As announced by the Permanent Council of Italian Bishops on Wednesday, over a thousand delegates will meet from 15 to 17 November in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
Unlike the Synodal Way in Germany, however, the Italian initiative does not involve representatives of lay organisations who could vote on an equal footing with bishops.
Instead, proposals are to be adopted at the end, which will then be decided on by the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI).
The large assembly in November will discuss so-called "Lineamenta" (guidelines). The aim is to make the parishes "leaner, more missionary and more inviting". To achieve this, the church mentality and the practice of pastoral care must be changed.
In addition, more education in the faith and more co-responsibility of the laity are needed, according to the CEI communication.
In the end, the Bishops' Conference will decide
The results of the consultations in November will then be discussed again in the dioceses and incorporated into a second synodal assembly, which is scheduled to take place from 31 March to 4 April.
Only then will concrete proposals be decided upon, and the CEI will make a final decision on their adoption at its spring plenary assembly (26 to 29 May).
With 219 members, the Italian Bishops' Conference is the largest in Europe.
The Catholic Church in Italy has been recording dwindling numbers of churchgoers and ordinations for years.
Unlike in Germany, taxpayers' contributions to the churches are not linked to church membership.
The financial resources of the churches have so far remained comparatively stable. Reports of sexual abuse of minors by clergy are rare in the Italian media.