Bishop David elected to Vatican Synod communication body

MANILA, Philippines — Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, the leader of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has been elected to the communication body of the Vatican Synod.

According to a report of CBCP News on Thursday, the Caloocan bishop will represent Asia in the Commission of Information at the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

“Including David, assembly delegates voted for seven representatives of geographic regions out of 17 commission members. The body is led by Dr. Paolo Ruffini, the lay head of the Vatican’s communication dicastery,” the report said. 

Accompanying David in the Philippine delegation are Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara and Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.

Also included is female theologian Estela Padilla, who was one of the Asian lay members chosen by Pope Francis to participate in the synod.

Cardinal Antonio Tagle will attend the assembly as a member of the Pope's cabinet

The 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, is known to be a “transformative” synod after Pope Francis has allowed the laity to participate in the gathering.

Out of the 464 participants in the assembly, 81 are women. Fifty-four of the 365 participants with voting privileges are women, marking a historic milestone.

Before their inclusion, a synod is only attended exclusively by bishops, who tackles the issues being faced by the church and the society.