Synodality

Article

Whatever Happened to Synodality?

If their latest meeting is any indication, U.S. bishops may be letting synodality fade—even on issues as important as the abuse crisis.

By Heidi Schlumpf

June 18, 2026

Synodality

Sexual-abuse Crisis

U.S. Catholicism

Article

A ‘Leonine’ Version of Synodality?

It is necessary to have a pontiff with a strong political voice. But what will Leo's political prominence augur for the prospects of a more synodal Church?

By Massimo Faggioli

May 29, 2026

Article

Leo & Liturgy

… liturgical question in Rome is whether and how much Pope Leo XIV will roll back Pope Francis’s … the establishment of a new study group on liturgy for the Synod implementation process … from Ireland. Now it seems that Pope Leo, through the Synod, has put some wind in …

By Rita Ferrone

January 22, 2026

Article

'A Patriarchal Stalling Tactic'

Is the Vatican shutting down synodal discussion of women deacons?

By Heidi Schlumpf

November 25, 2025

Religion

Women in the Church

Synodality

Article

Still Positive on Synodality

Scholars gathered at the sociology of religion meeting in Chicago still saw synodality as the most encouraging cause for hope in the American Church.

By Heidi Schlumpf

September 11, 2025

Religion

Synodality

Article

Young American

Pope Leo XIV is his own man. But his election is a sign of continuity—on Vatican II, on Francis, and on synodality.

By Massimo Faggioli

May 16, 2025

Article

Francis’s Church?

From an emphasis on the global church to synodality, Pope Francis brought an outsider's perspective to his twelve-year papacy.

By Massimo Faggioli

April 21, 2025

Pope Francis

Vatican

Synodality

Article

Singing Myself Back to Life

An author reflects on finding new life by singing the alto line—and on what church musicians can teach us about living in community.

By Susan H. Swetnam

February 25, 2025

Article

An Interview with Tomáš Halík

Tomáš Halík discusses his life as an underground priest during Communism, renewal in the Church today, and his book 'The Afternoon of Christianity.'

By Zechariah Mickel

January 10, 2025

Interview

Synodality

Europe

Article

The End of the Synod…

The synodal process and the Final Document suggest that Catholicism is moving in the direction of a more participatory and missionary Church—if slowly.

By Massimo Faggioli

November 13, 2024

Religion

Synodality

Pope Francis

Article

Called But Not Heard

The women pressing to become deacons have a simple plea: to be used not simply as office managers, but as ministers.

By Anna Keating

October 26, 2024

Women in the Church

Religion

Synodality

Article

From Management to Ministry?

The Synod can bring about a more evangelizing Church if it foments an inclusive Catholicism of women in ministry.

By Massimo Faggioli

October 1, 2024

Article

The Synod on Synodality, Round Two

Though the Synod itself will conclude on October 27, the “synodal process” that Pope Francis called for in 2021 will carry on.

By Massimo Faggioli

August 28, 2024

Article

Missed Blessings

‘Fiducia supplicans’ seems written to reinforce very stubborn ideas: that there is a proper place for liturgy and that married gay people do not belong there.

By Brandon Ambrosino

August 14, 2024

Article

Catholic Youth Are Assets, not Problems

If we want to become a synodal Church, we need a pastoral conversion that helps us see young people as the assets they are.

By Brenda Noriega

June 26, 2024

Synodality

Religion

Bishops

Article

LGBTQ+ Catholics & the Synodal Process

If the Church really believes in the indelible dignity of LGBTQ+ persons, it can’t just express sorrow for past abuses or offer words of welcome. It has to actually do something.

By Nick Fagnant

June 19, 2024

LGBTQ issues

Pope Francis

Synodality

Article

Moving the Center

The Church's antiquated views on gender is hindering its ministry.

By Mary E. Hunt

April 24, 2024

Article

The Synod as Starting Point

The invitational aspect of synodality can be transformational—resuscitating what may seem like a dying Church, especially for young people.

By Kayla August

March 15, 2024

Religion

Bishops

Synodality

Article

The German Synod & Francis’s Legacy

When the next Pope is chosen, the main issue is likely to be the continuation of the Synod—or its reversal.

By Massimo Faggioli

March 11, 2024

Religion

Synodality

Pope Francis

Article

Understanding Trump’s Latino Base

Essentializing Latinos plays into the hands of Trump and the Far Right.

By César J. Baldelomar

February 7, 2024

Article

The Synod & Young People

Before asking young people to be vulnerable in synodal sessions, the Church must build trust and provide greater transparency.

By Brenda Noriega

November 29, 2023

Synodality

U.S. Catholicism

Pope Francis

Processing the Synod

On this episode, host Dominic Preziosi discusses the proceedings of the Synod on Synodality with journalist Paul Elie and theologian Anna Rowlands.

Synodality

Pope Francis

Article

The Synodal Journey Continues

The good news is that we are still a Vatican II Church: thanks to Francis, efforts by some to shape the Church in an anti-conciliar way have failed.

By Massimo Faggioli

November 8, 2023

Synodality

Pope Francis

Bishops

Article

A Good Start for the Synod...

The Synod recognized the urgency of including women more fully in the Church, but its conclusions left much to be desired.

By Frank Brennan

November 8, 2023

Synodality

Women in the Church

Bishops

Article

Synodality Works

In the early decades of the twenty-first century, historians will say, the Church sought a new way of operating that would allow it to travel into a new era.

By Austen Ivereigh

November 7, 2023

Article

A Note From the Synod Fathers…

“And so, in the spirit of St. Augustine, we pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit...but not yet.’”

By Mollie Wilson O’Reilly

October 31, 2023

Religion

Synodality

Article

Trusting LGBTQ+ students

Diocesan policies targeting LGBTQ+ students must change. The Synod can help.

By Nick Fagnant

October 22, 2023

Article

What Is ‘Eucharistic Ecclesiology’?

Can the eucharistic assembly really be foundational to our understanding of the Church if bishops are seen as branch managers of a multinational corporation?

By Rita Ferrone

October 16, 2023

Liturgy

Theology

Synodality

Feature

Synodality & Catholic Amnesia

Catholic synodality has a long, rich history. Understanding that history will help the Church flourish.

By Shaun Blanchard

October 9, 2023

Synodality

Pope Francis

Vatican II

Article

The Synod on Synodality

Commonweal contributors reflect on Pope Francis’s effort to remake the Church.

By The Editors

October 6, 2023

Religion

Pope Francis

Synodality

Article

Can Francis Get Catholics to Care About Ecology?

What if the starting point of ecological transformation is death instead of life?

By César J. Baldelomar

October 1, 2023

Article

The Pope & the Americans

For radical traditionalists in the U.S., Donald Trump is the new Constantine—and Pope Francis is the equivalent of a barbarian invasion.

By Massimo Faggioli

September 30, 2023

Article

Developing the Voice of the Laity

Synodality shows us how the Holy Spirit is at work through the laity, requiring patience and persistence from those in leadership positions.

By Kayla August

September 11, 2023

Synodality

The Last Word

Article

Scoring the Synod’s Working Document

“In my opinion, Imbelli read the synodal working document as someone mistrusting Francis’s whole project.”

By Peter Steinfels

August 23, 2023

Pope Francis

Religion

Synodality

Article

A Crucial Absence

Is the Cross absent from the Synod on Synodality’s working document? Robert P. Imbelli responds to Peter Steinfels.

By Robert P. Imbelli

August 16, 2023

Religion

Pope Francis

Synodality

Article

A Church with Room for Everyone

World Youth Day in Lisbon—almost certainly Pope Francis’s last—was a school in solidarity and synodality.

By Austen Ivereigh

August 11, 2023

Article

False Fears about the Synod

The Synod needs every bit of constructive help it can get. But mischaracterizing the Instrumentum is not helpful. Nor is raising the specter of Joachim of Fiore.

By Peter Steinfels

August 9, 2023

Synodality

Pope Francis

Theology

Article

The Pope, the Curia, & the Theologians

The unrequited love between academic theology and Pope Francis casts doubt on the success of synodality.

By Massimo Faggioli

August 8, 2023

Pope Francis

Bishops

Synodality

Article

Women Deacons?

The false argument against restoring women to the ordained diaconate—that women cannot image Christ—is the cause of the disrespect for women on every continent.

By Phyllis Zagano

July 23, 2023

Article

Pope Francis’s Vision for the Church

Through his focus on synodality, Pope Francis is helping the Church walk together on a path of renewal.

By Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv.

July 5, 2023

Article

Cardinal McElroy on the Voices of Synodal Dialogue

Cardinal Robert McElroy reflects on the eight major marks of a synodal Church and their importance in shaping the future.

By Robert W. McElroy

March 24, 2023

Pope Francis

Synodality

Article

Catholicism’s Shrinking Horizons

Vatican II was a time of rising expectations for theology, for how much it could transform the Church and the world. Have those expectations been betrayed?

By Massimo Faggioli

March 16, 2023

Article

Francis & the ‘Elitist’ German Synod

Pope Francis recently critiqued academic theologians involved in the German Synodal Path. His comments largely miss the mark.

By Massimo Faggioli

February 22, 2023

Article

Are We Protagonists Yet?

If the Church wants women to be its allies, it will need to recognize them as protagonists—full subjects with the agency to respond to the call of the Gospel.

By Susan Bigelow Reynolds

December 9, 2022

Synodality

Women in the Church

Vatican

Article

No Longer the Bishops’ Church?

This month, the U.S. bishops met to elect new leadership. The gathering came at a time when the Church may be on its way to becoming a post-episcopal institution.

By Massimo Faggioli

November 15, 2022

Article

Listening to the Synod

A synodal report from the American bishops reflects fears that the Church has become too “judgmental.” But a Church that does not judge cannot bear moral witness.

By Paul Baumann

November 5, 2022

Synodality

Pope Francis

Bishops