What Is a Synod in the Catholic Church? And Why Does This One Matter?
Even for a Roman Catholic Church rife with esoteric terminology that often defies comprehension by the uninitiated, this month’s Synod on Synodality at the Vatican — essentially a major workshop for church leaders and lay people on how to work together for the good of the church — has proved mystifyingly meta for many of the rank-and-file faithful. “I am well aware that speaking of a ‘Synod on Synodality’ may seem something abstruse, self-referential, excessively technical, and of little interest to the general public,” Pope Francis said in August.
But, he added, it “is something truly important for the church.” So what exactly is this multiyear assembly, the next phase of which opens on Oct.
4 and runs through Oct. 29? What’s a synod? Since the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, called to open the church to the modern world, bishops have met periodically to continue the collegiality of that landmark meeting in what are called synods to discuss specific issues to better guide the church.
Francis has convened several synods during his 10-year papacy, including on the family, on youth, and on the church in the pan-American region.
