Archbishop Elected to Synodal Council Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Newark has been elected by the members of the Synod For America to the Synodal Council. He is one of only 15 members of the hierarchies of North and South America chosen for the council. The post-Synodal Council is responsible for the preparation of a document on the themes of the Synod. The Synod For America has been meeting in Rome since November 16, 1997 and will conclude tomorrow, December 12,1997. There is speculation that the document will be presented publicly in Mexico City, Mexico. Post-synodal documents are usually published a year after the working sessions of a synod conclude. The Archbishop was one of 15 U.S. Bishops named to the original conference. He was earlier appointed vice-president of the Message Committee for the Synod by Pope John Paul II. He will be responsible, in part, for the message that will be released regarding the observations and recommendations of Bishops from South, Central and North America. That message will outline a plan for the Catholic Church in America to meet the challenges of the new millennium. Among issues are ways to foster a new evangelization as the year 2000 approaches, how to increase solidarity among Catholics throughout America and how to address justice and international economic matters. As an elected member of the Synodal Council Archbishop McCarrick will be an active contributor to a papal document on the themes of the Synod. One other member of the U.S. hierarchy was lected to the Council. Archbishop Francis George of Chicago joins McCarrick on the Council. Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco was appointed to the committee. The other members of the committee include bishops from Canada and South America. Archbishop McCarrick felt that the synod was a dynamic event with enormous possibilities to be realized in the new millennium. "The themes of the synod brought forth myriad ideas and proposals that auger well for the Church as we face the challenges of a new era" said Archbishop McCarrick. " I am pleased to have been chosen by my brother Bishops to serve the people of God in this special way. I pray that I will be able to contribute to a vision which energizes people to live the Gospel with renewed fervor and understanding. We are all being called to holiness and to building up the Kingdom. " The Synod has been a vital sign of the health of the Church. I look forward to returning home with a new sense of unity and challenge," he said.
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