Sixth Ordinary General Assembly - Penance and Reconciliation in the Mission of the Church (29 September-29 October 1983)
Sixth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
In Session: 29 September - 29 October 1983
Synod Fathers: 221
Topic: “Penance and Reconciliation in the Mission of the Church”
The synodal assembly and theme coincided with the “extraordinary” Holy Year proclaimed by the Holy Father to commemorate the 1950th year of the Redemption of the World through the Death of Christ. At this time the Synod Fathers discussed related matters, emphasizing the need of applying the fruits of Christ’s redemption to a person’s life and, as a result, to society. In a statement issued by the assembly the Synod Fathers called the world to “reconciliation” and proclaimed “the Church as a Sacrament of reconciliation and a sign of the mercy of God toward the sinner”. The Synod Fathers’ work during the Synod served as the basis for the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Reconciliatio et paenitentia” of 2 December 1984, which for the first time was designated as a “Post-Synodal” document.
President-Delegates
S.Em.R. il Sig. Card. Joseph Cordeiro, Arcivescovo di Karachi (Pakistan)
S.Em.R. il Sig. Card. Timothy Manning, Arcivescovo di Los Angeles (USA)
S.Em.R. il Sig. Card. Joseph Ratzinger, Prefetto della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede (Vaticano)
General Secretary
S.E.R. Mons. Jozef Tomko, Arcivescovo tit. di Doclea (Vaticano)
General Rapporteur
S.Em.R. il Sig. Card. Carlo Maria Martini, S.I., Arcivescovo di Milano (Italia)
Special Secretary
R.P. José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F., Rettore della Pontificia Università Urbaniana (Italia)
Documents of the Sixth Ordinary General Assembly
- Esortazione Apostolica post-sinodale Reconciliatio et paenitentia (2 dicembre 1984)
- SOLENNE CONCELEBRAZIONE EUCARISTICA PER LA CONCLUSIONE DELLA VI ASSEMBLEA GENERALE DEL SINODO DEI VESCOVI - OMELIA DI GIOVANNI PAOLO II - 29 ottobre 1983