What is the synod and how will it work?

Pope Francis is launching a synod in Rome this October with the theme “For a synodal Church: communion, participation, mission.” Delegates from around the world, including Archdiocese of Vancouver chancellor Barb Dowding, are participating in this collaborative dialogue in Rome for the universal Church, but local Catholics will be able to have their say, too.

Archdiocese of Vancouver Vice-Chancellor and canon lawyer Father Pablo Santa Maria explains how the synod will unfold.

The word “synod,” derived from the Greek “to walk with,” expresses the idea of journeying together. According to Canon 342 of the Code of Canon Law, a synod is an assembly of bishops chosen from the different regions and episcopal conferences from around the world, who meet on specific occasions to foster close union between the Pope and the bishops.

At these meetings the Holy Father and the bishops have the opportunity to exchange information and share experiences with each other with the common goal of seeking pastoral solutions that have universal validity and application.

The synod of bishops is an ancient ecclesiastical institution, which was restored by the Second Vatican Council. Unlike Church councils such as Vatican II, which have the power to legislate, synods have a purely consultative purpose: they advise the Pope on some of the issues proposed. Synods are always led by the Holy Father as successor of St. Peter; however he usually delegates the synod presidency to a bishop or cardinal.

Organizing a synod is a complicated matter. For this, the Pope has a committee in Rome, a curial office, whose task is to prepare the texts and documentation which will serve as the basis for the studies of the synod.

There are various types of synods: some are territorial, like the synod for African Bishops in 2009 or the Synod for Middle Eastern Bishops in 2010. The synod may be ordinary or extraordinary. In the latter case, it is a meeting in which those summoned are required to deal with an urgent matter that requires immediate attention, like the synod convoked by Pope Francis in 2014 to deal with the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of the New Evangelization.

On some occasions it may meet outside Rome, according to the agreement of the different Episcopal Conferences involved, but usually the synod gathers in Rome.

To begin, Pope usually celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with all the participating bishops. Then he opens the Assembly in the Synod Hall with a speech explaining the topic to be studied. Subsequently, the topic is discussed by the bishops either in a plenary session, in commissions, or in different language working groups. The bishops deal with the questions submitted to them by the Pope in order to issue an opinion. These topics and questions, once approved and discussed by the full assembly, are recorded in the Acts of the synod, which are then delivered to the Pope. At the end of the synod, the Pope again addresses the bishops who have gathered. 

After some time, the Pope usually writes a “post-synodal apostolic exhortation” where he includes the recommendations given to him by the assembly and his own thoughts on the matters that were discussed by the synod.

The coming synod in Rome this October will be a bit different. The Pope is looking for the participation of not just the bishops, but of all the faithful of the Church. This is the first time since the Synod of Bishops was established that opening discussions will be decentralized.

The Holy Father wants to hear from all corners of the world and for all of us to listen to each other and the Holy Spirit. This is the “synodality” Pope Francis said he desires. To achieve this end, the coming synod will take place over a span of three years and in three phases made up of listening, discerning, and consultation.

Locally, there will be a consultation with the faithful, lay, and clerical. To facilitate the participation of all, the Archdiocese of Vancouver will give a questionnaire to all parishes, lay movements, and diocesan groups. A similar questionnaire and document will be sent to the Catholic colleges and other institutions of learning within the archdiocese. The hope is that these questions will elicit in all a desire to have their voice heard, but above all to listen to one another and what the Spirit is saying to us.

Each group will have a liaison or leader who will be tasked with sending back a report of the discussion. In turn, the archdiocese will prepare a document for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops with feedback from the consultations of the different groups in the archdiocese. 

It will then be up to the bishops to open a period of discernment in order to listen to what the Holy Spirit has raised up in the churches entrusted to them and to make a synthesis of the different contributions. The synthesis will be sent to the organizing committee of the Synod, to prepare for the assembly in April 2022 where the bishops together with the Pope will have an opportunity to listen to and deliberate what was talked about in churches around the world.

There are some similarities with the diocesan synod, such as the one in Vancouver from 1998 to 2006. The diocesan synod is an assembly of priests and other faithful of a diocese who assist the archbishop for the good of the diocesan community.

This coming synod is an opportunity to have our word heard and to listen to what we have to do as a community walking together toward God.