Between the Theory and the Praxis of the Synodal Process

THE TERM “SYNODALITY” has flourished under the papacy of Francis but has also become something of a “weasel word” in the sense that it means different things to different people. Just as weasels are good at using their slender elongated bodies to duck, weave, and slither under fences into chicken coops and other places where they are not wanted, the word “synodality” can change its theological shape depending upon the precise theological content given it by the person using it, and thereby justifying more than one form of ecclesial governance. As Angela Franks has suggested, synodality is a concept that needs a sound theology.1 © 2023,The Catholic University of America Press. All rights reserved.