A Synodal Papacy
In October 2024, the Catholic Church crossed a subtle yet decisive ecclesial threshold. By endorsing the Synthesis Report of the Synod on Synodality in full—without issuing a post-synodal apostolic exhortation—Pope Francis signaled a pivotal shift: the synodal process was no longer a consultative exercise; it had matured into a constitutive expression of ecclesial life. In this act, the Bishop of Rome exercised his office not merely as teacher or judge, but as listener and participant in communion with the whole People of God. What has emerged is not merely a change in ecclesiastical procedure, but a deepening of the theology of the papacy itself: a synodal papacy.
The roots of this transformation can be traced to Pope Francis’ 2015 address marking the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, where he declared: “Synodality is the path that God expects of the Church in the third millennium.” Synodality, as articulated by the International Theological Commission in its 2018 document Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, denotes “the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church as the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly, and take an active part in her evangelizing mission.”
This ecclesiological vision has been progressively institutionalized through several landmark Vatican documents. Episcopalis Communio (2018) made it possible for synodal conclusions—when ratified by the Pope—to participate in the Church’s ordinary magisterium. Praedicate Evangelium (2022) reconfigured the Roman Curia, prioritizing mission, discernment, and co-responsibility over bureaucratic hierarchy. Finally, The Bishop of Rome (2024), issued by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, articulated a theological foundation for a synodal exercise of primacy, particularly in dialogue with the Orthodox and Protestant traditions.
The Final Document of the 2023 Synod (§30) offered a conceptual framework for the unfolding of this new ecclesiology by introducing three interrelated dimensions: Style, Structures, and Steps—a triad that grounds synodality not only as a spiritual disposition but as an operative model of Church governance. These “3Ss” collectively chart the path toward what Francis envisioned as a “listening Church,” now being actively embodied and expanded under his successor, Pope Leo XIV, as a “synodal papacy.”
Style: The Shape of Leadership
Synodality begins with a reconfiguration of papal comportment. From the outset of his pontificate, Francis adopted a style marked by humility, proximity, and attentiveness—embodied in his metaphor of the Pope as the servant at the base of an inverted pyramid. In this ecclesiological style, the papacy listens before it teaches, walks alongside rather than above. Style, in this context, is not a superficial aesthetic; it is theological. It mirrors Christ’s kenotic relationship with his Church: not as sovereign ruler, but as servant-leader.
Structures: Shared Authority
While style signals intent, it must be sustained by corresponding structures. Praedicate Evangelium replaced the older schema of “congregations” and “councils” with a more participatory and missionary-oriented framework, integrating laypersons—including women and religious—into the governance of the universal Church. Yet structural reform remains incomplete.
The Synod proposes the empowerment of continental episcopal conferences—such as CELAM (Latin America), SECAM (Africa), and FABC (Asia)—as quasi-patriarchal entities, with greater deliberative authority. More boldly, the Church may reconstitute the ancient patriarchates (e.g., Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and perhaps eventually Moscow and Canterbury), not as nostalgic restorations, but as expressions of a reconciled, polycentric communion. Far from threatening ecclesial unity, such structures could enrich it—reflecting a unity not of uniformity, but of differentiated consensus.
Steps: Making Synodality Concrete
To ensure that these reforms are not merely aspirational, the Synod’s Final Document outlines specific, actionable steps:
Transitioning future Synodal Assemblies from consultative to deliberative bodies;
Institutionalizing the reception phase, wherein the faithful engage with and reflect upon synodal conclusions prior to papal ratification;
Granting full voting rights to laypersons, especially women and members of religious institutes;
Establishing a permanent Synodal Council, comprising global representatives, to advise the Pope in real-time discernment;
Decentralizing decision-making, empowering regional Churches to develop pastoral, liturgical, and doctrinal responses contextualized to their cultural realities.
These steps do not negate papal primacy. Rather, they recast it. In a synodal papacy, the Pope serves not as a monopolist of authority but as its guarantor—ensuring fidelity to the gospel while enabling broad participation in ecclesial discernment.
Pope Leo XIV: The Continuation of a Vision
The election of Pope Leo XIV in 2025 marked not a rupture, but a deepening of synodal reform. In his inaugural address to the College of Cardinals, Leo XIV reaffirmed Francis’ ecclesiological horizon, asserting that synodality is not a pastoral tactic but a constitutive mode of being Church. His early pontificate has been defined by vigorous ecumenical outreach, especially toward the Orthodox, Anglican, and Oriental Churches. These overtures are renewing the vision of Ut Unum Sint (1995), while concretizing the theological insights of The Bishop of Rome (2024): that unity must be reconceived not as juridical assimilation but as communion among distinct traditions.
Becoming Herself: Ontological Synodality
The synodal turn underway in the papacy is not a superficial adaptation; it is an ontological development. The Church is not becoming something new, but more fully herself—a communion in which all the baptized participate, discern, and witness to the truth in love. The reimagined papacy is not weakened but transfigured: into the visible sign of a Church that listens to God by listening to her people.
In an age marked by institutional fragility and democratic disenchantment, the Catholic Church, paradoxically, may offer an alternative model: a participatory, discerning, Spirit-led governance that marries authority with humility. As Pope Leo XIV has reminded the Church, “Only a Church that listens can speak with authority. And only a Church that walks together can offer the world the peace it longs for.”
Thaddeus Noel G. Laput is a hospice chaplain in Los Angeles, offering compassionate end-of-life care grounded in deep theological reflection. He studied theology at St. Vincent School of Theology (Quezon City) and KU Leuven (Belgium).