As the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation comes ever closer, the Holy Father today appointed three president-delegates. As this official page explains the duties of the president-delegates are:
1: to guide the workings of the Synod according to the faculties entrusted to him in the letter of delegation, following the agenda and observing the procedural norms set down in this Ordo;
2: to assign to certain Members, when deemed opportune, particular tasks, so that the Assembly might better proceed with its work;
3: to sign the Acts of the Assembly. If there are several President-Delegates, all sign the Acts concluding the Assembly.
In other words, they are ultimately responsible for how the Assembly functions on a day-to-day basis, with a special focus on the individual competencies of the participating bishops. The president-delegates for this fall’s Assembly are John Cardinal Tong Hon, bishop of Hong Kong; Francisco Cardinal Robles Ortega, archbishop of Guadalajara; and Laurent Cardinal Monsengwo Pasinya (pictured), archbishop of Kinshasa.
Together with the general rapporteur, Donald Cardinal Wuerl, and the special secretary, Archbishop Pierre-Marie Carré, they represent five continents. A reflection, perhaps, of the international nature of the Synod.
In Caelo et in Terra 
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