Abstract

Gabriel Weiten:
Synodal Communio
Pope Francis’ Understanding of Synodality And the Church
(FKTh 2024-1, p. 1–18)

The “synodal path” begun in Germany in 2019 and the global process begun by Pope Francis in 2021 to organize the Synod of Bishops on synodality are in tension with each other. In order to assess the different opinions on the hermeneutics of the “synodal path”, Pope Francis’ understanding of synodality is presented. “Synodality” does not mean a new essential note of the church, but rather a communal style of church leadership, pastoral care and everyday life. The doctrine of the church is not changed, but the existing structures are to be filled with new life. The model for “synodality” is the participatio actuosa of the faithful in the liturgy formulated by the Second Vatican Council. The underlying understanding of the Church is well illustrated by Joseph Ratzinger’s communio-ecclesiology, in contrast to Hans Küng’s “concilium-ecclesiology”. The Church is a communion that arises from the Eucharistic community.