What Are Synods Good For? by Msgr. Hans Feichtinger

It may seem more difficult to answer the above question than it actually is.  The Fathers of the Church who, as opposed to us, had deep synodal experience, have provided quite a clear answer: Synods are good for keeping the Church unified in the one faith in the one Saviour. They are good for defining and clarifying this faith. This goal they achieve by well-formulated, concise definitions, by careful anathemas, and by opening wide the gates of reconciliation to those who have betrayed this faith, even if gravely so. The Fathers of the Church were in favor of synodality and mercy before it was cool. And it was a very Biblical, doctrinal, and juridical synodality – and mercy.

The secretary general of the current Synod on Synodality recently declared that the Holy See wants to find out how it can be more useful to the local churches. Again, the question sounds more complicated than it is. In order to be useful for local dioceses, even for parishes, the Holy See simply has to do what it alone can do. …