The Synod called by the Holy Father began on Thursday, February 21, 2019 in the Synod Hall at the Vatican in Rome, and it concluded on February 24, 2019 with a Divine Liturgy.
This Synod provided an extraordinary and welcomed opportunity to both engage in an appropriate discussion on a worldwide basis regarding the protection of minors in the Catholic Church and to advance a framework with the vital responsibility and accountability called for by the Holy Father.
The organizing committee had gathered information from all of the Bishop’s Conferences of the all the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches of the world in preparation for the Synod. I, as the representative of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church in the United States, appreciated the discussions of the reports and to the formulation of the critical next steps to be taken by the Catholic Church.
With the Holy Father and the other participants of the Synod, I look forward to the advancement and implementation of our decisions. Please pray that the Holy Father and the Synod participants will continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit to take the needed action to heal the wounds of the past and to protect the young from harm in the future.
Most Reverend William C. Skurla, D.D.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Pittsburgh
