Synodality Exercise of the Church

About the document of the ITC

Abstract

The contribution offered by the International Theological Commission’s March 2, 2018 document, “Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church” can be summarized in this expression: “The Church’s exercise of synodality”. In fact, the path of sinodality is presented in it as the exercise where the Church realizes itself, in other words the mission defining discipleship of the Lord Jesus listening to the Spirit at the service of the coming of God’s Kingdom. Four points are interwoven in the article: the document’s context and genesis; the two priority objectives it is meant to achieve: illustrating synodality as the kairós to be grasped and welcomed today and as the Church’s practice in which everyone fits as God’s people; some guidelines to be followed looking ahead to concrete reality since the document offers, but does not develop, the theological premises, acknowledging and leaving such a task to another moment.