Home
2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops established by Pope Paul VI during Vatican II. The term "Synod of Bishops" is applied to a permanent body established in 1965 as an advisory body of the pope. It holds assemblies at which bishops and religious superiors, elected by bishops conferences or the Union of Superiors General or appointed by the Pope vote on proposals ("propositiones") to present for the pope's consideration, and which in practice the pope uses as the basis of "post-synodal apostolic exhortations" on the themes discussed. While an assembly of the Synod of Bishops thus expresses its collective wishes, it does not issue decrees, unless in certain cases the pope authorizes it to do so, and even then, an assembly's decision requires ratification by the pope. The pope serves as president of an assembly or appoints the president, determines the agenda, and summons, suspends, and dissolves the assembly. The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops took place from 4 to 25 October 2015 with the theme of "the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world." It reflected further on the points discussed at the 2014 Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops "so as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines" for the pastoral care of the person and the family. The 2014 assembly of the synod, called to define the status quaestionis (current situation) and to collect the participants' experiences and proposals, can be understood as a preparation for the 2015 assembly, but they are meant to "form a single organic unity." It took place in the Synod Hall in the Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City. A €0,80 value stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first post-Vatican II Synod which met in 1965 during Pope Paul VI's pontificate. It depicts Paul VI and a group of bishops. The €0,95 stamp depicts Pope Francis and a family, marking the XIV Synod of Bishops. The €0,95 stamp depicts Pope Francis and a family. Mariangela Crisciotti designed the two values, which were printed in sheets of ten stamps. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1596 - 1597 Date Issued - 02 September 2015 Face Value - €0,80, €0,95 Perforations - 13x13.25 Printing Process - Offset Printer - Cartor (France) Max Printed - 100,000 |
| (Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 63 Issue: 366 Page: 4-6 en.wikipedia.org) |
