BLOG POST | Hey Deacon!

 
Back in January 2022, I wrote an article entitled “What is the Synod on Synodality?”  The article addressed what is a synod, some history on synods, and why Pope Francis believed such a gathering was needed.  Now that the Synod on Synodality is in session, I recently was asked to refresh and explain the difference between a council and a synod. The difference lies in the authority behind each.

Councils are legally convened assemblies of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts for the purpose of discussing and regulating matters of church doctrine and discipline. In particular, Ecumenical Councils are those to which the bishops, and others entitled to vote, are convoked from the whole world under the presidency of the pope or his legates.  The decrees of which, having received papal confirmation, bind all Christians.

Synods are similar to councils, but their role and authority are normally regional in nature.  Clergy (and sometimes representatives of the laity) gather to discuss issues that involve the universal Church or to consider affairs that directly pertain to a determinate region or regions.  The synod drafts a document with “suggestions” as to how the Church could approach various problems.  It is not their purpose to issue a decree.

A council’s decisions express the highest authority of which its members are capable within the sphere of their jurisdiction, with the added strength and weight resulting from the combined action of the whole body. The authority of the bishops and representatives comes from the pope and ultimately from God.  The authority of the members of a synod comes from the electors, the people who choose them to join the synod in discussion.  The authority of an ecumenical council can have infallibility, a synod does not.

There have been 21 ecumenical councils in the history of the Church.  These councils have been critical for the definition of dogmas such as the Divinity of Christ, Mary’s title as the Mother of God, and the condemnation of heresies.  Vatican II, the most recent ecumenical council, held this same authority though it dealt with pastoral matters rather than dogmatic ones.

This Synod on Synodality was convoked by Pope Francis as an exercise in “mutual listening” at all levels of the Church and involving the entire People of God.  Francis said the synod seeks “not to produce documents, but to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.”

Most of the ecumenical councils have been focused on dogma and doctrine. This synod is the opposite of that, focusing on reading the heartbeat of the Catholic people which make up the body of Christ.  While there are some Catholics who believe this synod is not warranted, others feel differently. The mere differences seem to at least validate Pope Francis concerns that the Church remains divided.

John 1:46, But Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’ And Phillip said, ‘Come and See.’  Can anything good come from the Synod?  Let’s wait and see.



Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn