Vatican City - October 2021 - On Sunday 10 October Pope Francis officially opened the Synod, the Consultation on Church Reform that will lead to the celebration of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for 2023. After the meetings in plenary sessions and the consultations in linguistic groups on Saturday 9 October, the Pontiff presided over the opening Mass yesterday, October 10, in St. Peter's Basilica. During the Mass, the Holy Father exhorted us to listen in order to meet the Lord and the others, "without soundproofing our hearts, without barricading ourselves in our certainties". Furthermore, before the Eucharistic celebration, Pope Francis greeted the Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argori, kidnapped in Mali and released recently.

(Foto: © Servizio Fotografico Vatican Media)