Should the Laity Ignore the Synod on Synodality? by Daniel Waldow

We are now in the second full week of the Synod on Synodality. If you are like me, perhaps you have felt a strong inclination to follow the activities of the Synod closely. In fact, at one point last week I was in Eucharistic adoration and thought, “I should read about exactly what is said and done each day at the Synod, that way I can speak to it in a thorough manner.” But, almost immediately after having that thought, a second one entered my mind: “What would the point of that be?”

It’s a question that I cannot provide a convincing answer to. On the one hand, a synod of bishops has no doctrinal or disciplinary authority; they exist merely to advise the pope. Hence, nothing that is said or done during a synod deserves a lay Catholic’s attention any more than a random, advisory phone call between the pope and an individual bishop deserves our attention. Such an advisory conversation may involve numerous very interesting ideas, but that does not mean we owe it our attention. …

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