8.57. Isn’t synodality just a more participatory, Spirit-led way for the Church to discern truth together?
Since Vatican II, and especially under Francis, the “Church” has been recast as a “Synodal Church”—one that “walks together” through dialogue, listening, and shared decision-making. Synodality is praised as an “enrichment of ecclesial communion,” where "bishops, clergy, and laity all contribute to discernment. It appears in Lumen Gentium’s doctrine of collegiality, and has become a governing principle in the so-called Synod on Synodality (2021–2024).
But this concept directly contradicts the divine constitution of the Church as taught by Christ and defined by Vatican I: a monarchical structure with the pope as supreme visible head, and bishops ruling under him—not alongside or above him, and certainly not with laity as “co-equal discerners.”
The Synodal “Church” is not the Catholic Church—it is a horizontal, democratic counterfeit, reflecting the errors of collegiality, false egalitarianism, and Modernist ecclesiology. Below is a doctrinal comparison.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Synodal / Vatican II Church | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church Structure | Monarchical: Christ established a hierarchy with the pope as supreme head | Democratic: Church “walks together,” decisions made via listening and consensus | This is a Protestant model of “shared leadership,” not divine authority |
| Role of the Pope | Pope has full, supreme, and immediate jurisdiction over the whole Church (Vatican I) | Pope seen as “guarantor of communion,” not monarch; defers to synodal consensus | This contradicts *Pastor Aeternus* and the visible unity of the Church |
| Role of Bishops | Govern dioceses under the pope; cannot exercise collective authority apart from him | “College of bishops” seen as a quasi-governing body with shared authority | This is the error of **conciliarism**, long condemned by the Church |
| Role of Laity | Assist the clergy through submission, apostolic works, and prayer | Laity given “co-responsibility,” including voice in doctrinal and pastoral decisions | This confuses the priesthood of the faithful with the ordained priesthood |
| Authority | Flows from Christ to the pope, then to bishops and clergy | Emerges from the “People of God” through synodal consensus and dialogue | This inverts the divine constitution of the Church—bottom-up instead of top-down |
| Magisterium | Teaching authority resides in the pope and bishops united with him | “Listening Church” discerns truth from collective experience and synodal processes | This denies the objectivity of divine revelation and introduces doctrinal relativism |
| Ecclesiology | Church is a perfect society, divinely instituted, with visible authority | Church is a “pilgrim people,” evolving through history with diverse expressions | This is the Modernist “Church of Becoming,” not the Church of Christ |
| Doctrinal Development | Guided by the Holy Ghost through defined, infallible acts of the Magisterium | “Evolves” through synodal reflection and pastoral needs of the time | This replaces infallibility with **pastoral relativism** |
| Fruits | Clarity of teaching, authority of doctrine, reverence, unity | Confusion, moral and doctrinal chaos, decentralization, liturgical abuse | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
The Church founded by Christ is not synodal. It is hierarchical, monarchical, and divine in origin—with the pope as supreme visible head, and bishops governing only in submission to him. Vatican II and its “Synodal Church” model reverse this structure by promoting horizontal governance, ambiguity, and dialogue over truth.
Synodality is a product of Modernist egalitarianism, not Catholic theology. It mimics Protestant polity, replaces defined dogma with collective feeling, and reduces the Magisterium to a sociological consensus process.
As Pope Leo XIII wrote in Satis Cognitum:
“The Church is visible and has a governing power, of a monarchical kind, established by Christ.”