Synodality and the conciliar tradition of the Church: Medieval and early modern experiences of synodality

POPE FRANCIS has elevated the concept of “synodality” to the status of a new ecclesiological guiding concept, comparable to a nota ecclesiae, which captures the essence of the Church as comprehensively as do the traditional characteristics of the Church, namely, unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity. Vatican documents since then have sought to concretize and differentiate the concept of synodality, beginning with interpreting it etymologically as syn-hodos, a path to be walked together. This emphasizes, on the one hand, the way-character of the Christian faith and its missionary commitment and, on the other hand, the community aspect of the Church, which finds its expression in ecclesial structures, the liturgy, and caritative life.¹ In such explanations of synodality, reference is regularly made to the rich synodal tradition of the Church. Earlier theories concerning councils, however, are hardly taken [End Page 191] into account in the specification of the theological understanding of synodality.²

This article aims to recall some aspects of the synodal tradition of the Middle Ages and the early modern period in order to delineate some continuity with the current discussions of synodality. Moreover, it also recalls the emphases of a Latin synodal tradition against an inflationary use of the new concept of synodality, one which runs the risk of distracting from the importance of synods rather than clarifying their task and nature.

Summarizing a long period of history, I would like to insist on a connection between synod and reform. More than any other operative concept in the history of the Church, “reform” characterized the horizon and the expectations of synods in the second millennium. “Reform,” however, tended to be as broad, unspecific, and at times contradictory as “synodality” is today. Yet, as expressions of and commitment to more missionary zeal and higher standards in personal life and the life of the Church, “reform” and “synodality” share a common concern. Synods in the Middle Ages and the early modern period were not ends in themselves, but means of mobilization and conflict management. By synods, the Church committed herself to regaining momentum when stakes were high.

Already in ancient times, the regular holding of synods at the level of ecclesiastical provinces was obligatory.³ Convened by the metropolitan, the synod was to contribute to the strengthening of ecclesiastical structures, to ensure unity and uniformity among the Churches in a specific area and beyond. Synods were occasions for appointing new bishops, settling disputes, and recalling canonical regulations. These provincial synods are poorly documented in their entirety, but they shaped [End Page 192] the life and the constitution of the Church far more than did the great ecumenical councils, which were admittedly of enormous importance for defining doctrine and preserving the unity of the Church. Synods were gatherings of bishops only (or their representatives), even though congregations participated in the solemn liturgies celebrated at these occasions. By synods the monarchical structure of a local Church headed by a single bishop was tempered and integrated into the koinonia of the universal Church, represented by the gatherings of the bishops.⁴