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For the first time, 70 'non-bishop members' will be able to vote at the Synod General Assembly in October. Half of these will be women.

These individuals will include lay people appointed directly by the Pope and several young people.

All 70 will enjoy voting rights at the Assembly, which will consist of around 370 voting members out of more than 400 total participants.

These were the main changes introduced on Wednesday by Pope Francis for the Synod Assembly, which will seal the synodal path he launched in the Autumn of 2021. The changes were presented at a press conference  by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Secretariat for the Synod, and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Synod's General Relator.

The 70 non-bishop members will be chosen by the Pope from a list of 140 prepared by the seven International Reunions of Bishops' Conferences and the Assembly of Patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches.