Editors’ Note: On January 25, 1985 Pope John Paul II announced that he planned to convene an extraordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held Nov. 25-Dec. 8 in Rome. Emphasizing that Vatican II continues to be “the fundamental event in the life of the contemporary church,” John Paul stated that the purpose of the synod will be “to revive in some way the extraordinary atmosphere of ecclesial communion which characterized that ecumenical assembly…; to exchange and deepen experience and information concerning the application of the council…; and to favor further deepening and constant engrafting of Vatican Council II onto the Church’s life also in the light of new requirements.”
We asked a number of people to set down their thoughts on, and hopes for, the coming synod. They responded with a variety of perspectives on what will surely be an extraordinary event.