Synodality (from synod which is Greek ''συν'' together"+ ''ὁδός'' way", "journey" is in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

a term "often used to describe the process of fraternal collaboration and discernment that bodies like the Synod of Bishops">Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church">Synod of Bishopswere created to express".

Meaning

Synodality denotes the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Church. The

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

'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". The church's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity notes that the term synodality " oadly ..refers to the active participation of all the faithful in the life and mission of the Church".

Contemporary usage

Synodality is seen as one of the key words that characterizes the

pontificate The pontificate is the form of government used in Vatican City. The word came to English from French and simply means ''papacy'', or "to perform the functions of the Pope or other high official in the Church". Since there is only one bishop of Ro ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. A document by the International Theological Commission discussing synodality was published in March 2018. Synodality became the theme of the

Synod on synodality The 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, commonly referred to as the synod on synodality, is an upcoming synod of bishops of the Catholic Church which will conclude in October 2024 and has as its theme "For a synodal Church ...

(started in Rome in October 2021).

Meaning

Contemporary usage

See also

References

Further reading