American Baptist Churches General Secretary A. Roy Medley is representing the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) as the BWA fraternal delegate at the Synod of Bishops on the Family, October 4-21, 2015, in Rome. Medley serves as chair of both the BWA Commission on Interfaith Relations and the Membership Committee, a member of the BWA General Council and Executive Committee.

The BWA is one of several global Christian organizations represented at the second Synod of Bishops on the Family.

The gathering, which began on October 4, is in continuity with a similar synod in October 2014 and includes Roman Catholic bishops from around the globe to discuss important issues facing families today.

Pope Francis opened the Synod on the Family with a reminder that it is not a forum where leaders come to an agreement, but a journey of openness to the Holy Spirit and “apostolic courage” against worldly temptations that can lead people away from the truth.

Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, the synod’s relator general, examined current challenges to the family and marriage, the vocation of the family and the family’s mission today.

Valerie Duval-Poujol, president of the Ecumenical Commission of the Protestant Federation of France who teaches biblical exegesis at the Catholic Institute of Paris, and a member of the BWA Commission on Doctrine and Christian Unity, represented the BWA at the October 2014 synod in Rome.

American Baptist Churches USA is a member organization of the Baptist World Alliance. The Baptist World Alliance, founded in 1905, is a fellowship of 232 conventions and unions in 121 countries and territories comprising 40 million members in 177,000 churches. Its priorities are nurturing the passion for mission and evangelism; promoting worship, fellowship and unity; responding to people in need; defending human rights and justice; and advancing relevant theological reflection.