Synod on the Amazon, on the family, on young people ... The least visible reform of Pope Francis, but perhaps the most important, is that of " synodality". Or a revision of the governance of the Church on the model of the Christian Orthodox Churches which are governed by "synods". The patriarch, elected by the synods of bishops, cannot in fact make any decision without the approval of his Holy Synod.
The Catholic Church, however, has lost this sense of collective decisions. It was the mark of the first Christian communities. Over the centuries, a more centralized and pyramidal decision-making system has emerged, inspired by the legal matrix of the Roman Empire. A national episcopal conference, for example, yet an assembly of bishops, has no hierarchical power over a bishop. The latter refers directly to the Pope, his only hierarchical superior.
Read also: Ordination of married men: why Pope Francis responded with silence
Against this centralism, Vatican Council II (1962-1965) wanted to reconnect with this lost " synodality ". Starting
This article is for subscribers only. You still have 58% to discover.
Subscribe: € 1 for 2 months
cancellable at any time
Enter your emailAlready subscribed? Login
