The diocesan Synod of Lisbon, held in the Spiritual Centre of Turcifal and celebrated to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the patriarchal rank, and 376 years after the last advisory meeting of such kind (1640), ended on Sunday, December 4th. The initiative, hosted by the cardinal-patriarch, monsignor Manuel Clemente, on January 22nd 2014, attracted 137 people, including lay people, clergymen and religious people, who looked into “a work plan inspired by the reflections made by over one thousand Catholic groups over the last three years”. The discussed document has been split into three sections about: “Observing reality, the social one and the inner one of the Church; understanding the values conveyed by the Evangelii gaudium, as a guideline for evangelisation and mission; and lastly reflecting on the ways and processes that need to be taken to accomplish such challenges”. “We are a body that implements and makes progress, we grow out of the family and go to God’s family, and all this happens in a merciful way, that is, by giving priority to the last, so that they can be first. Starting from the suburbs to accept, help and include is undoubtedly God’s criterion”, mgr. Clemente stated. The proposals put forward by the meeting will act as a ground for the cardinal-patriarch’s drawing up of the “Synod Constitution of Lisbon”, which is expected to be announced on the forthcoming Feast of the Immaculate Conception.