The Instrumentum laboris, the working document of the Synod on Synodality was presented at the Vatican. The text will be the basis for the work of the participants of the synod in which laymen and women can also vote. The highly anticipated text signals the beginning of a new phase of the Catholic Church’s multiyear Synod on Synodality. Drawing on listening sessions already conducted worldwide at the diocesan, national, and continental level, it covers such hot-button topics as women deacons, priestly celibacy, LGBTQ outreach, and highlights a desire for new institutional bodies to allow for greater participation in decision-making by the “People of God.” The assembly is scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 4th, 2023. EWTN Vatican Bureau Journalist, Benjamin Crockett, has more.