A Synodal Church How Pope Francis Is Changing Catholic Decision-Making

Vatican City – Inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall in October 2023, an unprecedented scene unfolded. Lay women and men sat alongside bishops and cardinals, praying, debating, and voting on church matters once reserved for clergy alone. Pope Francis, presiding over this Synod on Synodality, has “broken the mold” by including non-bishops – among them 85 women (54 with full voting rights) – as part of the assembly’s decision-making body (Synod, the photo-album changes - L'Osservatore Romano) (Synod, the photo-album changes - L'Osservatore Romano). This inclusive tableau captures a revolutionary shift in Catholic governance. The pope is championing synodality – the idea of “journeying together” as an entire Church – and in doing so is transforming how decisions are made from the Vatican to the parish pews.

What Is Synodality? Pope Francis’s Vision

At its heart, synodality means walking together as a community of faith. The term comes from ancient Greek roots (syn-hodos, “common road”) and signifies a Church that listens to all its members as it charts its course. Pope Francis has declared that “it is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium”. In a landmark 2015 speech on the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, he explained that the word synod itself “says it all: it means ‘journeying together’” – a journey that involves “laity, pastors, [and] the Bishop of Rome” in mutual listening and discernment.

Francis’s vision of a synodal Church builds on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) that all the baptized share in Christ’s mission. He often cites the council’s idea of the sensus fidei, the spiritual instinct of the faithful, which ensures that “from the bishops to the last of the faithful” the Church cannot err when there is consensus in belief. In a synodal Church, says Francis, “everyone has something to learn” – the faithful, the bishops, and even the pope, all listening to each other and to the Holy Spirit. This marks a departure from viewing the Church as split between teachers and taught: “Journeying together tends to be more horizontal than vertical,” Francis told his diocese in 2021, urging an end to “a Church rigidly divided into leaders and followers”. In practice, synodality calls for wide consultation, open dialogue, and a collaborative search for truth – not just top-down commands from Rome.

From John Paul II to Francis: How Governance Is Shifting

Under previous popes, the Catholic Church’s decision-making style was far more centralized. St. Paul VI created the Synod of Bishops in 1965 to continue the collegial spirit of Vatican II, but for decades synods remained consultative meetings of bishops who offered advice to the pope. Pope John Paul II (1978–2005) and Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013) convened regular synods – on topics from the Eucharist to the Bible – yet these gatherings were tightly controlled. They were largely composed of bishops, with a few lay auditors observing, and their conclusions were filtered into papal documents drafted by Vatican officials. The emphasis was on preserving doctrine and unity, and any notion of shared decision-making was limited. In fact, John Paul II and Benedict XVI both spoke of improving the Synod of Bishops, but mainly in terms of strengthening episcopal collegiality (the unity among bishops) rather than empowering rank-and-file Catholics. A Synod’s final recommendations were just that – recommendations – which the pope alone would decide whether or how to implement.

Pope Francis, since his election in 2013, has taken a very different approach. He has steadily “enhanced” the Synod of Bishops to make it more representative of the whole Church. In 2018, he issued new norms (Episcopalis Communio) mandating that every synod begin with broad grassroots consultations and making it possible (if the pope permits) for a synod assembly’s decisions to be binding. Crucially, Francis opened the door for lay people to have a greater voice – even a vote – in synods. Earlier synods under Francis included auditors like women and young people who could speak but not vote. Then in 2023, Francis formally changed the Synod of Bishops by appointing 70 lay members (men and women) as full participants in the Synod on Synodality, about 20% of the assembly, complete with voting rights. This marked the first time in history that women and laymen could vote at a Roman synod, a stark innovation compared to the all-bishop voting blocs under John Paul II and Benedict. “It’s no longer exactly the same entity created by Paul VI,” observes church historian Massimo Faggioli, noting that today “this is no longer the Synod of Bishops but rather a Synod with bishops”, where others join them in deliberation.

The contrast extends to outcomes as well. John Paul II and Benedict XVI typically followed each synod with a papal exhortation – essentially the pope’s take on the synod’s advice, often reiterating traditional teaching. Francis, in some cases, has flipped the script. After the 2023 synod session, he chose not to issue a separate exhortation, saying “what we have approved in the document is enough”. In other words, the synod’s own final document, collectively written and agreed by participants, would stand on its own. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, a Francis ally, called the synod’s final text “not a landing strip. It’s a launching pad” – implying that the real work is just beginning. The message is clear: under Francis, synods are becoming part of an ongoing process, not one-off events, and their authority as expressions of the “journeying together” Church is being elevated.

Lay Voices at the Table: Recent Synods in Action

Pope Francis has put synodality into practice in a series of high-profile gatherings, each expanding lay involvement in shaping Church teachings and pastoral priorities. Three synods in particular – on the family, on youth, and on synodality itself – illustrate this evolution.

1. Synod on the Family (2014–2015): From the start, Francis wanted this synod to hear directly from Catholic families. In an unprecedented move, Vatican officials sent out questionnaires worldwide to gather the faithful’s experiences on marriage, sexuality, and family life. The responses – hundreds of thousands of them – informed the working document. When bishops gathered in Rome for two separate assemblies (an extraordinary synod in 2014 and an ordinary one in 2015), Francis had invited several married couples from around the globe to attend as auditors and contributors. These couples – 18 in 2015 – sat in the synod hall and frankly shared their stories of real-life family challenges. “How could we speak about the family without engaging families themselves?” the pope asked, stressing that listening to “their joys and hopes, their sorrows and their anguish” was essential.

Pope Francis greets a married couple, María Angélica and Luis Rojas of Colombia, during the 2015 Synod on the Family. The pope invited 18 couples like the Rojas’s to share their experiences with bishops at the gathering, giving lay voices a platform in deliberations.

Inside the synod, these lay testimonials had a tangible impact. Bishops spoke of being moved by couples who talked about juggling work and child-rearing, or the pain of divorce and remarriage. The final debates even grappled with formerly taboo topics – how to welcome Catholics in “irregular” situations like cohabitation or same-sex unions – reflecting concerns raised by lay participants. The outcome was Pope Francis’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), a document notable for its compassionate tone and cautious opening to communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics. Francis made clear that Amoris Laetitia was the fruit of the synodal journey with families: it quotes the synod’s final report extensively and urges pastors to “accompany” people, taking into account the lived realities shared during the synod. The family synods demonstrated a new methodology – rather than pronouncing edicts from on high, the Church, under Francis’s guidance, would wrestle with difficult issues by listening to those directly affected.

2. Synod on Youth (2018): Next, Pope Francis turned the Church’s ears toward its young people. The Synod on “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment” convened in October 2018, but not before an extensive global outreach. In the year prior, the Vatican conducted an online survey that drew responses from over 100,000 young adults, and it hosted a pre-synodal meeting in Rome where 300 youth delegates from around the world drafted a document in their own words. This was summarized in the working document given to the bishops. For the synod itself, Francis appointed 34 young “auditors” – men and women in their late teens and twenties – to attend the assembly alongside the bishops. Though these young delegates could not vote on the final propositions (voting remained reserved to the 267 prelates present), they were given the microphone in synod sessions and participated fully in small group discussions.

Their presence was more than token. Observers noted a new energy and honesty in the hall. One young auditor spoke about the struggles of her generation with mental health; another bravely raised questions about the Church’s approach to LGBTQ youth. “The presence of young people was something new: through them the voice of a whole generation was heard in the Synod,” the synod’s final report exclaimed. Bishops, for their part, had to “look directly into the eyes of young people and see their situations,” Pope Francis said at the opening Mass. By the synod’s end, many bishops testified that the process had changed them – they had learned to engage in true dialogue with the young. The post-synodal exhortation Christus Vivit (2019) reflected this fresh tone. It even included input from a young person’s address at the synod, and urged Church leaders to be humble partners with youth rather than stern authority figures. While concrete doctrinal changes were not on the agenda, the Youth Synod signaled how synodality reshapes priorities: issues like the digital media environment, educational and job anxieties, and the demand for accountable leadership (heightened by the abuse crisis, which broke open in 2018) all received attention at the highest levels of the Church because young Catholics pressed them forward.

3. Synod on Synodality (2021–2024): If the family and youth synods were practice runs, the current Synod on Synodality is Pope Francis’s capstone effort to permanently instill synodal governance in the Church. Announced in 2021, this synod is unprecedented in scope – a multi-year, multi-continent process aimed at transforming the very culture of Catholic decision-making. It began with a diocesan phase (2021-2022) in which every bishop worldwide was asked to consult “the entire People of God” on how the Church could become more synodal. Parishes and dioceses organized listening sessions, surveys, and assemblies. In some countries, participation was modest – estimates suggest that well under 10% of Catholics in many regions took part – but in others, tens of thousands engaged. In Italy, for example, around 50,000 small synodal groups were formed, involving over 500,000 Catholics in local discussions (How many people took part in the synod’s diocesan phase?). These grassroots inputs flowed into national syntheses, then into continental meetings in 2023, and finally to Rome.

By the time the first assembly in Rome opened in October 2023, the Synod on Synodality had already included more lay consultation than any gathering in Church history. The Rome assembly itself mirrored this diversity: of the 365 members, lay people, priests, and religious (non-bishops) numbered nearly 100, joining the roughly 270 bishops. They discussed everything from women’s roles to how authority is exercised in the Church. Notably, small circle dialogues – mixed groups of bishops, nuns, and lay delegates – were a key feature, emphasizing listening over long speeches. “The synod is not a parliament,” Pope Francis reminded participants, “but an expression of the Church; it is the Church that walks together to read reality with the eyes of faith”. In other words, the goal was discerning the Holy Spirit’s direction, not haggling over votes like politicians.

Two female delegates speak with Pope Francis during a break at the Synod on Synodality in October 2023. For the first time, lay women (and men) participated as full voting members at a global synod, as Pope Francis sought to model a “listening Church” in action.

The inclusion of lay members with voting power has generated both enthusiasm and criticism. Supporters hail it as a historic step toward realizing the Second Vatican Council’s call for co-responsibility in the Church. “Synodality … [is] the biggest wager Pope Francis has made for the Catholic Church today,” says Massimo Faggioli, who argues that this patient, deliberative “journey together” is revitalizing the Church’s missionary credibility (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter). They point out that Francis’s synodal approach has already sparked local initiatives: Australia held a Plenary Council with lay participation, the German Church launched a “Synodal Path” assembly, and dioceses from Ireland to Italy have begun their own synodal processes in response to the pope’s call (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter) (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter). Pope Francis himself frames synodality as a return to the model of the early Christians in the Acts of the Apostles – a community that prayed and debated together under the guidance of the Spirit. “In a synodal Church, no one is a mere extra,” Francis says. “Everyone has a part to play”.

Not everyone in the Church is convinced, however. Some critics worry that a permanent synodal style could sow confusion or even dilute Catholic doctrine. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, a former Vatican doctrinal chief, argued that an assembly “made up not only of bishops but also consecrated men and women and lay people” does not have a clear canonical status in a Church where ultimate authority lies with the college of bishops. He cautioned that the pope cannot simply replace divinely instituted structures with new democratic forums, and he voiced concern that lay participants might push the Church toward “parliamentary” decision-making or trendy opinions. Other skeptics, including some lay Catholics, see the synodality process as well-intentioned but vague. After thousands of pages of reports and consultations, they ask, what concrete direction has emerged? Even some who support greater collegiality note that defining “what, exactly, has been launched” in plain terms has been challenging. The synod’s final document offered definitions of synodality – “a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform” for a more participatory Church – but implementing such broad ideals will take years. Additionally, traditionalist Catholics in places like the U.S. have expressed fear that hot-button issues (like blessings of same-sex couples or women deacons) might be quietly advanced under the guise of “listening to the people,” even though Francis sidelined those specific topics for now by assigning them to separate study commissions.

Changing Church Governance from Vatican to Parish

Beyond the high-profile synods in Rome, Pope Francis’s push for synodality is reshaping Catholic life at every level:

• At the Vatican: The Synod of Bishops itself is evolving into a more permanent, influential body. Francis has integrated synodal consultation into how the Vatican formulates policy – for example, the two-year global synodal path (2021–2023) fed into a major summit and its recommendations. He even established a Synod secretariat with greater authority to implement outcomes. Some observers suggest the Synod of Bishops under Francis functions almost like an ongoing “Vatican III”, tackling big questions in stages rather than a single council. The pope’s decision to ratify the synod’s final document and refrain from issuing his own text hints at a shift: the pope is acting more as a facilitator who confirms the discernment of the Church, rather than the sole author of conclusions. In essence, Pope Francis is balancing papal primacy with a revived ecclesial collegiality – or as one theologian put it, supplementing the strong papacy of the 19th century and the bishops’ collegiality of the 20th with “ecclesial synodality” for the 21st.
• Diocesan and Regional Level: Francis strongly encourages local churches to be synodal. He convened a Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region in 2019 that included indigenous laypeople and led to new pastoral approaches for those countries. He repeatedly urges dioceses to hold synods or assemblies with the participation of priests, religious, and laity. In his own Diocese of Rome, he launched a synodal journey in 2021, stressing that the diocesan phase “is very important, since it involves listening to all the baptized” – not just the usual parish council regulars. Around the world, this ethos has sparked local synodal gatherings: the Church in Germany embarked on a “Synodal Way” with equal numbers of bishops and lay delegates debating reforms; Australia’s Plenary Council in 2021-22 brought together bishops and lay members to make binding decisions for the Australian Church; and Ireland is preparing a national synod. These efforts, though not without controversy, indicate a new expectation that bishops govern with their people. Even bishops skeptical of some of Francis’s views have adopted the language of synodality to show they are listening.
• Parish Level: The impact of synodality trickles down to parishes, where pastors are encouraged to foster a more participatory spirit. Parish pastoral councils and diocesan councils – consultative bodies that in the past were sometimes perfunctory – are being revitalized as forums for discernment. Francis has said a parish must be “a home to everyone in the neighborhood, not a kind of exclusive club,” urging open doors and open dialogues with those who seldom attend church (To the Faithful of the Diocese of Rome (18 September 2021) | Francis). In practical terms, some parishes have started holding “listening sessions” so parishioners can share feedback on homilies, liturgies, or local needs. The idea is that communion and mission start with people feeling heard and taking co-responsibility. While it’s early to gauge results, anecdotal support suggests many laypeople appreciate the chance to be consulted on matters of faith and parish life – a concrete example of the pope’s call for a more synodal style at the grassroots. As Francis put it in one analogy, pastors should sometimes walk in front of their people, sometimes among them, and sometimes behind them – following the flock’s insights on where the next steps should be.

The Road Ahead: Promise and Perils of a Listening Church

After a decade of Pope Francis’s leadership, the Catholic Church is unmistakably more synodal than it was under his predecessors. Issues that once would have been decided by a small circle of cardinals are now preceded by worldwide consultations and deliberated in assemblies that mirror the Church’s diversity. Supporters of synodality argue this makes the Church more credible and “missionary” in the modern world. They see in Francis’s reforms a fulfillment of Vatican II’s call for the Church to read the “signs of the times” in partnership with the laity. The Church, they note, has survived 2,000 years by adapting its structures when needed – from the early councils, to medieval synods, to modern bishops’ conferences – and today’s challenges (from secularization to abuse crises) demand more collaboration and transparency than a lone hierarchy can provide. A Synodal Church, they say, is one that “walks with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ” in daily life.

Critics, however, worry that along this synodal path lies potential chaos or dilution of truth. They caution that loud factions could drown out the “small, still voice” of God. If every topic becomes a matter of endless discussion, might the Church’s clear teaching become muddled? Some also fear that synodality could raise unrealistic expectations on hot-button issues – for example, discussions about welcoming LGBTQ Catholics or reexamining celibacy have surfaced in synodal forums, but any significant changes would still require broad consensus and papal approval. Francis has been clear that synodality is not about changing core doctrines, but about changing the Church’s attitude: from lecturing to listening, from exclusion to accompaniment. Balancing that pastoral openness with doctrinal fidelity will be the tightrope the Church walks in the coming years. As one Catholic commentator wryly noted, if we’re all walking together, we need to make sure we know where we’re going.

For Pope Francis, who is now in the twilight of his pontificate, the Synod on Synodality and the broader synodal conversion represent something of a legacy project. “A long path that is short” is how Prof. Faggioli describes synodality – it may take time and patience, but in the end it leads to deeper renewal (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter) (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter). The true measure of its success will be whether the Catholic Church emerges more united in mission and more agile in addressing the needs of its people. In the words of the synod’s final document, “synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform” that enables the Church “to be more participatory and missionary”. That journey together is still underway. As the global synodal process continues into 2024 and beyond, Pope Francis’s experiment in shared decision-making will be watched closely – not only by Catholics, but by other religious communities seeking to involve the faithful in governance. The road may be long and at times messy, but for a growing number in the Church, this synodal road is the way forward.

Multimedia: Bringing Synodality to Life

To engage readers and demystify the synodal process, interactive and visual elements would enhance this story:

• Interactive Timeline: An online timeline illustrating the evolution of synodality – from Vatican II (1965) establishing the Synod of Bishops, through key synods under John Paul II and Benedict XVI, to Pope Francis’s synodal milestones (2014 Family Synod, 2018 Youth Synod, 2021-24 Synod on Synodality). Users could click on each milestone for photos, notable quotes, and outcomes.
• Explainer Graphic: A visual flowchart showing “How a Synod Works.” It would map the stages of the Synod on Synodality: Phase 1 – Local Consultations (parish and diocesan listening sessions feeding into national reports); Phase 2 – Continental Meetings (grouping bishops and delegates by region); Phase 3 – Universal Assembly in Rome, and finally implementation. The graphic could use icons for laypeople, clergy, and bishops to show who participates at each stage, making clear that it starts at the grassroots and moves upward.
• Synod Hall Panorama: An embedded panoramic image or short video clip from inside the synod hall, highlighting the mixed composition of participants. Viewers could see bishops in one color of vesture and lay delegates in plain clothes, all seated in a circle or around tables. Interactive tags might pop up with brief profiles (e.g., “Sr. X, voting member from Brazil” or “Youth auditor from India”) to humanize the delegates.
• Video Highlights Reel: A curated video montage of key moments from recent synods. For example, Pope Francis’s impassioned opening speech about listening to the Spirit, a snippet of a young auditor addressing the 2018 Youth Synod, and a scene of small-group discussions from the Synod on Synodality with laity and bishops brainstorming together. This would give viewers a feel for the tone and diversity of voices in a synodal gathering.
• Photo Gallery – Lay Participation: A gallery of captioned photos showing lay Catholics in action at synods: a married couple presenting at the Family Synod, young people voting in polls at a pre-synod meeting, women religious and lay experts seated at the table in 2023 deliberations. These images drive home the newfound presence of ordinary faithful in roles that were once exclusively for prelates, emphasizing Pope Francis’s theme of a “listening Church.”

With these multimedia elements complementing the written narrative, readers can more readily grasp how Pope Francis’s innovative synodal approach is not just a policy change, but a lived experience reshaping the Catholic Church’s very way of proceeding. The journey of “walking together” comes alive, inviting the audience to step onto the path and see where it leads.

Sources:

1. Francis. “Address for the 50th Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops.” Vatican.va. Oct. 17, 2015.
2. Francis. “Address to the Faithful of Rome.” Vatican.va. Sept. 18, 2021.
3. Francis. Episcopalis Communio (Apostolic Constitution on the Synod of Bishops). Sept. 15, 2018.
4. National Catholic Reporter. “Francis warns youth synod bishops against ‘falling into moralistic or elitist postures’.” Oct. 3, 2018.
5. Vatican Final Document. “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment – Final Document.” Oct. 2018.
6. National Catholic Reporter. “Reform groups’ petition asks Vatican to diversify lay voices at family synod.” Feb. 13, 2015.
7. Crux. “Married couple tells bishops they’re there to help.” Oct. 17, 2015.
8. Archdiocese of Baltimore (CNS). “Pope says synod is not parliament, but place to listen to Holy Spirit.” Oct. 2015.
9. Catholic Review (OSV News). “Cardinal questions ‘canonical status’ of synod because so many non-bishops are participating.” Oct. 1, 2024.
10. Catholic Culture. “The dangerous ‘spirit of synodality’.” Oct. 27, 2023.
11. Commonweal Magazine. “The Synodal Journey Continues.” Nov. 2, 2023.
12. La Croix / NCR. Faggioli, Massimo. “Synodality and papal primacy…”. May 3, 2021 (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter) (Synodality and papal primacy: Questions regarding the Catholic Church today and the next pope | National Catholic Reporter).
13. The Pillar. “How many people took part in the synod’s diocesan phase?” Aug. 17, 2022 (How many people took part in the synod’s diocesan phase?).
14. L’Osservatore Romano. “Synod, the photo-album changes.” Nov. 4, 2023 (Synod, the photo-album changes - L'Osservatore Romano) (Synod, the photo-album changes - L'Osservatore Romano).