National Synod Hui in Wellington in early July

The Catholic bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand are looking forward to meeting as wide a group of people as possible in early July at a National Synodal Hui in Wellington.
The hui is the next step of New Zealand’s part in the “Synod on Synodality”, the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church; a synod process which was launched by Pope Francis in 2021, and which concludes in Rome next year.
The hui was one of many items discussed by the bishops in Christchurch last month at one of their regular conference meetings.
Representatives from dioceses, parishes, schools, priests and religious orders will attend the hui, at St Catherine’s College, Kilbirnie on Saturday, July 2, to discuss the feedback syntheses from the recent diocesan contributions to the synod process.
“The bishops look forward to gathering with a very wide group of people as we look at the synodal question ‘How do we as a Church journey together?’,” said Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe, secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.
Bishop Lowe said that the bishops’ meeting received an update on the Cause of the Venerable Suzanne Aubert, and they hope that her path to sainthood will continue to be considered. Her path did not advance as hoped when, in April, a Vatican medical council decided a potential miracle attributed to Mother Aubert could be explained by medical science, but further work is now being undertaken.
The bishops endorsed two dates in October, 2023, for holding a National Assembly for Diocesan Priests, with Rotorua the preference for the venue. The actual date will depend on such things as the availability of speakers.
“These assemblies provide an important opportunity for diocesan priests to be inspired and meet in fraternity,” Bishop Lowe said.

Planning for the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon is under way. The bishops discussed this, and look forward to the opportunity it offers for the young people of their dioceses to gather with young Catholics from around the world.
Newly-appointed Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen is likely to attend with the New Zealand delegation.