The Vatican has released the Preparatory Document for a global meeting on Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis' 2016 apostolic exhortation on family life, that will bring together the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and presidents of bishops' conferences from around the world at the Vatican from October 7–14, 2026.
According to Vatican News, the thematic framework was jointly published by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and the General Secretariat of the Synod. It has been sent to the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris and the presidents of episcopal conferences to guide preparations for the gathering.
Pope Leo XIV first announced the meeting in a message marking the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia on March 19, 2026. He said the Church must undertake "a synodal discernment" to identify new ways of proclaiming the Gospel to families in light of today's changing realities and the pastoral experience of local Churches, Vatican News reported.
The meeting will invite bishops to reflect together on the challenges facing families today and renew pastoral initiatives supporting marriage, family life, and the protection of human life. It will include prayer, dialogue, listening to families, and discussions with pastoral experts.
Although it is not a Synod of Bishops, the gathering will follow a synodal method of listening, prayer, and communal discernment, Vatican News said.
The preparatory document urges episcopal conferences and Eastern Catholic Churches to begin consultations with families in their local communities before the October meeting, recognizing families not only as recipients of pastoral care but also as active participants in the Church's mission.
The document proposes five themes for reflection: the realities and challenges facing families today; accompanying young people in discovering the vocation to marriage; supporting couples during the early years of married life; caring for families facing difficult situations; and strengthening Christian families as active agents of evangelization and the Church's mission.
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