Synodality Explained

Synodality (from synod which is Greek σύν "together" and ὁδός "way, journey") is in the Catholic Church a term "often used to describe the process of fraternal collaboration and discernment that bodies like the Synod of Bishops were created to express".^[1]

Meaning

Synodality denotes the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Catholic Church. The Holy See's International Theological Commission states that synodality, when it concerns the Catholic Church, designates "the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelising mission". Synodality also "refers to the involvement and participation of the whole People of God in the life and mission of the Church".^[2] The church's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity notes that the term synodality "[b]roadly [...] refers to the active participation of all the faithful in the life and mission of the Church".^[3]

Contemporary usage

Synodality is seen as one of the key words that characterizes the pontificate of Pope Francis.^{[4] [5]}

A document by the International Theological Commission discussing synodality was published in March 2018.^[6]

Synodality became the theme of the Synod on synodality (started in Rome in October 2023).

See also

• Collegiality in the Catholic Church
• Conciliarity
• Sensus fidelium
• Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church
• Synodicon Orientale

Further reading

• Corecco. Eugenio. Eugenio Corecco. 1999. Ontology of Synodality. Canon Law and Communio. English. 341.
• Faggioli. Massimo. Massimo Faggioli. 2020-04-27. From Collegiality to Synodality: Promise and Limits of Francis's 'Listening Primacy'. Irish Theological Quarterly. 85. 4. 352–369. 10.1177/0021140020916034. 219064703 . 0021-1400.
• Book: McQueen, Moira. 2022-01-31. Twenty-Third Publications. 978-1-62785-692-8. en.
• Renken. John A.. 2018. Synodality: A Constitutive Element of the Church. Studia Canonica. 52 . 1. 5–44. 10.2143/STC.52.1.3285212. 2295-3027.
• Roper. Elissa. October 2018. Synodality: A process committed to transformation. The Australasian Catholic Record. 95. 4. 412–423.
• Welch. Lawrence J.. Summer 2015. Collegiality, Synodality, and the Synod of Bishops. Nova et Vetera. 13. 3. 787–813.

Notes and References

1. Web site: What is 'synodality'? Experts explain. 2022-01-12. Catholic News Agency. en.
2. International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church (2 March 2018), no. 6.
3. Web site: Chieti Document Synodality and Primacy During the First Millennium. Towards a Common Understanding in Service to the Unity of the Church. 2022-02-07. www.christianunity.va.
4. Web site: Baranowski. Martin. 2021-09-20. Synodalität als Stärkung der Kirche. 2022-01-12. Die Tagespost. de-DE.
5. Web site: 2021-09-18. Pope to Rome's faithful: Synodality expresses the nature of the Church - Vatican News. 2022-01-12. www.vaticannews.va. en.
6. Web site: Synodality in the life and mission of the Church (2 March 2018). 2022-01-12. www.vatican.va.