Eighteenth General Congregation

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2001 (VIS) - The 18th General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops began this morning at 9 in the presence of the Holy Father. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Bernard Agre, archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., adjunct relator general, read the Post-disceptationem Report in Latin.

At the conclusion of the Congregation at 10:30, the language groups met for the third time to discuss the synod theme. These meetings will continue this afternoon, tomorrow morning and on Monday. The reports of the language groups will be presented in the 19th and 20th General Congregations in the Synod Hall on Tuesday, October 16, the 23rd anniversary of the election of John Paul II to the papacy.

Vatican Information Service
12. oktober 2001