world and some international movements, associations, and communities. This entity was established on the Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King in 2019, as an answer for a specific request made in the Final Document of the 2018 Synod. It aims to reinforce the work being done by the Youth Office of our Dicastery.