Synod on Synodality: Francis's High Point

But it's important to remember that this is not an end point, but a culmination or a fermata. The latter means the extension of a note for an indefinite amount of time: and that is what it is all about, since the Pope affirms that “The conclusion of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops does not put an end to the synodal process.”

The Pope’s Approval

The institution of the Synod of Bishops by Paul VI on September 15, 1965, through the motu proprio Apostolica sollicitudo, stipulated in art. II that “The Synod of Bishops has, of its very nature, the function of providing information and offering advice. It can also enjoy the power of making decisions when such power is conferred upon it by the Roman Pontiff; in this case, it belongs to him to ratify the decisions of the Synod.”

But Francis' new Constitution Episcopalis communio of September 15, 2018, provides in Art. 18 § 1 that “Once the approval of the members has been obtained, the Final Document of the Assembly is presented to the Roman Pontiff, who decides on its publication. If it is expressly approved by the Roman Pontiff, the Final Document participates in the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter.”

This point is reiterated in the aforementioned Note, which explains that “The Final Document will form part of the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter [...] It represents a form of exercise of the authentic teaching of the Bishop of Rome, with some novel features but which in fact corresponds to what I had the opportunity to point out on 17 October 2015, when I stated that synodality is the appropriate interpretative framework for understanding the hierarchical ministry.”

This paragraph is crucial. On the one hand, it refers to the Pope’s Address for the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops, which sets out for the first time Francis' new synodal idea, and on the other hand, it sheds light on the Constitution Episcopalis communio, which comes from the pen of the Pope who had already anticipated the synodal turn he wanted to give to the Church and the Petrine ministry.

Thus, a text elaborated by a synodal process that followed the plan set out in the International Theological Commission's document on synodality, which was voted on by an assembly composed largely of lay people, has now become a text of the papal magisterium, in the image—mutatis mutandis—of a conciliar text.

There could be no better way to demonstrate the value placed by the Supreme Pontiff on the sensus fidei, the journey under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, co-responsibility, collegiality, and ecclesial discernment, in which all—all, all, all...—participated. Not to mention the destination is indeed the one Francis had designated...

A Differentiated Application

The second element to note is the differentiated application that the Pope encourages: “The local Churches and Church groupings are now required to implement, in the various contexts, the authoritative indications contained in the Document, through processes of discernment and decision-making envisaged by law and by the Document itself.”

And Francis quotes a text from Amoris laetitia: “Unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it,” which opens the door wide to experimentation and applications that will soon be uncontrollable.

As for the “fermata,” it should be remembered that it prolongs a note or a silence: the image can continue to apply to the pontifical office, which is in danger of entering a fermata of silence, leaving the harmonious cacophony of the Churches to develop freely.

The history of the Synod on Synodality has entered a new phase, the outcome of which no one can predict.